Cagliari 1 - 5 Inter: Player Ratings

After the Roma game, changes had to be made as the team did not perform up to snuff. Changes were made and the team played exponentially better. This was an entertaining game to watch after the several minutes of frankly boring play. This game highlighted the potential our team has when on form and it provides a view of what to hope for in the future. It is nice to see how well the team has responded to losses under Pioli and the team will hopefully turn this into another winning streak.

Players

Samir Handanovic - 6.5

Although the score line would suggest that Inter beat down on Cagliari and controlled the whole match, this would not be wholly true. Cagliari did get a fair share of chances and Handanovic did well to prevent more goals from being conceded.

Danilo D'Ambrosio - 6.5

Kept his side neat and quiet all game on the defensive end. Going forward, D'Ambrosio almost got on the score sheet himself with a thunderous shot in the second half, but the shot was blocked by Gabriel.

Gary Medel - 7

This game marked a massive personal comeback for the Chilean. Last week against Roma, Medel struggled mightily to defend the opposing threat (Dzeko). This week, Medel excelled and even performed a miraculous goal line clearance very early in the game.

Miranda - 6.5

The return of Miranda was welcomed after the defensive collapse again Roma. With his return from suspension, Miranda did not perform spectacularly and committed a few mistakes, but overall he did well in his return and almost headed in a goal in the second half.

Christian Ansaldi - 6.5

Ansaldi returned to the starting lineup after not previously starting a game since the Coppa Italia match against Lazio. He did his job throughout the march and did not stand out too much. After picking up a slight injury, Ansaldi was subbed off in the closing minutes.

Roberto Gagliardini - 7.5

Struggled to get in the game in the opening minutes, but once he and Kondogbia got into the game, the midfield was unstoppable. Especially in the second half, Cagliari could not contain the threat created by our midfield and Gagliardini eventually got his first Seria A goal and first goal with Inter.

Geoffrey Kondogbia - 7

Again, the opening minutes were not optimal for the midfield, but once the midfield started to click, the whole team started to perform. When Kondogbia plays like this, we see the reason that we dished out so much cash for him in the first place.

Antonio Candreva - 6.5

Candreva definitely does more when he is not restricted to a wing back role. Being able to focus on his offensive duties grants the Italian more freedom to work his magic. Proved that he is more than a capable threat when he works as a winger.

Ever Banega - 8

Banega has not been receiving too many starting minutes of late so his selection from the start was a bit startling. This said, Banega proved his selection was far from a mistake. Banega pulled the strings today as he floated a wonderful ball to Perisic for the opening goal and also scored a beautiful free kick.

Ivan Perisic - 8

This game showed just how ridiculous Pioli was for starting Perisic as a wing back against Roma. Perisic showed off his ability as he scored two wonderful goals. Perisic can score goals and be an absolute terror to defend against. My only complaint is that I would like to see him finish the game and go for a third goal.

Mauro Icardi - 7.5

The captain scored yet another goal, but that is not surprising. Our captain seemingly scores at will and is now up to seventeen league goals. The fear at the beginning of the season is that the team would be too reliant upon the star striker, but now more players are getting on the scoresheet.

Substitutes

Eder - 6

The winger came on and almost immediately had an impact as he got a shot on goal right after coming on. For the whole time Eder was on the pitch, he played his part by tracking back and sprinting up the pitch.

Joao Mario - 6

Joao Mario came on after the team had already scored four goals, so it was not like the team was in need of further creativity, but he still showed his quality as he set up Icardi perfectly. Unfortunately, Icardi was only able to hit the bar, but it just shows how little Joao needs to set up his teammates.

Yuto Nagatomo - 6

Nagatomo came on with very little time left so his influence was very limited. His inclusion was probably more of an injury substitution than a tactical switch as Ansaldi had just picked up a knock.

Manager

Stefano Pioli - 8

Stefano Pioli decided to ditch the three man backline that failed the team against Roma. Instead, Pioli opted for a return to the 4-2-3-1 as the team obviously was not built for the previous formation. This change proved fruitful as the offense went off today and scored five goals and potentially could have had more if the team was a bit more clinical. Overall, the team played excellently and it was nice to watch Inter rout an opponent (sorry Cagliari). Hopefully, Pioli will get the team winning more consistently again as we cannot afford to drop any more games in the race for European places.