Five Takeaways: Bologna 1 - 1 Inter

After a late 2-0 victory over Crotone on Saturday, the Nerazzuri traveled to Bologna to settle for a 1-1 draw against Bologna. Inter Milan forward Éder drew a penalty in the 75th minute that led to a Mauro Icardi equalizing penalty kick goal. Plenty of positives and negatives to take in for Inter from this match.

Inter need better first half starts

It’s been visible that Luciano Spalletti’s men struggle to find rhythm in the first half of play. Saturday’s struggles in the first 45 seemed to mirror what happened in this contest. The first minute looked promising as midfielder Antonio Candreva broke free from a Bologna defender to send in a low cross towards João Mário. The cross proved to be too quick for Mário, as the ball sailed past his feet. Bologna took control from that point on by peppering Inter with chances. They eventually broke through in the 32nd minute with a Simone Verdi goal.

Not the best performance from Samir Handanović

Handanović found a way to keep Inter in the match versus Crotone on Saturday. It was noted that the 33-year-old looked very comfortable distributing the ball to his defenders and midfielders in that match. Maybe he got a bit too comfortable in this one. In the 16th minute, Handanović booted the ball towards Inter’s side of the midfield. The attempt eventually got intercepted by Bologna and it led to a very dangerous chance for Verdi early on. He also looked a little shaky handling the ball. The Slovenian gave up more dangerous rebounds than fans might be used to witnessing.

There needs to be more creativity in attack

Internazionale has been able to get away with one or two goals against teams towards the bottom of the table, for now. Sooner rather than later, Inter is going to have to get more creative in attack, especially against more threatening opponents. I really can’t tell you the amount of times the ball gets aimlessly sent in towards Icardi. For a portion of this contest, it looked as if Spalletti’s men were putting everything they could towards the net. I can’t see that lasting for too long. There’s been some spark of creativity with Mário, Candreva, and Ivan Perišić, but nothing lasting for sustained periods of time. That’s what the big teams do: make the most of their possession. Consider Inter to be very lucky to get a goal today.

Milan Škriniar, Perišić and Icardi continue to lift Inter

The trio look to be in good form at the moment. Whether you like to admit or not, the three provide a majority of the workload for Inter. Škriniar looks to be more stable than his defensive partner Miranda. The 22-year-old attempted a long shot today that went on target, which was more of a chance than most of what Inter provided today. Perišić looked to continue off his goal from last match. Even though he couldn’t bury one in this match, Perišić continued to haunt defenders with his chance creation. And of course, the goal scorer Icardi continues to be reliable in a plethora of scenarios.

br.pintrest.com

Inter currently sit in a top four position

Maybe it’s too early, but top four positioning isn’t something Inter fans were witnessing at this time last season. The Nerazzuri currently sit at the top of the table with a one point lead above Napoli. Of course, their current position is subject to change. But the willingness to find a point or three out of every match shows improvement from this squad that Spalletti is providing. Continue to grasp the motivation to scrap what they can from a fixture, and we might see Inter in the Champions League next season.

Inter continue their Serie A campaign against Genoa on Sept. 24. Get complete coverage for that match right here on Serpents of Madonnina.