Is Inter Milan finally starting to gel as a team?

In their first half against Fiorentina, Inter Milan looked like a team possessed. They were hammering the Viola offensively and shutting down just about everything that was thrown their way.

However, in the second half, it seemed like a completely different team.

I don’t know if that was more because they were tired from the first half pressing or because Fiorentina made necessary adjustments and Inter didn’t.

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Either way, one thing is certain and that is Inter has to do a better job putting two halves of football together.

But, another thing we can take away is that maybe this new-look Inter squad is finally coming together. Of course, just as I say that, we fall apart and have a complete let down against Cagliari this weekend and PSV Eindhoven next week.

Tuesday’s match saw Mauro Icardi finally break into the scoring column after a Vitor Hugo penalty. While is wasn’t’ an action goal, it was a goal nonetheless. Perhaps it is just what Icardi needed to start producing as he did in the beginning of last season.

Bringing in Radja Nainggolan, Keita Balde, Lautaro Martinez, Matteo Politano, Sime Vrsaljko, Kwadwo Asamoah and Stefan De Vrij during the off-season left a lot of questions for Inter in terms of how this many new faces would come together and, more importantly, how quickly could Luciano Spalletti make that happen.

The start of the season left little confidence as the Nerazzurri put themselves into a hole with losses to Sassuolo and Parma. However, their recent run — albeit two of those coming from behind — have shown a certain spark with the team that many may have thought would take months to see.

Defensively, Milan Skriniar, De Vrij, Asamoah and Danilo D’Ambrosio may have stumbled early, but in their first five matches, the team just five goals — two of which coming against Torino in a draw. Additionally, Samir Handanovic already has a pair of shutouts.

Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images

In the midfield, Nainggolan — who started the season injured — is beginning to show how valuable of a signing he really was. His communication with the front line seems to be getting better and better as the weeks progress. Toss in the run of play by Marcelo Brozovic and Matias Vecino and the midfield seems to be coming together. Borja Valero, although played sparingly, has come in and created some additional creativity in the center of the pitch.

On the offensive side, Icardi getting that first goal in the league should be the necessary spark to propel him to more. His play against Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League coupled with the goal against Fiorentina should resonate into even more from the captain.

Ivan Perisic has also had solid moments in the first part of the season while Antonio Candreva has been a bit inconsistent. On the flip side, Politano has proven to be one of the hardest players on Inter’s roster.

Balde and Martinez haven’t seen the pitch enough to really get into the flow with Martinez still suffering from an injury. Both just need more time to get things lined out.

”The team is ready, now let’s go all the way. These are the men that I wanted and I go forward with a sense of calm,” said Inter boss Luciano Spalletti, following the win over Fiorentina. “We deservedly won and I’d say that my boys were more than good. We know what our path must be this year. We want to play a big role this season.”

In all, I think I see this Inter team really starting to come together. Spalletti’s touchline ban, although overturned, could be one of those sparks that gives this team the attitude that it is truly us against them.

Using that attitude, coupled with continued improvement on the pitch could see Inter do just what Spalletti wants … to play a big role this season.

What do you think? Post your comments below!