Nicolo Barella was the star of the show as Inter Milan beat Juventus 2-0 at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium to go level on points with table-toppers AC Milan.
Inter Milan managed to sustain the pressure on league leaders AC Milan following an important 2-0 win over Juventus at the Giuseppe Meazza on Sunday.
It was a positive performance from the home side from every angle, even from the start as they found the early opener through Arturo Vidal in the 12th minute. The game was fairly open, but Antonio Conte’s men defended diligently, barely allowing Juventus to create any clear-cut opportunities in the final third.
Inter took the advantage again during the early stages of the second half, doubling their lead through Nicolo Barella. The goal served as a massive blow for the Bianconeri, who continued to struggle despite dominating most of the possession. One of the main reasons behind their demise against the Nerazzurri was the poor performance of the midfielders.
Juventus did cause a few nervy moments for Inter during the late stages of the game, but to no avail, as Samir Handanovic stood strong in between the sticks. Here, at The Hard Tackle, we will run the rule over these sides following this crucial win for the Nerazzurri this weekend.
Inter Milan
Samir Handanovic: 7.5/10
Samir Handanovic had a great game in between the sticks. He made a few important saves, especially during the final stage of the game to retain his deserved clean sheet.
Milan Skriniar: 8/10
Milan Skriniar was excellent in the Inter Milan defence, remaining strong on the right-hand channel. It made life difficult for the Juventus attackers to penetrate the Inter backline.
Stefan de Vrij: 8.5/10
Stefan de Vrij was an absolute rock at the heart of the three-man backline for Inter. His imposing presence in defence made it impossible for the likes of Alvaro Morata and Cristiano Ronaldo to cause problems in the final third.
Alessandro Bastoni: 9/10
Alessandro Bastoni was by far the best defender for the home side in this match. The young Italian was solid at the back, but also quite influential in the build-up. Registered one of the assists of the season to set up Barella for the second goal.
Absolutely unbelievable assist from Alessandro Bastoni to first carry the ball from his left sided CB position, then split Chiellini & Frabotta – very, very small sub-set of CBs who have the ability to play a pass that breaks multiple lines like this
Special talent ? pic.twitter.com/Q0y43U1S8p
— Premier League Panel (@PremLeaguePanel) January 17, 2021
Achraf Hakimi: 7.5/10
Achraf Hakimi enjoyed a good game on the right flank against Juventus. He ventured forward at every opportunity, providing offensive support. His final balls could have been better, though.
Nicolo Barella: 10/10
Nicolo Barella ruled the show with his silky footwork and ability to dribble past the Juventus players. He provided the creative essence for Inter in midfield, notably creating the chance that led to Vidal’s opener before doubling Inter’s lead with an early second half strike. Man of the match.
Marcelo Brozovic: 8/10
Marcelo Brozovic was neat and tidy, as usual. His composed passing and ability to read the game made it difficult for Juventus to dominate this game.
Arturo Vidal: 8/10
Arturo Vidal was simply all over the pitch in this game. The Chilean international kick-started the proceedings with a thumping header before playing an essential role in the second line of press. A strong showing against his former club.
Ashley Young: 7.5/10
Ashley Young was not as impressive as most of his teammates, but he kept his composure and dealt well with the threat of Federico Chiesa on the flanks.
Lautaro Martinez: 7.5/10
Lautaro Martinez enjoyed a bright game against Juventus. The attacker looked sharp on the ball, often taking on opposing defenders. However, he still has room for improvement in terms of his productivity.
Romelu Lukaku: 8/10
Romelu Lukaku was an absolute scourge for the Juventus defence due to his massive frame that made it almost impossible for them to dispossess the Belgian. The forward also looked promising in the build-up play, but failed to take full advantage of his chances.
What it takes for Lukaku to get a foul in SerieA pic.twitter.com/g3SlYvBa2Z
— Mactarazzi23 ?? (@matrix190890) January 17, 2021
SUBSTITUTES
Matteo Darmian: 7/10
Came in for Young, who was already on a yellow, in the 72nd minute. Dealt well with the pressure on the flanks, helping Inter Milan retain their clean sheet.
Roberto Gagliardini: N/A
A late replacement for Vidal. Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
Alexis Sanchez: N/A
A late replacement for Martinez. Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
Juventus
Wojciech Szczesny: 6/10
It was a disappointing evening for Wojciech Szczesny, who had no chance of saving Vidal’s thumping effort, but should have arguably done better for the second goal. Nonetheless, the Pole was not at fault for conceding any of the two goals.
Danilo: 4/10
Danilo was the weakest link in the Juventus defence and it was evident when Vidal easily beat the Brazilian to head the ball home in the 12th minute. Simply needs to fare better in games like these.
Leonardo Bonucci: 4/10
One should expect much better from Leonardo Bonucci, who had his fair share of troubles dealing with the offensive duo of Martinez and Lukaku.
Giorgio Chiellini: 4/10
Much like Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini also struggled to provide the solidity in the Juventus backline. The Italian international made a few good tackles but his lack of pace made it easier for Inter to create chances in the final third.
Gianluca Frabotta: 5/10
Gianluca Frabotta failed to impress on the left flank, often getting overwhelmed by the marauding Hakimi. He was eventually taken off around the hour mark after picking up a little knock.
Federico Chiesa: 6/10
Chiesa did cause a few problems for the Inter Milan defence with his crosses. On a large scheme of things, the former Fiorentina star should have done much better against Young.
Rodrigo Bentancur: 4/10
Rodrigo Bentancur had a miserable night in the middle of the park. He got beaten way too easily at times and simply did not provide enough cover for the two centre-backs.
Adrien Rabiot: 3/10
Adrien Rabiot was equally incompetent in midfield, failing to provide neither creativity nor the solidity needed to prevent Inter from dominating this game.
Aaron Ramsey: 3/10
Aaron Ramsey was poor in this game, largely due to a lack of identity in his role. Indeed, the Welshman was forced to drift into a central role alongside Morata – something he struggled to cope with.
Alvaro Morata: 3/10
Morata failed to cause problems for the Inter backline and looked frustrated for the most part of the game. The former Real Madrid striker still needs some time before he can rediscover his form.
Cristiano Ronaldo: 2/10
It was one of the worst performances from Cristiano Ronaldo for quite some time as the Portuguese sensation could not influence the game at all. He kept losing possession multiple times and was completely ineffective going forward.
SUBSTITUTES
Dejan Kulusevski: 6.5/10
Replaced the ineffective Ramsey around the hour mark, providing more oomph to the Juventus attack. Tested Handanovic once, but to no avail.
Weston McKennie: 6.5/10
Provided more energy and enthusiasm after replacing Rabiot – a move that should have been made at the start.
Federico Bernardeschi: 5/10
Federico Bernardeschi was introduced in place of Frabotta around the hour mark, but the move barely made a difference.
