Inter Milan continued their good form of form with a convincing 3-0 win over Sampdoria at the Giuseppe Meazza on Saturday.
Simone Inzaghi and Inter Milan continued their resurgence as they defeated a struggling Sampdoria side 3-0 at home to notch their fourth Serie A win on the trot and rise to fifth in the standings.
While the position could change once AS Roma and Udinese play their games, there is no denying that the Nerazzurri are turning around their fortunes. With UEFA Champions League progress also guaranteed after the win over Viktoria Plzen, the Coppa Italia winners are finally turning around their season.
Inter went into the game as heavy favourites against a Sampdoria side struggling to stay afloat. Led by former Nerazzurri favourite Dejan Stankovic, I Blucerchiati won their first league game of the season last week. Facing Inter is a whole other ball game, and it showed.
Stefan de Vrij converted Hakan Calhanoglu’s cross to give the home side the lead in the 21st minute before an in-form Nicolo Barella doubled the scoreline before half-time. Substitute Joaquin Correa rounded off proceedings with a much-needed goal in the 73rd minute.
— Inter (@Inter) October 29, 2022
Inter will face tougher challenges in the future and are a team on the rise. For now, they can go into the final game of the UEFA Champions League group stage against Bayern Munich without anything on the line. The Hard Tackle looks at how the Inter Milan stars fared on the night.
Andre Onana: 6.5/10
The goalkeeper had little to do on the night as the ball spent much of its time in the Sampdoria half. Onana was alert and roster to the occasion when needed, denying Valerio Verre with a fine save. He was a tad sketchy on crosses and even spilled one. Thankfully for Inter, nothing came out of it.
Milan Skriniar: 7/10
The Inter Milan skipper put in another no-nonsense performance that gave Sampdoria no openings. He organised the back three well and dealt with anything that was thrown his way on the night.
Stefan de Vrij: 8/10
The Dutch veteran rolled back the years and put in arguably his finest performance over the last few weeks. De Vrij opened the scoring on the night and was a colossus at the other end. His intelligence and reading of the game nullified anything Sampdoria threw in his direction.
Alessandro Bastoni: 8/10
The Italian international was brilliant against Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League and did not let his standards drop on the night. Bastoni dominated the left flank and was a colossus in attack and defence. He provided Federico Dimarco with able backup and played a peach of a cross in the leadup to Nicolo Barella’s strike in the first half.
Barella + Bastoni = 🪄
This connection improves every season. This is what happens when you combine a midfielder with elite technique and work-rate with the best ball-playing CB 🇮🇹 ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/ciKGbfIjHb
— Serie A Scout ⭐️🇮🇹 (@SerieAScout_) October 29, 2022
Denzel Dumfries: 6/10
Whether it was because of the injury he sustained in the warm-up, Dumfries lacked the cutting edge going forward and struggled to get going. There was no shortage of effort from his side, but it just was not to be the Dutchman’s night. He lasted 79 minutes before being forced off, and Inter will hope that his injury is not serious.
Nicolo Barella: 8/10
Another game, another goal for the UEFA Euro 2020 star. Barella is in fine form for Inter, and the goals he is adding from midfield are massively aiding the Nerazzurri’s cause. He is now just the fourth Inter player in history to net in three straight Serie A games. Kevin De Bruyne and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic are the only midfielders to have been involved in more goals this season, a testament to Barella’s form of late.
3 – Prior to Nicolò #Barella only 3 Inter's midfielders scored in 3 matches in a row in Serie A in the three points for a win era (since 1994/95): Cambiasso (in 2008), Perisic (in 2016) and Çalhanoglu (in 2021). Continuity.#InterSampdoria #SerieA pic.twitter.com/hGztNMm7Lq
— OptaPaolo 🏆 (@OptaPaolo) October 29, 2022
Hakan Calhanoglu: 7/10
The Turkish playmaker continued his fine run of form at the tip of the Inter midfield and helped Inter gain an early foothold. He provided the assist for the opener and was always available for a pass.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan: 7/10
The Armenian international was calmness personified on the night. While he failed to make it three goals in three games, Mkhitaryan showed off his excellent movement and positioning, proving to be the perfect foil for Barella and Calhanoglu. It was a quiet but impactful performance from the Inter star.
Federico Dimarco: 6/10
The Italian defender was indecisive in his decision-making, especially at the back. Thankfully for him, Bastoni was available to cover and dealt with anything he missed. Dimarco was better going forward but will need to do much better in the games to come.
Lautaro Martinez: 6/10
The Argentine striker never quite got going on the night and looked jaded. It is understandable given the number of games he has played at high intensity the last few weeks. The game against Bayern Munich gives Inzaghi the perfect opportunity to rest his talismanic attacker.
Edin Dzeko: 6/10
The veteran was another player who looked jaded. It impacted his usual ability to dominate up front and cut a largely subdued figure. With Joaquin Correa and Romelu Lukaku back available, Inzaghi has options to rotate his squad.
SUBSTITUTES
Joaquin Correa: 6.5/10
It was a much-improved performance by Correa, who has never quite impressed for Inter. He took his goal well, and it should boost his confidence ahead of the coming games.
Romelu Lukaku: 6/10
The Belgian replaced Martinez in the 63rd minute but appeared to have put on lead shoes by accident. His movement and actions appeared sluggish and were worlds apart from the performance he put up against Viktoria Plzen midweek.
Francesco Acerbi: 6/10
The veteran came on for Bastoni and once again reminded everyone that he should not be deployed on the left of the back three.
Raoul Bellanova: N/A
A 79th-minute substitute for the injured Dumfries, Bellanova had little to do.
Kristjan Asllani: N/A
Asllani replaced Calhanoglu in the 83rd minute as Inter saw out the game.
