A quartet of goals from Inter saw-off Serie A newcomers Frosinone in a one-sided encounter at the San Siro on Sunday.
Goals from Jonathan Biabiany, Mauro Icardi, Jeison Murillo and Marcelo Brozovic ensured the Nerazzurri a return to the summit of the league standings, after results elsewhere went their way.
Frosinone were the first to make any real attacking progress, with a shot from range and an acrobatic effort inside Inter’s box equalled by Samir Handanovic.
Inter, however, began to assert themselves on the game, and their early dominance was rewarded just before the half-hour mark when Serbian attacker Adem Ljajic had his long-range effort parried by Nicola Leali in goal for the away side, with Biabiany pouncing on the rebound in emphatic fashion to open the scoring.
In the dying moments of the first-half, Stevan Jovetic nearly doubled Inter’s lead, with his shot from the edge of the box on target but lacking the power required to beat Frosinone’s on-loan goalkeeper.
The second-half continued the trend with the hosts looking threatening. Icardi and Biabiany linked up well inside the away side’s box, though the Frenchman blasted his shot over the bar.
Frosinone nearly, however, scored off a corner. As the ball was played into the box, Icardi’s attempted clearance was sliced goalwards, though no one was on hand to dispatch for Roberto Stellone’s side. Shortly after, a well worked move between Ljajic and Icardi that began at the edge of the box ended in a tap-in for the 22-year-old Argentine, who netted his fourth of the campaign with that effort.
Despite being 2-0 down, the Gialloazzurri continued to threaten from set-pieces, with another corner causing concern for Inter just after the hour. Nicolás Castillo’s close-range effort was bravely blocked by Colombian centre-back Murillo.
A menace to Frosinone’s back-four all night, Ljajic’s strike from range could have made it three for Inter as it dipped at the last moment, though not enough, ultimately skimming off the top of the net.
Jovetic should have sealed the match five minutes from time, with the impressive Ljajic playing the 25-year-old through on goal, though the former Manchester City man could not find a way past Leali.
The result was put beyond doubt only seconds after though, when another burst forward from Inter broke through the away side’s defence and saw Jovetic tee-up Murillo, whose shot rolled through Leali’s legs and into the back of the net to put Internazionale up 3-0.
The home side’s attacking exploits did not end there, however, as substitute Brozovic neatly tucked in a fourth from a difficult angle in stoppage time, putting the gloss on a convincing victory for Roberto Mancini’s side.
Formations
Mancini made four personnel changes to the side that defeated Torino prior to the international break. Alex Telles came in for Juan Jesus, while Biabiany started in place of Danilo D’Ambrosio. As well as this, Gary Medel made way for Ljajic, and Rodrigo Palacio was taken out of the starting lineup to accommodate Jovetic. The coach also changed the formation, with 4-2-3-1 being utilised in favour of 3-5-2.
Inter Milan XI (4-2-3-1): Handanovic (GK); Nagatomo, Miranda, Murillo, Telles; Melo, Kondogbia; Biabiany, Jovetic, Ljajic; Icardi
Following on from last round’s 2-2 draw at home to Genoa, Stellone kept the formation the same for the trip to the Giuseppe Meazza, though did make three changes to the starting lineup. Robert Gucher, Raman Chibsah and Federico Dionisi all made way for Paolo Sammarco, Mirko Gori and Castillo respectively.
Frosinone XI (4-4-2): Leali (GK); Rosi, Blanchard, Diakité, Crivello; Paganini, Sammarco, Gori, Soddimo; Ciofani, Castillo
Inter’s balanced midfield key to victory
Changing up from a midfield that consisted of three ball-winners and two wing-backs against Torino, to one that included a sufficient balance of muscle, tenacity, skill and creativity against Frosinone, Mancini seems to have found the formula with which to protect the back-four, while also providing a goal threat against opposition defences and creative outlets for Icardi to thrive with.
Utilising Felipe Melo and Geoffrey Kondogbia in front of the back four, with three attacking players (two of which are wingers) behind the main striker, Inter finally looked like a balanced team that was more than competent in both attacking and defensive phases. This was highlighted by the count of successful passes for both sides, with Inter completing 428 on the day compared to Frosinone’s meagre 187.
As well as this, Kondogbia turned in one of his best performances in a Nerazzurri shirt in his short career as an Inter man. Shielding the back-four and breaking up the play is more suited for the Frenchman rather than making runs forward and linking midfield with attack, due to his loose first touch and poor close control.
Overall, the formation suited Inter, and the personnel employed on the day suited the formation, with a resounding 4-0 victory coming as a result of Mancini’s astute tactical decisions.
Frosinone allow Inter too much space at the edge of the box
While it is understandable the away side wished to sit back and lock-up the defence in order to ward Inter from goal, it simply did not work against a talented trident of attackers that consisted of Biabiany, Jovetic and Ljajic.
Leonardo Blanchard and Modibo Diakité at centre-back for Stellone’s side sat-off and invited pressure from the aforementioned trio, having an adverse effect for the side, while full-backs Roberto Crivello and Aleandro Rosi were constantly tormented by Inter’s wide players.
Biabiany and Ljajic cause considerable damage to the away side
Finally seeing sense in employing two wingers and utilising 4-2-3-1, Mancini has reaped the benefits with a 4-0 victory.
Time and again, Ljajic would link up with either Jovetic or Icardi and continue his runs either inside the box, or closer to the away side’s goal. These intricate plays involving the aforementioned players resulted in many situations that opened up the Gialloazzurri’s back-four and allowed shots at goal for Inter.
Biabiany, on the other side, played even wider than Ljajic and terrorised Crivello at left-back for Frosinone. The Frenchman’s direct running allowed Inter to gain territory deep inside the away side’s half, and the 27-year-old’s crosses were a source of danger.
Frosinone dominate Inter on attacking set-pieces
If there was one positive to take out of the game for the away side, it was the way in which the Gialloazzurri were able to constantly threaten Inter Milan, an extremely tall side and the most stringent defence in Serie A, on set-pieces.
On the other side of the fence, though, the manner in which the Nerazzurri defended these situations would be a cause for concern for Mancini.
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Conclusion
Inter’s midfield and attack finally clicked and to great effect, with the emphatic victory testament to the side’s improved offesive performance. The manner in which Ljajic was able to link-up with both Jovetic and Icardi will be a source of encouragement for the man at the helm of the Nerazzurri, while balance in midfield and an effective formation seems to have finally been discovered. The biggest test of the season will arrive next week though, in the shape of Napoli at the Stadio San Paolo.
Meanwhile, Frosinone have suffered another setback in their quest to ward off the threat of relegation, however, there is plenty of time to resolve their issues and retain their Serie A status. The side’s defensive structure requires improvement, while more production is needed from the midfield in future fixtures.
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