Roberto Mancini’s men obtained their first Serie A victory at home since early December with a narrow victory against Chievo Verona.
Inter Milan have defeated Rolando Maran’s Chievo 1-0 at the San Siro on Wednesday, with club captain Mauro Icardi making amends for his missed penalty in the previous round against AC Milan.
The Argentine netted shortly after the second half began as he was the quickest to react in a goal-line scramble following an Inter Milan corner, controlling the ball and toe-poking past an inspired Andrea Seculin in goal for the away side.
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Inter’s dominance in the match suggested they deserved more than a 1-0 scoreline, however the team will take heart from the performance going into their next clash against bottom side Hellas Verona, while Chievo will be hoping for a different showing when they visit Torino in the upcoming round of Serie A fixtures.
Icardi shows good temperament to bounce back
Following that costly penalty miss with Inter down just 1-0 at the time in the Milan derby over the weekend, it would have been easy for Icardi to have been haunted going into this match. The 22-year-old, however, came back even stronger, starting the game and putting in a scintillating performance up front for the Nerazzurri as he slotted the only goal of the match and got involved with much of his side’s play further up the pitch.
This is the mark of a good player, one with character. The ability to bounce back after failing in such a key moment in a monumental match shows Icardi has the right temperament to go on to become a world class striker.
All throughout the 90 minutes, the La Masia youth product showed why he is so highly rated in one of his best performances of the season to date. If not for Seculin’s heroics in between the sticks for Chievo, Icardi could have easily had a hat-trick.
Against Maran’s side, the San Siro witnessed once more what the lethal poacher is capable of, and Inter’s number nine will only get better if Mancini – upon his return to the touchline after serving a one match ban – utilises the tactics that were so efficient in this match in the coming Serie A fixtures.
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Brilliant Seculin performance only positive in poor Chievo showing
As previously stated, the scoreline could have been a lot heavier than 1-0 for the away side.
Inter’s front three of Icardi, Eder and Rodrigo Palacio were brilliant as they created multiple chances throughout the match, though it was Chievo Verona’s 25-year-old goalkeeper who stood out.
Coming in for 38-year-old Albano Bizzarri in this match, Seculin shone brightest for Maran’s side as his acrobatics ensured many a goal-bound chance did not hit the back of the net. Icardi, Eder, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Marcelo Brozovic, João Miranda and Jeison Murillo all had efforts warded off by the Italian, who was easily the best man on the pitch for the entirety of the contest and had to be beaten by a close range strike.
Such an immense display from the Chievo goalkeeper will ensure he will not return to the bench any time soon, and similar feats in the future will have Chievo picking up points.
Inter show they have ability to play well as Mancini sits out in the stands
Inter produced arguably their best football of the season in this match, however it was without Mancini actually managing the side and barking orders from the touchline.
Especially in the opening 45 minutes of the match, the Nerazzurri were fashioning chances in a manner that they have not been able to thus far in 2015-16. The ball was moved from midfield to attack with pace, with players presenting options and getting in behind the Chievo defence, while Inter’s back-four of Yuto Nagatomo, Miranda, Murillo and Alex Telles did not allow the away side to do likewise in that area of the pitch, with the Gialloblu’s only genuine chance of the match coming late in the game.
Inter mustered 24 shots, with eight of those on target, the most they have produced in a single league match this campaign, and Samir Handanovic for once did not have to pull of any match-winning saves.
This performance has not been seen under Mancini in 2015-16, which is worrying to say the least and may suggest the 51-year-old has lost the backing of his players. Only time will tell if this is the case or not.
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