Internazionale – Atalanta Bergamo: Inter’s Head Start Holds Off Atalanta’s Comeback (3-2)

Enjoying a brilliant final part of the season, Inter sprinted off the blocks with thunderous power, scoring twice in the opening three minutes and setting the tone in a decisive match to secure a top-four spot. Atalanta rallied back in their usual attacking fashion but ultimately left too much space behind their defensive line which Inter capitalized through a mix of determination and perfectly synced attacking movements. Will this be Inter’s tactical canvas in Istanbul?
Tactical analysis and match report by Giovanni Cesaroni.

Just three days after the last Coppa Italia triumph in front of Fiorentina, Internazionale hosted Atalanta Bergamo at San Siro to seal their next year’s Champions League qualification and start their long run to this season’s finale in Istanbul, on June 10th, against heavy favorites Manchester City.

Needing just a single point in the two remaining fixtures, head coach Simone Inzaghi asked for a last final effort in the league to then concentrate all the energy towards the biggest night for the club since 2010.

However, their task looked anything but easy, as Atalanta still retained slim hopes of a Champions League qualification too (with either Europa or Conference League already secured) and proved to be more effective away from home as often happened during Gian Piero Gasperini’s tenure.

Following the usual 3-5-2 shape, Inter were slightly changed from the Coppa Italia final as André Onana returned in goal and Danilo D’Ambrosio replaced Matteo Darmian at the back with Francesco Acerbi and Alessandro Bastoni. The five midfielders were unchanged whereas Romelu Lukaku reclaimed his starting spot upfront instead of Edin Džeko in what could be a major doubt going into the Istanbul final. 

Atalanta completed the short . . .