Internazionale – Real Madrid: Alarming Inter No Contest For An Unspectacular Yet Organized Madrid (0-2)

Real Madrid did just enough to win, as Inter did not pose the slightest threat for the visitors. Zidane’s team cruised through the game as they did on the field, playing down the halfspaces and slowly breaking Inter’s feeble structure down bit by bit. 

Tactical analysis and match report by Kareem Bianchi.

Blessed as the next big contender for the Serie A title after Juve’s grip slowly weakens, Inter has watched its cross-city rivals shine through the start of the league. Manager Antonio Conte has often been reprimanded for his rigid decisions, yet when he finally switched the flip to a more dominant approach, many have cried for a return to the old days. 

What has stood out so far is Inter’s extremely feeble defense, with the bricks that have historically composed Conte’s structures, 

losing its once-feared steadiness. In eight Serie A matches, they conceded eight goals, whereas the Champions League score does not get better, with five in four and a bottom place spot. 

Luckily for them, the predicted main contenders for the qualification to the knock-out rounds have had their fair share of issues as well, with Zinedine Zidane’s team sat just two points ahead, on level points with Shakhtar Donetsk. Thus, all either team needed to shed new light on their group stage path, was a win to settle in third place.

Real Madrid could not rely on two key players in Sergio Ramos and Karim Benzema, who were replaced by Nacho Fernández and Mariano Díaz. Conte on the other hand played the same eleven that came back against Torino, except for Danilo . . .