Inter: Brilliance, Grit, Luck and Lautaro

Rotation and Lautaro Martinez is an overly simplistic way of describing Simone Inzaghi’s philosophy as Inter’s head coach, but that does not make it wrong. Nor is it a bad thing. Every great team needs a focal point, but it is equally crucial that everyone can muck in. Nowhere was that more evident than in Florence on Sunday night.

In the city of Brunelleschi’s dome, the symbiosis of individual genius and collective hustle has a striking manifestation. Two miles east of the Duomo, this Inter side underlined their credentials as Scudetto favourites and set the tone for a crucial period which begins with Juventus at San Siro and ends with a Milan derby in late April; two games that could define another exciting title race.

With the crucial metronome Hakan Calhanoglu and engine Nicolò Barella suspended, Inter had a chance to stress test their rotation policy with Kristjan Asllani and Davide Frattesi coming in. Federico Dimarco’s Supercoppa exploits in Saudi Arabia prompted Inzaghi to give Carlos Augusto a turn at left wing-back.

The subsection of Juventus fans who fully buy into the pro-Inter refereeing conspiracy theories will have been righteously incensed at the Bastoni non-penalty.

Despite an early spell of Fiorentina dominance, Asllani’s corner found Lautaro at the front post, who duly shrugged off Fabiano Parisi’s weak jostle attempt and flicked on a delightful header.

His 19th league goal this season proved to be crucial and highlighted the difference an elite finisher makes. Fiorentina have fond memories of prolific Argentines and what they would not give for a Gabriel Batistuta in 2024.

Their own Argentine striker, Lucas Beltrán, failed to score in his first eleven league games this season before a run of four goals in six games. Still, a lack of bite in big games like this has consistently undermined the often-dominant possession and chance creation that Fiorentina enjoy.

Despite the lack of an attacking focal point, they caused Inter problems as they controlled prolonged periods of the game. Mbala Nzola’s seemingly imminent departure did not stop him getting into good positions and was denied a goal only by poor awareness leaving him offside in the 11th minute.

Jack Bonaventura forced a magnificent save from Yann Sommer towards the end of the first half and the resulting corner caused Inter’s Alessandro Bastoni to bundle Luca Ranieri to the floor in a moment of panic. So, a penalty, right? Not this time, much to the disgust of the (always) loud home crowd at Artemio Franchi.

The subsection of Juventus fans who fully buy into the pro-Inter refereeing conspiracy theories will have been righteously incensed at the Bastoni non-penalty and may have gone into conspiracy overdrive when Gianluca Aureliano initially failed to give a penalty when Sommer accidentally punched Nzola instead of the ball, but VAR was there to save the day. Good old reliable VAR. Can always count on it.

They score more and concede fewer than everyone else in Italy, and their visually appealing verticality makes them one of Europe’s most interesting sides.

What you cannot count on, however, is the penalty taker. Nico Gonzaléz has often taken it upon himself to single handedly win games for Fiorentina, when fit, but his introduction from the bench did not have the desired effect. His penalty, so weak that words cannot describe, was caressed into the arms of Sommer, and thus Inter survived to win.

With the Derby d’Italia peering over Fiorentina’s shoulder into the glare of Inter, it is understandable that Sunday night was more a demonstration of grit than brilliance. Juventus came to Florence and defended a one-goal lead for 80+ minutes in November. Inter did not quite follow Allegri’s approach but did demonstrate similar tactical nous in allowing Fiorentina time and space to overthink things.

They score more and concede fewer than everyone else in Italy, and their visually appealing verticality makes them one of Europe’s most interesting sides; and when all that fails, there is always Lautaro Martinez.

That they manage to change personnel regularly and remain atop Serie A is a testament to their coach. Perhaps luck helps too, but that depends on who you ask. All eyes on a Derby d’Italia this Sunday, a game where you could not possibly underestimate its importance.