Deputy director
January 3, 2025 (changed at 08:09) – MILANO
Dum-Dum Dumfries: with two goals from the Dutch striker, Inter are in the Super Cup final. The strongest team won, the one that had the most scoring opportunities, the most… complete: even if you read the lineups.
forza
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On the one hand, in fact, Inzaghi put the very starting Inter on the field, the one with opportunities not to be missed. On the other hand, Gasperini, surprising everyone, masked Atalanta by surprisingly leaving out at least some starters who have characterized the Nerazzurri's winning path so far: Lookman, De Ketelaere and Ederson. Joined by Bellanova, Djimsiti, Pasalic as well as the injured Retegui. It's not the first time that Atalanta has played without their classic centre-forward, that wasn't the flaw, but rather the absence of their other aces altogether. Scalvini is surprisingly on the field, out of role, after 7 months of absence. It's one thing to have credible alternatives to put in place to make a turnover, out of necessity or during the game in progress, it's another to give up the best performers from the start in a dry match against the strongest opponent of all who has already beaten you in the championship scoring four goals. And even that day at San Siro Atalanta were missing De Ketelaere and Lookman… The result yesterday could have been similar after 70 minutes of play, if Lautaro hadn't missed at least 5 clear scoring opportunities.
and where was Atalanta?
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Gasperini's negative score against Inzaghi's Inter continues: in 9 matches between the championship and cups he lost the last 7 and drew 2. In short, Gasp is unable to find the antidote. At the end of the match, speaking of the starting line-up, he used words that recalled those of Conte when Napoli exited the Italian Cup against Lazio after having fielded all reserves: “It was the opportunity to see in action who had played up until now less”, “It was an excellent test…”, “This experience was useful for those who play less”, “De Keteleare and Lookman cannot play 56 games”, etc etc. The feeling is that, although Atalanta took the field and put in their maximum effort, Gasperini would have gladly avoided this trip to Arabia and is not sorry for having avoided another commitment in the eventual final. “Test”, as Gasp defined it: but if the Italian Super Cup, in a mini tournament format abroad (in a semi-empty stadium…), has to be experienced like this, perhaps something needs to be reviewed. The coaches know the health of their teams, Gasperini is not naive and will have done his calculations before making certain choices. But if playing too much means snubbing the less important trophies, those trophies risk losing their appeal in the long run, even for those who pay a lot to host them.
super inter
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Said of Atalanta, honor goes to the “cannibal” Inter who doesn't give up anything and to Inzaghi who has never hidden this year and continues to repeat that he wants to win everything. And it has the potential to do so. In the last two games he scored six goals against the Dea and there could have been more. Without suffering any. The mentality is that of a great team: winning helps you win, it increases awareness of your own strength. The Inter starter goes on automatic pilot, always knows what to do, plays by heart, overwhelms his opponents. The only flaw of the evening was having wasted so much, too much. Tonight we will know who the Nerazzurri's opponent will be. Barring any other surprises, Juventus and Milan should play it to the max. The moment of both does not allow voltage drops. Conceiçao introduces himself to his new fans and wants to do well straight away. He will line up Milan differently from Fonseca: you can't expect almost anything from someone who has been leading a group for two days, but usually players with a new manager immediately give something more. Story within the story: it will also have an effect on the tough Sergio to face his son as an opponent. Even more important is the match for Motta who is looking for his first trophy as coach. The Super Cup is not a crossroads in his season, the calculations will be done at the end, but the bonuses are already almost finished. The very large and fair credit opening at the beginning of the season was reduced after the 11 draws in the league and the stuttering performance of the team. New cycles need time to take shape. There are coaches who have won the scudetto at the first try (read Conte at Juve), but it is not easy to do so. However, one thing can be expected: constant growth, which has not yet been seen. Going out against Milan would be a hard blow to absorb. Winning and facing Inter in the final could instead be the beginning of a new story.
