On the 27th matchday of the Serie A, Inter faced a very important match away at Maradona against Napoli. The final result was a 1-1 draw, which perhaps didn’t disappoint either team, but neither team was fully satisfied. The table didn’t see a change thanks to Atalanta’s draw at home against Venezia. Analyzing the match between Conte’s team and Inzaghi’s team, we list below five things you might not have noticed in this match.
1 The analysis of the match saw several missed yellow cards with the referee, Daniele Doveri, showing leniency in foul management. This perhaps seemed to favor a very physical Napoli side that benefited from substitutions.
2 There’s much talk about Napoli’s dominance in the second half, which was true up to a point. Billing’s shots on goal were 2 out of 4 attempts, which highly elevated the xG that many have talked about.
3 A bit of a controversy arose over the substitution of Bastoni, who was very tired. Inzaghi explained his decision, but the choices made during the match and ensuing tactical confusion didn’t convince many. There’s also the question of responsibility for the goal Inter conceded, and it’s tough to say if this equalizer by Billing could’ve been avoided with Bastoni on the field.
4 Dimarco returned after a difficult period, scoring a beautiful goal with his excellent left foot on a free-kick and made many runs on the left wing. When he was substituted, Inter’s performance suffered and Napoli strengthened. He also responded to those who blamed Meret for the situation from which his free-kick goal originated in a press conference.
5 Inter and Napoli drew, but Atalanta, their prime chaser, didn’t capitalize and also drew at home against Venezia. This series of slowdowns is progressively lowering the odds for the Scudetto, unlike the last two championships which were dominated by long winning streaks from Napoli and then Inter.
