The first clean sheet for Inter in this pre-season comes in the last friendly match of the summer, namely the one played against Olympiakos in Bari. A victory that came with a score of 2-0 in favor of the Nerazzurri and that was achieved thanks to goals scored by Dimarco in the first half and by Thuram in the second half.

As usual here on Passione Inter we try to analyze the most important takeaways from the matches of Chivu‘s team, and here are five things we learned from the Nerazzurri’s victory in Inter-Olympiacos, a friendly match valid for summer preparation ahead of the Serie A championship.

1) Victory by 2-0, one goal per half with Dimarco and Thuram and zero goals conceded: finally a clean sheet arrives in this pre-season. In total, this is the second under Chivu’s management, and the first was against River in June at the Club World Cup. It should be noted again, however, that there were a few too many missed goals, but Inter practically ran zero risks in defense: it was the perfect recipe to close out the preparation and present themselves for the championship.

2) For Chivu, the match against Olympiakos was a general rehearsal ahead of the league debut that will take place next Monday at San Siro. The Romanian coach once again relied on the 3-5-2 as the basic formation and with Sucic deployed as playmaker since Calhanoglu will be suspended against Torino. Overall, Inter did not look spectacular, also due to a difficult pitch, but they were more balanced. And this was perhaps the most anticipated news.

3) The balance was also achieved because, compared to previous friendlies, there was a clear step back in the extreme pursuit of high pressing. On the field in Bari, Inter were less relentless in pressing, but still aggressive. Even too much at times.

4) The only negative note was the physical stop for Dimarco; for Chivu, it’s a shame because the former Verona player had started well on his wing, aside from the goal scored in the first half. However, it seems that what happened to the Nerazzurri number 32 is just a knock, and the hope of Chivu and the fans is that it won’t affect him for the Serie A debut.

5) The awakening of Marcus Thuram has begun. The Frenchman made a good impression; he is the face of a team that, in many of its members, left several positive signs. The fans were able to see a good Inter in many respects in what was the final friendly of the summer preparation: now it’s time to get serious with the matches that really count.