Inter fans couldn’t have wished for a better start to this season as the Nerazzurri blew Stefano Pioli’s new Fiorentina side off the pitch within the first 15 mins of the first half. Mauro Icardi’s brace topped off with the icing on the cake provide by Ivan Perisic sealed Inter’s first win of the 2017/2018 Serie A season.
Samir Handanovic – 7: Had nothing to do for long periods of time, but when called into action he was fantastic. That save from Babacar’s finish was simply world class. Seemed much calmer and composed than before.
Danilo D’Ambrosio – 6.5: Typical D’Ambrosio performance, strong defensively and nothing to write home about regarding his attacking forays. Fiorentina couldn’t get through Inter’s right side of defence.
Milan Skriniar – 7: A youngster who was making his debut at the San Siro but playing like a seasoned veteran. If he continues like this, he will be amongst the best defenders in the league very soon.
Joao Miranda – 6.5: Defended well as usual and got the captain’s armband during the last few minutes of the match when Icardi was replaced by Eder. Did almost everything right and seems to have a great understanding with Skriniar already.
Yuto Nagatomo – 6.5: His attacking runs were great tonight. There were the usual brain farts defencively but they didn’t cost Inter on the night. Could easily have had an assist tonight.
Borja Valero – 6.5: Oldest player Inter signed this summer. However, he bossed the midfield against his former team-mates. Until he got tired that is, but absolute class in the first half.
Matias Vecino – 7: A lot of Interisti thought Inter paid too much for the Uruguay international, but his performance tonight suggests the complete opposite. He was an insurmountable challenge for Fiorentina in the middle of the park.
Antonio Candreva – 5.5: Poorest player on the pitch tonight. He seems to be playing under constant stress, even the simplest passes presented themselves as a problem for him. Only good run came prior to 3-0.
Marcelo Brozovic – 6: A pleasant surprise. He got a standing ovation from the Inter faithful at the Meazza which was well deserved as he ran back and forth almost all the time. Should have scored in the first half.
Ivan Perisic – 7.5: Inter should thank their lucky stars that he is still at the club. Looks raring to go and under Spalletti he will be/is already a beast. Brilliant assist and an even better finish to wrap up proceedings by scoring Inter’s third and final goal on the night.
Mauro Icardi – 7.5: Had 4 attempts on goal, all hit the target, 2 of which were goals and still he only touched the ball 20 times. Lethal. Best part: he’s not even 100% fit. Absolute beast of a player in the box. Unstoppable.
Joao Mario – 7: He came on for Borja Valero and started making plays from deep when Inter were struggling. Had a tremendous impact, got an assist and could’ve scored.
Roberto Gagliardini – 6: Spalletti needed some fresh legs in midfield and Roberto provided just that and made no mistakes in his 20 minutes when replacing Valero. Great option to have on the bench.
Eder – NA: Didn’t get enough time on the pitch to capitalize on his usual supersub role, but even in the few minutes he played he made many intelligent runs from deep and looks ready for the season ahead.
Luciano Spalletti – 7: It has been a long time since Inter looked this organized as a TEAM. All players know their roles, what is expected of them and always thinking ahead. Incredible given that he’s been at the club for only 2 months.
Paolo Tagliavento – 7: Great use of the VAR technology, got all major decisions right. For once I couldn’t spot a single decision that he got wrong. Never lost control of the fixture.
Inter – 7: Perfect start to the season in terms of the result. Inter’s fitness isn’t at it’s peak yet and therefore the team had to lower the intensity after 30 mins or so. This will only improve.
Do you think Candreva was better than a 5.5? Do you think Miranda played better than Skriniar? Let us know below in the comments or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook.
