As Inter Milan’s players filed into the away dressing room at Stadio Ezio Scida last May, a celebratory atmosphere began to erupt. A 2-0 win against Crotone had all but sealed the Scudetto for Antonio Conte’s Inter, in what would be the first major trophy for the club since winning the Coppa Italia in 2011.
The team’s success in Serie A had proved critics wrong. Inter began the season off the back of a dramatic 3-2 loss in the Europa League final against Sevilla, leaving Conte’s future in the balance. Although he had remained at the club, Inter did not begin the season entirely convincingly. By mid-November, Conte’s side was fifth in Serie A, five points behind rivals AC Milan. Inter’s fate in The Champions League was all but confirmed too, crashing out at the group stages and finishing last. The pressure on Inter was building.
In the face of results, Conte decided to tweak his team tactically. Summer signing Achraf Hakimi cemented his place on the right side of the team, while the Number 10 role was abandoned in place of a three-man midfield. The three-man defence and marauding wingbacks, characteristic of Conte’s style at Chelsea, still had a place in this team, but a previously attacking setup was now more conservative, and arguably more clinical going forward.
Conte’s ingenuity soon paid off, as Inter gathered steam in the title race. In January, Conte’s side beat champions Juventus, and then Milan in February to move to the summit of the league. The results represented a huge psychological step towards the title, as Inter became Italy’s dominant force.
By Bruno Quinney