Inter have qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League and will be one of the seeded teams after a 1-1 draw at Trabzonspor meant that Inter will progress as group winners.
Considering that Inter kicked off this season’s Champions League play by losing at home 1-0 to Trabzonspor, to finish group winners is a testament to the job that Claudio Ranieri has done since taking over as Inter coach.
Without a meaningful Champions League tie for three months Inter has a chance to get healthy and put together a meaningful winning streak in Serie A. Come February, a healthy Inter could worry quite a few teams.
Ricardo Álvarez continued the good start to his Inter career, getting the all-important goal after 18 minutes. Alverez played a nice one-two with Milito before stroking a composed left-foot shot past the Trabzonspor goalkeeper.
What impressed me tonight was that Inter looked good defensively and dangerous on the counter-attack. Yes Trabzonspor hit the post in the second half, but for the most part Inter allowed their opponents to keep possession without getting behind their defence. That wasn’t happening earlier in the season and is a good sign that things are finally getting turned around.
Even without Sneijder, Inter still looked very dangerous on the counter-attack with Alvarez and Mauro Zárate both particularly impressive.
By getting the point they needed tonight, Inter’s brutal December schedule suddenly looks a little easier. Now Ranieri can play him full team against Udinese on 3 December and Fiorentina on 10 December without having to save players for the midweek Champions League match against CSKA Moscow that splits these two important league games.
What did you think of Inter’s performance tonight?
