Italian Media Blame Simone Inzaghi’s “Robotic” Tactics As Reason Why Inter Milan Only Ahead Of Cremonese In Serie A Dribbling Stats | OneFootball

Inter sit behind every team in Serie A apart from Cremonese in terms of dribbling statistics, and the tactical approach of coach Simone Inzaghi could be a big part of the reason why.

This is the contention in today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Corriere della Sera, via FCInterNews, who note that only midfielder Nicolo Barella stands out among Nerazzurri players as having the ability to get past a defender with a piece of skill.

In Serie A, AC Milan’s Rafael Leao and Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are the two top dribblers statistically speaking, with 1.91 and 1.7 dribbles per match respectively.

Barella is fifteenth in the rankings, the highest of any Inter player.

This has left the Nerazzurri nineteenth overall in the standings, a confirmation of what appears obvious to many who watch the team play.

In the view of the Corriere, a lot of this comes down to how Inzaghi asks his team to play, rather than true deficiencies in the squad.

The newspaper notes that the 46-year-old always emphasizes passing combinations over dribbling, particularly in midfield.

Whilst players like Hakan Calhanoglu and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are capable of dribbling proficiently, the pair attempt just 0.2 and 0.3 dribbles per match respectively.

In the view of the Corriere, this is a clear indicator that Inzaghi’s “robotic” approach to positional rotations and passing combinations to get into dangerous areas is not using the individual quality of the players at times, and stifles the team from creating danger using dribbling.