Inter Milan vs. Sampdoria: 6 Things We Learned
It was Erick Thohir's first game in the stands as Inter's new owner, but he wasn't treated to the debut he'll have been hoping for.
The Indonesian businessman was joined by 54 Inter legends for the game—including Luis Figo and Dejan Stankovic—while another made it to the San Siro on the bench for Sampdoria.
Sinisa Mihajlovic returned to face his old club and thanks to an unlikely late strike, managed to secure a point for Sampdoria and end their string of defeats after an early goal from Fredy Guarin put the home side ahead.
Sampdoria are still without a win in this fixture since 1996, but the draw will feel like a victory given their current league position, while the home side will be anything but consoled by the point, knowing they let the full three slip away.
So what did we learn?
Inter Need to Shape Up—Fast
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Serie A's official statistics for the match (here in Italian) will make for uncomfortable reading for Inter fans.
Sampdoria had more possession, more corners, more shots—on and off target—and played more passes than the home side.
The Nerazzurri were second-best statistically in almost every sense against Sampdoria, and though they were perhaps unfortunate to concede so late on, Mazzarri's side must know that it was in part punishment for their profligacy.
Ricky Alvarez, in particular, was impressive for Inter, but if they're to challenge for Champions League football next term, then they'll have to develop their killer instincts. Because against Samp, they managed to allow a struggling minnow from the relegation zone to dominate large passages of play at the San Siro—in front of the club's new owner.
Beginner's Luck Shines on Sinisa Mihajlovic
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A point at the San Siro is no easy thing to win for a club like Sampdoria, so some plaudits must go to Sinisa Mihajlovic.
The Genoans had just 10 points from 13 games going into the match against Inter, and even the most positive of observers would have thought getting anything from Mazzarri's men was beyond them.
In the end, they secured a vital point and hopefully got the ball rolling on a resurgence. There was an element of luck to the point, however, and Mihajlovic must be mindful of that.
His side were good in spells against the Nerazzurri, but ultimately only scraped a point thanks to a wonder-strike at long distance from an unlikely scorer. The Serbian will know that kind of lightning is unlikely to strike twice, and his side will need to do more in front of goal to move up the table.
Javier Zanetti Has Lost None of His Class
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It was Javier Zanetti's first start since injuring his Achilles tendon in April, but the veteran Argentine seems to have lost none of the class that has defined his career.
That's good news for Mazzarri, because he'll need his captain dearly if Inter want to stay in the running. Zanetti didn't look like he'd been out of action at all, and made his usual, committed contributions both in defence and attack by tirelessly motoring up and down the flank. If only the Nerazzurri had more players like him, they'd be winning games like this one comfortably.
Debut Goals Don't Get Much Better Than the One Scored by Renan Garcia
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Debut strikes are rarely as sweet as Renan Garcia's for Sampdoria. Trailing by a goal away from home in the 89th minute, it looked a lost cause for the Genoans.
The Brazilian hadn't found the net for Samp in a year and a half, and was only making his second appearance of the season when he came on as a late substitution for Pedro Obiang.
You wouldn't have thought he was so goal-shy seeing his performance against the Nerazzurri, however. The much-travelled 27-year-old was the epitome of cool when he controlled a cross outside the box, took an extra touch to tee it up and then rifled home a low strike that beat Samir Handanovic to the bottom right corner.
Time will tell if he's a one-hit-wonder for Samp. The Blucerchiati are the midfielder's ninth club, and he'd dearly like to make an impression and finally secure regular football after so many years bouncing around on loan. New boss Mihajlovic might be inclined to take a gamble on the man who saved his skin against his own former employers.
Inter Need a Plan-B for Rodrigo Palacio
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It's odd to talk about Rodrigo Palacio in the negative. The Argentine is always a threat and has been a consistent goal-scorer throughout his career.
Against Samp, however, he was at less than his best and Inter need more striking options to cover. Palacio made a few promising runs early on in the game and pulled defenders around throughout, but never looked like his usual, dangerous self.
Having another quality forward waiting on the sidelines could have changed the game for Inter—and buying one in January could change their season.
Samp Need Strike Power
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Mihajlovic would desperately love someone like his old pal Roberto Mancini up front right now. The current Galatasaray boss was of course a Samp legend, and formed one of Serie A's great partnerships with another great forward, Gianluca Vialli.
For now at least, the days of the Blucerchiati boasting world-class strike-power are gone, but they desperately need someone potent in front of goal if they're to survive.
The Brazilian Eder, is top scorer with four, and only three other players have scored more than once. Their goal difference speaks for itself: 15 scored, 24 conceded. They let in almost a third more goals than they convert. Those are relegation ratios.
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