Matchday 1: Inter Milan—The Good and The Bad

FC Internazionale Milano secured a 2-2 draw in their first Champions League outing of the season.

Some pundits might jump on this result and write the obituary of Inter’s chances in this season’s competition.

A closer look at the game reveals that some problems exist but improvements in other areas can be seen:

The opponents:

FC Twente finished 2^nd behind AZ Alkmaar in the 2008/09 season. They won their first Eredivisie title at the end of the last season in which they lost just twice, winning a Barcelona-esque 16 out 17 games at their home stadium, the De Grolsch Veste.

So it is safe to say that we aren’t talking about a flash in the pan team here. If anything, one might even consider this a tougher trip than that to White Hart Lane.

Observations:

Inter could be seen playing much higher up the pitch than they did last season.

Benitez might be trying a different style which might work against teams that depend less on speed, but he might be wise to go back to last year’s approach when playing against opposition that have pacy attackers. The high back-line meant a few nervous moments for players and fans alike, looking at the linesman for a raised flag to allay fears of a Twente attacker getting behind the back four.

The back-line of Lucio and Samuel seemed less rock solid than when they had to stand up to the likes of Chelsea and Barca last season; the players might be taking time getting used to a slight change in the system.

However, the frequency of crosses that came off a Twente player’s head in the Inter penalty area was alarming to say the least.

That said, Inter did play a very good possession game and 55% ball possession does not do the defending champions justice. They dominated the second half and completely bossed the game, even if they weren’t knocking on goalkeeper Nikolay Mihaylov’s door all the time.

It does seem as though the management (or coach, as Rafa is very adamant to point out these days) is looking to have Inter play a patience game compared to the last couple of seasons, in particular when even so called ‘lesser’ teams had a higher ball possession than Inter.

3 Negatives:

The back line looks a little porous. Marc Janko had a great chance to put Twente 3-2 up before half-time.

Poor Diego Milito still looks a pale shadow of his former imperious self.

Goran Pandev’s injury leaves the front line looking minimalist. His dribbling skills come in handy, even if his goal scoring record isn't the greatest.

3 Positives:

Coutinho looked completely at home and his Champions League debut was much more effective than his Serie A bow. Future star for sure, maybe a factor this season even.

Sneijder looks to have started from he left off last season. He was at the centre of a lot of neat play in the second half when Inter totally dominated. Maybe his free kicks still need some work on the training field.

Samuel Eto’o has his superb form and overall sharpness. His goal today was simply top drawer.

Even this early in the season, it's safe to say he will feature at the top of the scoring charts, both domestically and in Europe.

Thus, it can be said that Inter were playing a decent side who love attacking at home and stuck to that tradition, even against one of Europe’s elite.

Credit where it is due: FC Twente gave Inter a real good game tonight.

One needs to wait and watch to know if Benitez will be flexible in his ideas and if the team can implement them in time for the sterner tests that await them this season.