Inter relinquished a four-game winning Serie A run on Friday evening as newly-promoted Genoa held the pacesetters to a 1-1 draw at Stadio Luigi Ferraris. Without several first-team stars, Simone Inzaghi’s side produced arguably their weakest performance of the 2023/24 season to close out 2023 on a sluggish note.
Marko Arnautovic’s first goal in the Inter colors put the visitors in front late in the first half. However, Nerazzurri failed to protect their slender lead before the break as Radu Dragusin’s thumping header found its way past Yann Sommer on the stroke of halftime.
Clear-cut opportunities were at a premium in the second half, with Inter trying to regain the lead, albeit to no avail. Barring several long-range attempts, the visitors failed to create anything meaningful in the front third as Genoa’s stubborn backline endured the siege to make it three unbeaten league games on the trot (W1, D2).
Inter hoped to drop the curtain on an impressive 2023 on a positive note. Yet they must hope Juventus won’t overcome Roma in Saturday’s Serie A blockbuster to maintain a five-point lead at the table’s summit. Without further ado, let’s look at our player ratings.
Inter (3-5-2)
Yann Sommer – 5.5
One of Serie A’s best-performing goalkeepers could’ve and should’ve reacted better to stop Dragusin’s header, which ultimately determined the outcome in Liguria.
Yann Bisseck – 7
Heavily involved in the visitors’ attacking movements, the prodigious defender delivered another eye-catching performance to consolidate his place in Inzaghi’s set-up.
Francesco Acerbi – 6.5
Despite barely putting his foot wrong for most of the game, the veteran center-back lost track of Dragusin for the equalizer, casting a shadow on an otherwise spotless showing.
Alessandro Bastoni – 7.5
Comfortable with the ball at his feet as he was at winning it back, the Italian star pieced together another convincing performance, boosting his first-team prospects following a topsy-turvy patch.
Matteo Darmian – 6
There’s no longer a shred of doubt that the seasoned Serie A campaigner is more adept at playing at the heart of Inzaghi’s defense than at right-back. Offensive duties are not his strong suit by any means.
Nicolo Barella – 6
The Italian midfielder’s patchy form in Serie A continues to hinder his progress as another faceless display overshadowed his good deeds in recent matches.
Hakan Calhanoglu – 7
As the most consistent Inter midfielder this season, the Turk delivered another assuring performance, pulling all the strings in the engine room with his top-notch passing. Almost every set-piece delivery was spot on!
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 5.5
Despite putting in a shift, the aging midfielder failed to impact the play the way he would’ve wanted.
Carlos Augusto – 5
Created mayhem in the box in the lead-up to Dragusin’s equalizer and couldn’t find a foothold in the game despite being handed all the freedom on the left-hand side.
Marcus Thuram – 5.5
Without his desired attacking partner, the summer acquisition spent most of the match chasing shadows without having any actual impact on proceedings.
Marko Arnautovic – 7.5
In addition to scoring the only goal for Inter, the ex-Bologna forward was by far the visitors’ most dangerous attacker tonight.
Substitutes
Alexis Sanchez – 5.5
Davide Frattesi – 5
Denzel Dumfries – 5
Benjamin Pavard – N/A
Davy Klassen – N/A
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