Inter, good signs for Italian football. Disappointing Benfica – Corriere.it

Believe it, an act of faith that can take you far, where it borders on a dream, which can easily become reality. It’s fate
of Inter, Milan and Naples
symbol of an Italian football that in Europe has its say making itself respected and even feared: they adopt a personal technical language, few contacts between them, but so far successful in the Champions League.

And it’s right to believe that Inter came out happy and more convinced of their means from the Da Luz stadium after the first meeting with Benfica. He can do it, count on the return match, concede an encore, better not make calculations, which are always dangerous. San Siro offers priceless atmospheres and motivations, try to exploit them. And then, this Benfica has shown that he is an opponent within reach, can be overcome, he can easily end up like Porto, eliminated in the round of 16. Benfica appear more cocky than their cousins, a shame that could pay dearly. Of course, they will have to do something more Lautaro, Dzeko and, of course, Lukaku too, scored from a penalty. Admirable for timing in the header Stretcherwho interpreted Bastoni’s fast and precise cross to perfection: a nice message for coach Roberto Mancini who is always hungry for happy Azzurri news.

A scheme well studied by Simone Inzaghi which, since it has been questioned, gives its best: you endure, you keep going, you speak less and you count on the field, on the bench, just like he did last night, his justified reasons. And these days you try to make both Dzeko and Lautaro smile again, the Argentine seems to be in the worst shape: it happens to the attackers, their world, the mental one, is often a mystery made up of blocks and anxieties. These tormented periods go by, but certainly living them now, when inside or outside becomes the rule, both in the league (staying within the frontier of the top four) and in the Champions League, it becomes dangerous.

So let’s enjoy the derby d’Europa tonight at San Siro between Milan and Naples, two teams that are looking for the goal, create it constantly: skip the Leao-Osimhen duel, due to the injury of the Napoli champion. What a pity. But Spalletti is right: «Champions never feel sorry for themselves». He has a plan. That Pioli, he knows very well: he knows how to make him jump. The show seems guaranteed.