31 March 2022
As has often happened down through the seasons in the Derby d’Italia, in late October when Inter and Juventus first faced each other this season, it was at a delicate moment for the league standings, which made for another of those hard-fought encounters between these two historic rivals.
The total of 29 fouls, shared as evenly as possible between the 14 by the Nerazzurri and 15 by the Bianconeri, tells the story of ninety stop-start minutes. The hosts edged the first half with 55% ball possession, which was flipped in Juve’s favour in the second half with 56.5%, as the guests pressed for an equaliser.
Neither side enjoyed many clear sights on goal, with only six shots on target (two for Inter and four for Juventus) from a total of 26 attempts over the entire match.
Both teams kept their defensive lines relatively high (33 metres for Inter against 28 for the Bianconeri), making for a crowded midfield, which acted more to prevent opponents taking control of the play rather than imposing one’s own attacking notions.
Juventus managed to turn the match in their favour in the closing stages, which led to a late penalty. The initial 4-4-2 formation was adapted to accommodate more wide players and the 3-5-2 mirrored the tactics employed by the hosts.
The presence of Federico Chiesa on the right and Alex Sandro on the left obliged the Nerazzurri wingbacks, Denzel Dumfries and Matteo Darmian to play deeper. The remaining two Nerazzurri forwards became isolated in attack due to the lack of support and Massimiliano Allegri's team slowly gained more ground by recycling the ball quickly - although not in the Inter half of the field - creating the forward momentum that would lead to the decisive penalty award.
