Inter Milan won the Serie A 2020-21 season and ended Juventus’s nine-year win streak. However, Inter suffered a setback, as manager Antonio Conte left the club on mutual consent, and they also lost some key players like Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi. They made three attacking signings to defend their Serie A title and increase the depth of the squad. Edin Dzeko signed from AS Roma, Hakan Calhanoglu signed from rivals AC Milan and Joaquin Correa was signed from Lazio on loan.
Inter Milan is currently third in the Serie A table with 34 points in 15 games. They are two points behind leaders Napoli, and AC Milan, who are in the second position. Inter have managed to score 36 goals, and the team averages more than two goals per match. The Italian champions also qualified for the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League 2021-22 season. Inter have scored eight goals in five Champions League games.
Edin Dzeko has been the main goal contributor amongst the three new attacking signings. The Bosnian has scored seven Serie A goals, and has an assist to his name. Hakan Calhanoglu and Joaquin Correa have scored four goals each, and the Turkish international has provided assists on four occasions. Correa also has an assist to his name.
Dzeko is the only player amongst the three who has scored a goal in the UEFA Champions League. The forward has scored three goals in five games. Two goals were scored against Shakhtar Donetsk in the previous round, and one was scored against Sheriff. The above viz shows the shot map of Dzeko in these five matches. He attempted 21 shots, with 11 on target. Seven shots were attempted in the last game, with four being on target. Only four shots were attempted from outside the box, and the rest of the shots were attempted from inside or from the edge of the opposition’s penalty box.
Hakan Calhanoglu has converted two penalties and scored two long-range efforts from outside the opposition’s penalty box. His three assists make him the second-highest assist provider in the team. Joaquin Correa has an xG rate of 0.78 and scored three out of the four goals from inside the opposition’s penalty box.
When looking at the above chart, the general rule is that the longer the bar, the better the performance – you can see the league average in the middle, and the % is the percentile rank the player is in. The above chart shows the attacking and creativity bars of Edin Dzeko. He has attempted more than one headed shot per 90 and has a shot accuracy of more than 50%. The Bosnian has been one of the top contributors in the UEFA Champions League.
The trio of Edin Dzeko, Hakan Calhanoglu and Joaquin Correa has kept Inter Milan in the Serie A title race. Their goal contributions have helped Inter remain in the top three positions in the Serie A table. It looks like Inter have signed some good players after Romelu Lukaku’s big-money switch. The team will expect more contributions towards scoring goals and retaining the title.
