As Inter are about to face Barcelona in the Champions League and recently lost to Udinese, Gerard Deulofeu analysed the Nerazzurri, naming their ‘weak spot’ and calling Nicolò Barella ‘their Xavi.’
The two teams are both on three points after two games in the Champions League, having beaten Viktoria Plzen and lost to Bayern Munich.
That means the two head-to-head clashes will probably be decisive for qualification into the Round of 16, with the team in third place going to the Europa League.
Considering Udinese just beat Inter 3-1 in Serie A before the break for international duty, Mundo Deportivo interviewed Deulofeu to ask for some advice on behalf of Barcelona fans.
“Samir Handanovic is a very good goalkeeper with a lot of experience, I remember last season he kept out one of my free kicks with an incredible save,” said Deulofeu.
“Denzel Dumfries has fantastic physicality, when both attacking and defending. However, Federico Dimarco is a bit too impulsive, he goes back and forth along the flank and leaves spaces. I remember considering him a weak spot at Inter, as he tried to push forward so much.
“Milan Skriniar is one of the top three defenders in Serie A, an incredible defender. Stefan de Vrij is experienced, but a little slow. Alessandro Bastoni is still young, but he’s fortunate to play alongside Skriniar during this maturation process.”
When it came to praise, Deulofeu couldn’t hold back on midfielder Barella.
“He is phenomenal. The other day, I asked to exchange shirts with him after the game. He scored a fantastic free kick against us and is a real symbol of Inter. I’d say he is the Xavi of Inter. He wants to win and bring Inter to the top.”
There’s a midfielder who won’t play the first game and probably not the second either, as Marcelo Brozovic is ruled out for a month after a muscular strain on international duty with Croatia.
“He is the compass and offers himself up for the pass every time. I had to work hard defensively to help neutralise him and I think we did it very well at Udinese,” added Deulofeu.
“Brozovic is very organised, sees the game well. Barcelona are very focused on themselves and their touches, but we at Udinese had to also think about the quality at Inter and try to neutralise them.”
Romelu Lukaku should be back in the starting XI against Barcelona next week, but his position remains in doubt with Roma on Saturday, as he has been out for a month.
“Lukaku is my former teammate at Everton and I provided many assists for him. He’s a beast, you need to really control him, because he’s a born striker.
“Lautaro Martinez is one of the best strikers in Serie A and fights for every ball. Edin Dzeko is a very elegant forward.”
Good analysis of inter squad, dimarco and dumfries are the weak point on inter flank, I think inter still paying for pelusi absence