Chivu vs Conte – The Matchday 20 Serie A Big Match saw the two main favorites for the title go head to head. As expected, it was an intense game full of tactical talking points worth breaking down. Chivu stuck to his attacking instincts, once again exposing some defensive limits, while Conte responded by pressing less aggressively but always breaking forward with numbers.
Defensive phases – Inter chose to press Napoli very high, leaving large spaces for Napoli’s transitions. This is also due to the Nerazzurri’s structural difficulty in defending deep, and indeed both Napoli goals came with Chivu’s side forced into a low block by Napoli’s enveloping build-up. Napoli, as usual, try to press the first phase of possession, then drop quickly into an organized defensive shape. On Inter’s opening goal, however, the speed of the Nerazzurri’s attack did not allow Conte’s team enough time to get set.
On the first goal, Inter win the ball high up the pitch and attack at pace, denying Napoli the chance to reorganize defensively.
Possession phase – Inter relied on a far more vertical approach than Napoli. In the build-up, the Nerazzurri leaned heavily on Bastoni and Çalhanoğlu (67 and 60 completed passes), Chivu’s main playmakers. After a brief circulation at the back, they immediately looked for width through the wing-backs or a direct route into Lautaro or Thuram. The Argentine, however, was well neutralized by Napoli’s positional defense and managed just two touches inside the penalty area.
Napoli opted for longer spells of possession, partly due to the absence of Neres, which reduced the pace of Conte’s counter-attacks. The choice of Elmas pushed the Azzurri toward a short-passing, patient build-up orchestrated mainly by Beukema, Rrahmani and Lobotka, often ending with Spinazzola on the right and Politano on the left, exploiting their ability to either attack the byline or cut inside to deliver balls into the box.
Both Napoli goals originated from moves developed down the flanks by Spinazzola and Politano.
Out of possession – As mentioned, Inter adopted a very aggressive defensive phase, but Napoli’s quality in possession caused problems, forcing the Nerazzurri into a deeper defensive position more often than usual. The high numbers in recoveries and interceptions (47 and 10) are inflated by the fact that Chivu’s side had less of the ball than normal.
Napoli defend in a more positional manner: a brief initial press followed by a compact block. Unlike Inter, they are very comfortable defending deep. Inter attacked and shot frequently but created relatively little (2 big chances for Inter, 3 for Napoli). Napoli’s lower recovery and interception numbers reflect their less aggressive, more structured defensive approach.
Goalkeepers – Looking at the goalkeepers, Sommer’s numbers remain below expectations. In this match he saved just 33% of the shots he faced and claimed no crosses, even though he conceded only 0.6 goals more than expected. Better figures for Savić, who saved 75% of shots and claimed three crosses, but he too conceded 0.6 goals more than expected.
Conclusions – Inter started strongly, capitalizing on a high recovery and quick combination play that led to Dimarco’s goal. Conte’s side adjusted quickly, and their enveloping possession forced Inter deeper, producing the equalizer through McTominay’s trademark late run after a move built down Spinazzola’s flank.
After 1–1 the game became very balanced: Inter committed numbers forward but struggled to be truly dangerous, while Napoli consistently troubled Chivu’s side whenever they advanced. Inter’s heavy presence in the box eventually led to Napoli’s mistake that resulted in the penalty for 2–1. Just as at the start of the match, however, Conte’s team pushed forward again through their build-up, this time down the right with Politano, whose cross found Lang for the lay-off and McTominay’s second goal for 2–2.
Given how the match unfolded, the draw feels fair. Both coaches showcased their strengths but also exposed some weaknesses. The Scudetto race is still long, but from here on it will likely run on parallel tracks all the way to the end of the season.
