Inter Milan came close to securing a big result at the Camp Nou last night, with a late goal from Luis Suarez denying them a point in Spain.
Antonio Conte has made a big impact during his short time at the San Siro and those at the club will be hoping they sustain a Serie A title challenge this season. They currently have a two point lead at the top of the table, having won all six of their games so far.
While Conte is known for setting up his teams well defensively, they have also shown flashes of attacking brilliance. We saw an example of that last night, as they gave a textbook example of how to utilise one of the sport's newest rules.
Many have questioned what purpose is served by the new goal kick rule in football, which allows players from the attacking team to enter the penalty area before the ball has been kicked.
It has been claimed that this only invites pressure from the opposition but Inter showed its benefits when done correctly.
The goalkeeper played a short pass to one of the defenders, before they produced a slick passing move that ended up in a golden scoring opportunity at the other end.
Just look at this passage of play from Inter. Conte is working some serious magic against Barcelona 🙌#UCL#BarcaInter pic.twitter.com/XROuHZpyee
— Ťøm M~M (@Tom_Mouricette) October 2, 2019
We count 11 passes to get from one end of the pitch to the other. Great to watch.
While it did not result in a goal on this occasion, Inter provided a perfect example of why this rule was introduced in the first place.
However, there is no doubt that it can have disastrous consequences when poorly executed. Arsenal are a prime example of that, having repeatedly played themselves into trouble and conceded a few goals on the back of short goal kicks.
As is the case for many things in football, this one just comes down to having a plan and putting it into practice.
