It has been a tough time at Inter for Robin Gosens but the Germany international was one of the bright spots in the 1-1 draw against Salernitana on Good Friday, and he demonstrated that he is not quite finished yet as a Serie A player.
The former Atalanta wing-back scored the opening goal of the match against the Granata on Serie A Matchday 29, and it was a strike that typifies him as a footballer. When he was at La Dea, he operated on the left flank, but he possessed the intuition to get into scoring positions like a lethal striker.
It seemed that Inter were going to get the win, but a freak goal from Antonio Candreva earned the southern Italian club an unlikely point, and this result will create more problems for the Italian giants.
Gosens puts Inter disappointment aside for now
Gosens opened the scoring in the first half after Romelu Lukaku knocked the ball into his path and provided a clinical finish, then had a header go straight into the hands of Salernitana goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. He also supplied a cross for Joaquin Correa, but his header was tame, and Ochoa made another routine save.
His impact in the first half in particular forced Granata coach Paulo Sousa to take right wing-back Dylan Bronn off at half-time and also change his formation.
Gosens was replaced by Federico Dimarco after 74 minutes, and Inter coach Simone Inzaghi should be satisfied with having two quality options on the left flank, especially with the upcoming Champions League quarter-final against Benfica in mind.
The German will be bought outright from Atalanta for €27.4 million in July, and so far, he has not lived up to expectations. However, his heroics against Salernitana might be a sign that he can still be a dashing wing-back with scoring instincts.
Candreva shows that is still an influential player
At the age of 36, one would expect a player like Antonio Candreva to diminish in quality, especially when considering that his strengths have been his pace and stamina. However, the former Italy international has shown that he still has the experience and guile to make vital contributions.
He was often involved in the play against his old club, but did not have enough support around him to make a great impact in the final third. As the game drew to a close, a cross from the right-wing looped over Andre Onana in the Inter goal, and he earned the Granata an unlikely point.
Although he has been known as a winger throughout his career, his role now as an attacking midfielder gives him more room to express himself, and Candreva will be crucial in the latter stages of this season.
Salernitana fortunate not to be in a worse situation
Salernitana are 15th in Serie A with 29 points, but have not made great progress since Sousa was brought in to replace Davide Nicola. The team from Campania in southern Italy have won just once since the Portuguese tactician arrived, beating Monza 3-0 on Matchday 24.
Ochoa’s saves prevented the Granata from losing, and the frame of the goal also came to his aid during against Inter. They are 10 points clear from the drop, and they are lucky that the bottom three of Hellas Verona, Sampdoria, and Cremonese have been woeful in the league.
It is yet to be seen if coaching Salernitana will revive the coaching career of Sousa and allow him to reach greater heights in Europe.
