For the Nerazzurri, 17 clean sheets in 26 matches. Sommer is superb, but behind him is the work of an entire team.
Another round, another victory, another clean sheet. Days, weeks, and months go by, but the 2023-2024 Inter continues to keep clean sheets. Or rather, around Yann Sommer’s area, there’s not much work to do these days. With yesterday’s clean sheet against Atalanta, Simone Inzaghi’s team has reached 17 clean sheets in 26 league matches, with 16 credited to the Swiss goalkeeper and one to his backup, Emil Audero. The tale of Inter’s impenetrable defense has been heard countless times, yet as time goes by, the statistical significance of the league leaders’ numbers continues to grow.
YANN SOMMER ON ANOTHER LEVEL
These numbers are not solely the merit of the goalkeeper, but it’s under his name that the data piles up. It can’t be forgotten that Sommer arrived in the summer from Bayern Munich for a fee of 6 million euros, less than an eighth of what was earned (50 million euros) from the previous sale of André Onana to Manchester United, bonuses excluded. The 35-year-old took a look at the two Nerazzurri posts, and then began to make saves. If we consider the teams from the top 15 European leagues, only Jack Butland of Scottish side Glasgow Rangers has racked up as many clean sheets as the Swiss international. He’s got 22 across all competitions this season, but the Englishman has already played 43 matches while Sommer has played “only” 33, ten fewer (31 goals conceded compared to 14). The third, Alex Remiro of Real Sociedad, is stuck at 17 clean sheets. That 22 out of 33 also simplifies the divisions: Yann records two clean sheets every three games, a feat no goalkeeper with at least 6 appearances this season has managed in Europe.
TEAMWORK
Indeed, over six and a half months of the season, it takes dedication to recall more than five saves from an Inter goalkeeper. Atalanta, one of the league’s most threatening teams with their attacking prowess, managed to produce only one shot on target in 90 minutes plus added time. It’s evident that Sommer and Audero benefit from a polite and effective team effort. The defense works, the midfielder is the vital, the full-backs put in tireless effort by dropping deep, and the midfielders never lose sight of their markers. It all starts with the coordinated pressure from the two forwards and ends with the goalkeeper patrol: achieving 17 clean sheets in 26 league matches has occurred only once in the club’s history, and it’s no coincidence. It was in the 1988-1989 season, the year of Inter’s 13th Serie A title.
