The former Bayern player, has very fast proven to be one of the many certainties of the team. Inter’s defence has never been this solid
Among the certainties of Simone Inzaghi’s Inter this season is certainly, Yann Sommer. The Swiss goalkeeper has proven to be very reliable in just a few months, succeeding admirably one of last year’s fan favorites, Andre Onana and becoming a fan favorite himself.
As Corriere dello Sport writes: ‘The change from Onana to Sommer (especially among the fans), was considered a big step backward for the team. The numbers now are proving the opposite. Inter’s defence has become better, being the second best defence in Europe’s top 5 leagues at the moment.
While Onana had a great vision and was really good with his legs, often helping his team in creating from the back, the goal-keeping fundamentals were always questioned. Although everything went well for him last season, it could have been different, Corriere continues, especially looking at his games with Manchester United.
Sommer is the exact opposite of Onana. He is not flashy but he’s becoming essential. He may not play with feet like Onana, who in this regard remains a ‘unique’ player, but when it comes to defending his goal, the Swiss always delivers.
All qualities and characteristics that Sommer had abundantly demonstrated in his already long career (he will turn 35 in a month), made Marotta and Ausilio, in agreement with Inzaghi, to choose him as Onana’s replacement. The doubts about this move, therefore, were mainly those of the fans, who had a real connection and love for the Cameroonian.
But now all the numbers are on Sommer’s side. The most significant stat is that of clean sheets. The Swiss is already in double digits: he has kept his goal intact in 10 out of the 16 official appearances. In ‘Serie A’ his goal has stayed safe in 8 out of 12 games, which means 75% of the time his goal remained untouched.
Maintaining this average, he would finish the season with around 28-29 clean sheets: a staggering figure that will be really hard to achieve. However, the fact remains that Sommer has reached 8 clean sheets in 12 games, while Onana last season had done so in his 24 overall appearances.
In favor of the Swiss, evidently, is also the performance of the defence as a whole. Last season, the team had many uncertainties in the back, especially away from home. Today, Inter’s defence has reached a whole new level, and surely Sommer deserves recognition for contributing to this standard.
