Alessandro Bai: Simone Inzaghi must ensure his Inter side doesn't forget their ruthless edge against Atalanta

MILAN: As the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza quickly emptied at the end of a match that saw Inter comfortably beat Lecce 2-0 in their Serie A home debut, it was impossible not to take a look at the away section in the third tier that, as per the rules, still contained fans that were patiently waiting to be released from the stadium.

It was a strong gesture from them to make an 800-kilometre trip to watch their team lose their second league game in a row without ever giving them hope that the night could’ve gone differently.

It was almost entirely Inter's doing that the game ended with only a two-goal lead and Simone Inzaghi will have to take that into account when analysing where his side still needs to improve with Atalanta posing the toughest test so far this season.

Inter's lack of cutting edge should remind them of past lessons

Inter would not escape unscathed against Atalanta if they took an early lead and then took their foot off the gas in the manner they did on Matchday 2.

Against Lecce, a combative approach to the game rewarded by Matteo Damian’s opener proved enough to discourage a team that came off the back of a 4-0 defeat on Matchday 1 against none other than Atalanta.

The inability to build on their early goal would have proved costly in other situations – a deflected shot or a set piece could’ve been enough to give the visitors an unexpected equaliser, casting doubts over an Inter side that needed a strong response after their draw at Genoa on Matchday 1.

The Nerazzurri have been there in the past, even under Simone Inzaghi, and should have learnt that the ability to kill off games when they have the chance is a distinctive trait of title-winning sides. They did it last season, but they can't forget how they did it.

Luckily for them, however, the Biscione’s supremacy was never seriously questioned on Saturday night, meaning that the former Lazio coach can also focus on the many positives from an overall solid display which got three points on the board.

Inzaghi to rely on hunger and improved squad depth

At least for the opening 20 minutes against Lecce, the hunger that characterised Inter’s approach was worthy of Serie A reigning champions – their press was intense, they won the ball back efficiently, and it is little surprise that Lecce felt suffocated by the opening exchanges.

And even though the hosts probably started to take their foot off the gas a bit too early, the gap in quality between the two sides was too extreme, primarily thanks to Inter's squad depth which is unrivalled in Serie A right now.

With Lautaro Martinez missing the match through injury, the display delivered by Mehdi Taremi was convincing enough to make many forget about the absence of the captain. The Iranian forward’s ability to link up play in the final third makes him a perfect addition to Inzaghi’s system, providing the Nerazzurri with a solution they never found in Marko Arnautovic or Alexis Sanchez last season.

Labelling Taremi as a replacement for Arnautovic/Sanchez seems too simplistic and considering his chemistry with the new teammates can only get better, it is fair to think Inter will benefit tremendously from being able to rotate their strikers with regularity without lowering the quality level.

Add to that the fact that Inzaghi can rely on substitutes of the calibre of Davide Frattesi, Denzel Dumfries, Carlos Augusto and notably Piotr Zielinski, who still has to make his official debut for Inter, and it is easy to understand why the coach can be excited by the squad at his disposal.

It may not be a completely smooth process, especially if there are injuries on the horizon, but everything is suggesting the Nerazzurri possess the means to be the team to beat this season, so long as they don't decide a game has finished before the whistle goes.