Inter Drop Points in Parma: Tactical Breakdown

Inter suffered a rare setback in Serie A, throwing away a two-goal lead away to struggling Parma.

At that point, many of you might’ve thought: “Here comes the twist!” A potential turning point in the title race. Napoli had the perfect chance to close the gap and move just one point behind Inter. But they stumbled too - drawing 1-1 against a red-hot Bologna side, who now sit fourth in the table, just one point behind a shaky Atalanta, and one ahead of a rejuvenated Juventus under Igor Tudor.

This is Tactics Imperium, and I am Gianluca Lia, here to break down how Parma pulled off this comeback against the league leaders.

Let’s start with the context. Inter are juggling multiple fronts - injuries, fatigue, and the Champions League. The schedule is brutal. But beyond the physical strain, there were some tactical elements at play, and that’s where we’ll dig in.

A quick note on Parma: they are led by Christian Chivu—yes, the same Chivu who played over 100 games for Inter and was part of their iconic 2010 treble. As a coach, he has  grown within Inter’s youth ranks before moving to Parma. Also on his staff is Antonio Gagliardi, a tactical analyst with a strong reputation, and part of Italy’s Euro 2021-winning setup. So this Parma bench knows what they are doing.

From the first whistle, Parma surprised everyone by setting up in a 3-5-2, mirroring Inter’s structure. Previously, they had usually played with a back four, switching between 4-1-4-1, 4-3-3, and 4-2-3-1. The shift to a back three was likely aimed at simplifying man-marking and minimizing Inter’s strength in depth - especially Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram’s runs behind the line.

Despite the change, Inter were dominant in the first half, generating nearly 2.0 xG - a huge figure. Parma’s mid-block press left Alessandro Bastoni with too much time and space. Bastoni acted almost as a deep-lying playmaker from the defensive line, with Pontus Almqvist (playing as a wing-back) struggling to contain both Federico Dimarco and Henrikh Mkhitaryan down the left.

But the game changed in the second half. Inter only managed 0.11 xG after the break, and that drop coincided with Simone Inzaghi’s substitutions - Bastoni and Hakan Calhanoglu, Inter’s two primary playmakers, came off. Meanwhile, Parma introduced forward Mateo Pellegrino, who brought energy and won every duel, giving them a much-needed lift.

The pressing fell apart too. Normally, Kristian Asllani would mark Parma’s regista, but with Calhanoglu stepping out, the system lost balance - on the 10th minute, there was a situation which was just the prelude for Parma’s second goal in the second half.

Parma exploited that lack of structure - particularly in their second goal, where Davide Frattesi moved high and left Jacob Ondrejka free. Parma capitalized.

Little tactical tweaks… but massive impact.

That wraps up this breakdown. What did you think of Parma’s comeback and Inter’s collapse? Let us know, and be sure to follow Serie A Spotlight across all platforms.

Alla prossima!