After the away game in Reggio Emilia, the Nerazzurri winger has reached 18 between goals and assists: “In soccer, when you’re doing well, you’re a phenomenon, but if you’re doing poorly, you’re a loser. I just keep working the way I know how.”
Inter’s tactical weapon clears the fog and creates space. Chivu’s mantra is simple: give the ball to Dimarco and something happens. More often than not, goals follow. Reggio Emilia provided yet another demonstration. Three of the five goals came from the left foot of Fede, the kid from Porta Romana who’s having the best year of his life: 13 assists in the league.
More than Nico Paz, Soulé, McTominay, Barella, Jesús Rodríguez, and many others—from second strikers to playmakers. Dimarco runs like a marathon runner, churns out key passes like a number 10, and propels Inter to yet another rout this season: behind the 5-0 win over Sassuolo lies, above all, his left foot, capable of hitting the crossbar on a free kick from a tight angle. In the first half, after setting up Bisseck’s goal, he saw Muric off his line and tried to get a shot off the way he knows how. When asked if he’s currently the best left-back in the world, he dodged the question with style: “I don’t feel like anyone special. In soccer, when you’re playing well, you’re a phenomenon, but if you’re playing badly, you’re a flop. I’ll keep working the way I know how; I don’t think about the rest. Besides, we didn’t even start off that great today; we conceded a couple of counterattacks. Thank goodness they disallowed that goal…” He always keeps his head down. That’s Dimarco for you. Lautaro, who has now reached 171 goals—tying Boninsegna—was more outspoken, however: “Yes, he’s among the best wingers and changes the course of games. I hope he keeps this form until the end.” Chivu’s coaching has improved him: compared to last year, he plays more consistently through the 90th minute, for example. In 13 out of 22 games, he wasn’t substituted. In four of them, he stayed on the field for over 80 minutes. His form has benefited as a result.
What numbers— The numbers are impressive: 5 goals and 13 assists in 1,717 minutes in league play. Add to that the free-kick goal against Borussia Dortmund. Dimarco has never been in better form, never stronger, never more decisive—he’s been involved in eight of the Nerazzurri’s last 12 goals—and the numbers speak for themselves: Since 2004, he is the second defender to record three assists in a single Serie A match, following in the footsteps of Oddo, who notched three assists against Ascoli in 2006. Speaking of the World Cup-winning Italian international: in the last 22 years, only he has recorded more assists in a single league season—13. Dimarco will soon surpass him.