Djed Spence has been singled out for individual praise in the Italian press after his performance in Inter’s 2-0 victory over Como on Sunday evening, and the Nerazzurri have been credited for showing patience in the England international following his summer transfer from Tottenham.
How Spence performed during Inter 2-0 Como
Spence provided the assist for Pio Esposito’s opening goal during the first half of Inter’s 2-0 win over Como on Sunday evening, but it is his defensive ability and tactical awareness that has earned him praise from the media on Monday morning.
Having joined Inter in a €35m transfer from Tottenham during the summer transfer window, it took a little while for Spence to get back up to full fitness following his run to the World Cup third-place play-off with England.
There were also a couple of minor physical issues, which meant that Spence did not make his competitive Inter debut until after the September-October international break.
For a while, it looked as if Spence would face an uphill battle to claim a spot in the Inter side after a series of impressive performances from the re-purposed Andy Diouf at right wing-back in Cristian Chivu’s 3-5-2.
However, since mid-October, Spence has been gradually been earning more opportunities in the Inter side, and has now started for the last three matches in succession: Against Como, against Feyenoord in the Champions League and against Milan in the Derby della Madonnina: A string of important fixtures that make it feel that Spence has now earned his status as Inter’s first-choice at right wing-back.
La Gazzetta dello Sport singled Spence out for individual praise after his performance against Como on Sunday evening, not just because of the assist he provided for Esposito, cutting back from the right byline in typical wing-back fashion, but because of his defensive abilities and tactical nous as well.
The Pink Paper suggests that defensive and positional instincts come more naturally to Spence, who is a specialist full-back or wing-back, compared to Diouf, who does have a tendency to come inside fairly frequently given his past as a central midfielder.
La Gazzetta dello Sport also suggested that Spence’s defensive qualities and his ability to defend counter-attacks helped Inter to stop Como from playing their usual free-flowing attacking game when they visited San Siro on Sunday.
