Antonio Conte’s substitutions with five minutes remaining against Atalanta on Monday night were striking: with Inter Milan 1-0 up and pinned down by La Dea, the 51-year-old boss opted to substitute Achraf Hakimi and Ivan Perisic for Danilo D'Ambrosio and Matteo Darmian respectively.
The Italians were effectively replacing the attacking pair in a move that signalled Conte’s approach in trying to see out the hugely needed three points against Gian Piero Gasperini’s troops. They’d been forced deeper and deeper for an extended period before the ex-Italy boss made his final substitutions on the night.
It wasn’t Hakimi’s best showing in an attacking sense, although Inter’s style for the majority of the game meant there was little chance of that happening.