++ [ originally posted by swag
] ++
Wow. Championship caliber play today. While the second half was lackluster on our behalf, we made sure Inter couldn't do much to change the weight of the game that was so heavily in our favor from the start.
Abbiatti - seems to have played one of his best matches yet in the bianconeri. I always love it when key subs come in and play big in big games. 6.5
Blasi - I worry about his speed. He's getting beat a lot with people able to turn corners around him. What saved him in this match was help from the rest of the backline and aggressive tackling. One bad exchange in the back where he got beat almost cost us a goal by Martins, however. 5.5
Thuram - Pretty solid game without many mistakes. Other than one incident of foolish backline passing. 6
+Kovac (50') - Some foolish mistakes in backpasses, etc. But fortunately we didn't have to pay for them. 5.5
Cannavaro - Solid, though not outstanding, game. Out best spiritual leader when we score goals too. He always seems to be the first to pile on for the goal celebrations, and I like that.

6.5
Zambrotta - Didn't seem as involved as he can be, but another strong point for the backline. 6
Camoranesi - He needed better cleats. He was sliding a little too much -- falling over out there on occasion. But otherwise, an OK day for him. 6
Emerson - Brutal. This guy personally gutted the Inter offensive attack like a fisherman on a Genoa pier. 7.5
Vieira - He's the player I most trust near the ball this season. It seems that everytime he gets his touches, good things happen. And I never have to worry in defensive situations. Pure class. 7
Nedved - Spent his usual time on the ground, but Inter was hacking out there to a shameful extent. Brilliant free kick to ice the first half. 6.5
Ibrahimovic - A little of the ball hog was leftover from last week, but all in all I think he showed real improvement. When he was on the pitch, he created chaos that kept Inter's defense on edge. And his line-drive free kick netted by Trez created something special to start this match. He had to come off, however, and I hope his injury isn't too serious. Materazzi is a dick. Enough said. 6
+ Del Piero (44') - Not called on to do a lot. He was most effective at taking the Inter whacks and winning free kicks. While not glamorous, it's what our strategy needed in the second half. Still, I wished he could have pushed the counterattack threats a little more, though. 6
Trezeguet - Aside of his heads-up play to net the first goal on Cesar's parry of Zlatan's free kick, he didn't seem involved that much -- which is his usual. An average day at the office, IMO. 6
+Zalayeta (60') - Wasn't too effective. 5.5
Capello - He had the team prepared today, and he showed that he learned a lot from the mistakes in previous Inter match-ups. The team was ready to perform, and they did. For that alone, I have to give him a 6.5
MOM? Emerson.