{"id":1497571,"date":"2026-09-29T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=features&#038;p=1497571"},"modified":"2026-09-28T17:29:38","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T16:29:38","slug":"andy-diouf-inter-serie-a-scudetto","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/andy-diouf-inter-serie-a-scudetto\/","title":{"rendered":"Andy Diouf: The surprise star behind Inter\u2019s fast start to the Serie A season"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/internazionale\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Inter Milan<\/a>\u2019s Scudetto defence has started off well enough.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They\u2019re joint-top in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/serie-a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Serie A<\/a> having collected 13 points from the opening five matches. The Nerazzurri sit level with capital pair <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/roma\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Roma<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/lazio\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Lazio<\/a>. Having gone the distance last season, the Milan giants are again backed to top Serie A come May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This comes despite a relatively topsy-turvy summer for Inter. Denzel Dumfries was the high-profile departure, while experienced quartet Stefan de Vrij, Francesco Acerbi, Matteo Darmian and Yann Sommer all left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In came English trio Djed Spence, Curtis Jones and John Stones. Manuel Akanji\u2019s loan move was made permanent. Ivan Provedel signed from Lazio. However, it\u2019s a player who signed last summer that has made arguably the biggest impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>In this article, we&#8217;ll cover:<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-diouf-capitalising-on-dumfries-exit\" data-level=\"3\">Diouf capitalising on Dumfries&#8217; exit<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-central-midfield-experience-aiding-inter\" data-level=\"3\">Central midfield experience aiding Inter<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-international-recognition\" data-level=\"3\">International recognition<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-diouf-capitalising-on-dumfries-exit\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Diouf capitalising on Dumfries&#8217; exit<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Andy Diouf joined Inter from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/lens\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Lens<\/a> last summer following a two-year stint in France. The Frenchman\u2019s signing flew under the radar, and his impact was, on the whole, minimal. Indeed, the 23-year-old made four league starts for Inter last season. The campaign is five games old, and Diouf has already matched that return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Spence was expected to succeed Dumfries as first choice right wing-back, it\u2019s Diouf who has taken over as first-choice in the position. The England international\u2019s fitness issues have contributed towards Diouf consolidating a starting spot. Even so, he\u2019s had the chance to nail down the spot. He\u2019s grabbed it with both hands, and shows no signs of letting go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Any player replacing Dumfries needs to be willing to bombard upfield to help stretch the play for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/internazionale\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Inter<\/a>. The same rings true on the opposite flank, where Federico Dimarco doesn\u2019t need a second invitation to get forward. Unsurprisingly the pair rank highly for chances created in Serie A this season.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/09\/28163841\/season_stat-leader-top-10-no-image-13-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Chances created in the 2026\/27 Serie A season\" class=\"wp-image-1497572\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/09\/28163841\/season_stat-leader-top-10-no-image-13-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/09\/28163841\/season_stat-leader-top-10-no-image-13-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/09\/28163841\/season_stat-leader-top-10-no-image-13-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/09\/28163841\/season_stat-leader-top-10-no-image-13-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/09\/28163841\/season_stat-leader-top-10-no-image-13-214x267.jpg 214w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/09\/28163841\/season_stat-leader-top-10-no-image-13-160x200.jpg 160w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/09\/28163841\/season_stat-leader-top-10-no-image-13-48x60.jpg 48w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/09\/28163841\/season_stat-leader-top-10-no-image-13-120x150.jpg 120w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/09\/28163841\/season_stat-leader-top-10-no-image-13-59x74.jpg 59w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/09\/28163841\/season_stat-leader-top-10-no-image-13.jpg 1620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dimarco (14) places third for this metric. Diouf is fourth (13), this despite making one fewer league appearance. Only Paulo Dybala (4) has registered more assists than Diouf (3) in Serie A this season. What\u2019s notable about Diouf, however, is that he\u2019s a midfielder by trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-central-midfield-experience-aiding-inter\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Central midfield experience aiding Inter<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During his time with Lens, the Frenchman largely played in central midfield, and did so on the left side rather than on the right. This experience in a key area helps Inter naturally dominate in the middle of the park. While tasked with stretching opponents, Diouf\u2019s ability to retain possession with ease enables Christian Chivu\u2019s side to control the tempo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Inter rank top for possession (63.2%) in Italy\u2019s top tier this term and boast the best pass accuracy (89.8%). They\u2019re Serie A\u2019s dominant force, with Diouf playing his part. A 91.8% pass accuracy may not rank as highly as some of his teammates, but it\u2019s still a commendable return, especially as Dimarco on the opposite flank places far lower for Chivu\u2019s side (85.8%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is potentially part of the reason why Inter prefer to attack down the left (38%) rather than the right (33%). Naturally left footed, just as Dimarco is, Diouf\u2019s inclination is to cut infield from the right. While this can at times slow play down, it eases the pressure on Dimarco to carry out his defensive duties. That\u2019s because Inter are able to create overloads in the middle of the park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s a major change to the way Inter attack when the right-footed Dumfries would get forward. The Dutchman\u2019s aim was to hog the touchline and whip the ball into the box. The tactical shift hasn\u2019t impacted Inter in the final third, who have scored more goals (15) than any other Serie A team this season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-international-recognition\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">International recognition<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And his domestic performances haven&#8217;t been lost on France heads coach Zinedine Zidane, who called Diouf up for the extended international break. With just two out-and-out full-backs in the squad &#8211; Jules Kounde on the right and Adrien Truffert on the left &#8211; Diouf offers cover for both sides. Combined with his experience in midfield, France are able to, like Inter, control proceedings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Dumfries departed and Inter brought in Spence as his replacement, few expected Diouf to get much of a look in, let alone at wing-back. Yet with the latter struggling due to fitness issues, Chivu turned to Diouf to shoulder the wing-back burden in the wake of the Netherlands international\u2019s Real Madrid move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Should Inter, again, win the Scudetto, then Diouf\u2019s deployment down the right will be why. He brings a little more to the side than merely breaking forward and whipping the ball into the box. As an extra body in the midfield, there is little chance of Inter being overrun. Combined with his creative capabilities, he\u2019s been a surprise hit in his side\u2019s unbeaten start to the season.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3><strong>Read more:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/\"><strong>Latest football news<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football betting tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best betting sites<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/best-free-bet-offers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best free bet offers<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/accumulator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football accumulator tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Inter Milan\u2019s Scudetto defence has started off well enough. They\u2019re joint-top in Serie A having collected 13 points from the opening five matches. The Nerazzurri sit level with capital pair Roma and Lazio. Having gone the distance last season, the Milan giants are again backed to top Serie A come May. This comes despite a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3564,"featured_media":1497573,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"Diouf","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Andy Diouf has emerged as Inter\u2019s surprise star this season. Discover how the Frenchman has become key to their Serie A title defence.","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"features-category":[],"squawka-category":[],"class_list":["post-1497571","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.0 (Yoast SEO v28.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Andy Diouf: The surprise star behind Inter\u2019s fast start to the Serie A season | Squawka | EN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Andy Diouf has emerged as Inter\u2019s surprise star this season. Discover how the Frenchman has become key to their Serie A title defence.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/andy-diouf-inter-serie-a-scudetto\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Andy Diouf: The surprise star behind Inter\u2019s fast start to the Serie A season\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Andy Diouf has emerged as Inter\u2019s surprise star this season. Discover how the Frenchman has become key to their Serie A title defence.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/andy-diouf-inter-serie-a-scudetto\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Squawka | EN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/09\/28163900\/predictions_article-16x9-14-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@squawka\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/andy-diouf-inter-serie-a-scudetto\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/andy-diouf-inter-serie-a-scudetto\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ben McAleer\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d83177c024444113f28c89f65fde90b4\"},\"headline\":\"Andy Diouf: The surprise star behind Inter\u2019s fast start to the Serie A season\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-29T08:00:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/andy-diouf-inter-serie-a-scudetto\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":828,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/andy-diouf-inter-serie-a-scudetto\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/media.squawka.com\\\/images\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/28163900\\\/predictions_article-16x9-14-scaled.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"accessibilityFeature\":[\"tableOfContents\"]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/andy-diouf-inter-serie-a-scudetto\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/andy-diouf-inter-serie-a-scudetto\\\/\",\"name\":\"Andy Diouf: The surprise star behind Inter\u2019s fast start to the Serie A season | Squawka | EN\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/andy-diouf-inter-serie-a-scudetto\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/andy-diouf-inter-serie-a-scudetto\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/media.squawka.com\\\/images\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/28163900\\\/predictions_article-16x9-14-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-29T08:00:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"Andy Diouf has emerged as Inter\u2019s surprise star this season. 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