Inter Milan: New manager, same results?
Inter Milan – Still going nowhere?
Inter Milan is undoubtedly one of the biggest clubs in Italy and the record books speak volumes about their glory and accomplishments. But the demise of the Italian giants in the past couple of seasons has been quite rapid and it seems that the club is going through a crisis period coupled with changes in management and ownership. Last season was a horror story for all the Inter fans which saw the team finish as low as 9th in the league standings after conceding 57 goals and lost 16 games. The 18 times Serie A champions finished a mammoth 33 points behind title holders Juventus and 18 points behind city rivals AC Milan. It is quite hard to believe that this club was successful in winning the Serie A in 2008-09 and the Champions League in 2009.
The dismal performance of the team reflected heavily on the tenure of rookie manager Andrea Stramaccioni who lost his job at the end of the season. It was a major step of intent for the Inter president Massimo Moratti and the management who were looking for a new manager to guide the club to his past glory days. Moratti is extremely experienced when it comes to hiring managers and in his 18 years stint with the club; he has seen as many as 18 different bosses for the club. The likes of Jurgen Klopp, Guus Hiddink and Andre Villas-Boas were also linked with the club who were looking for a man at the helm of the Italian club. Walter Mazzarri was appointed the manager on the same day as Stramaccioni’s exit and the former Napoli man seems to be playing his cards right till now.
Walter Mazzarri has shown quite a talent when it comes to optimization of his monetary resources and he has not exceeded the €10 million mark for any one player. Instead, the Italian boss has shown his confidence in youth talents who are ready to prove themselves on the grand stage. Mazzarri has concentrated on strengthening the striking line up for the team by opting for former Catalan trainee Mauro Icardi from Sampdoria and also the 21-year-old Ishak Belfodil from Parma. The new recruits have already shown their talent on the pitch and Belfodil has already scored for his new team in the 1-1 draw against defending champions Juventus. Another effective signing for the manager has been the loan transfer Wallace from Chelsea who has shown his defensive talents in the Under 19 games at Stamford Bridge.
Inter Milan defender Andrea Ranocchia was a favourite in the recently concluded summer transfer market and he was successful in getting the attention of major clubs both in and out of Italy. Manchester United and Tottenham were both interested in wooing him to England, whereas Napoli was the leading the race among the domestic clubs to sign the charismatic youngster. Moratti was quite successful in handling the condition as he made his intent of keeping the player at Inter clear by making confident statements like “Ranocchia is one of the best in the country in that position, and he plays for the national team.” The £8.6 million bid from Napoli was not enough to steal away the defender and Ranocchia has conceded only once in his first four starts of the new season.
Mazzarri has also concentrated on inducing experience into his team along with his enthusiasm of nurturing youth talents. The manager has shown his respect for senior players like Cambiasso and Diego Milito who will be responsible for leading the team. Esteban Cambiasso is one of the experienced players in the Inter Milan line up and since his arrival to the club from Real Madrid, he has featured in most of the Inter’s games and he has started nearly all the games this season. The 30 years old Argentine is a deft passer of the ball and is expected to form a deadly partnership with new recruit Saphir Taider at the heart of midfield. Another major general in the Inter team is Diego Milito who has immortalized his name in Inter folklore by scoring the two goals in the team’s Champions League Final victory against Bayern Munich.
The 34 year old striker is still going strong for his team and will be playing a major role for them this season. The biggest asset for the Italian manager has been seasoned veteran Javier Zanetti who has made over 600 appearences for the Italian club and his support has made life comfortable for Mazzarri at San Siro. Mazzarri was also joined by his former Napoli compatriot Hugo Campagnaro who completed a move to Inter Milan at the start of the new season. Campagnero was a trusted ally for the Italian coach from the Napoli days and he has already impressed the Inter fans with his performance and command on field. Walter Samuel and Christian Chivu are also major parts of the current team and Mazzarri will be relying on them to strengthen the current line up.
Inter Milan has started the current season on a positive note under the new coach and some experts believe that they can be dark horses of the season. They have already made their intention clear by registering a massive 7-0 victory over Sassuolo which indicated good team chemistry and also spirited performances from youngsters. The team is currently placed fourth in the league standings with 15 points and they are looking to make a ground for themselves in the current season. Diego Milito was out of the squad due to a persistent injury problem and it is believed that his return can turn the team’s fortune and it is left to be seen what the future holds for Inter Milan.
Walter Mazzarri has assumed the control of Inter Milan with comfort and it seems that the fortune has changed under his management. It is left to be seen what happens in the future and it seems that Inter’s fortune seems to be on the better side under new management.