ESPN Soccernet - Correspondents - FC Inter Milan

Posted by Gianni Serra on 10/17/2011

Seventeen out of twenty. Just one place above the relegation zone. Well, Serie A is only six games old and we have never experienced at this stage a table with 13 teams within four points [this is the gap between the leaders, Juventus and Udinese, and the 13th AC Milan], but Inter's position is the epitome of a team in crisis.

Despite a new coach, a different system of play, a different... everything, the outcome of the Catania game was the same as against Novara, where Gasperini lost his job.

Fielding an ultra-cautious midfield - Zanetti, Cambiasso, Muntari and Stankovic, ideal to protect Esteban Cambiasso's sixth minute goal, in theory - wasn't enough for this Inter to defend the lead. Nerazzurri allowed Catania to score twice in the first six minutes of the second half - Almiron at the 47th minute and Lodi from the penalty spot four minutes later. Still plenty of time to recover but no trace of reaction from Inter.

After an hour, Claudio Ranieri tried to shake up the team, introducing Alvarez and Zarate to replace the ghosts of Stankovic and Milito. Two more minutes and Samuel had to be substituted for Cordoba (and you can bet the Colombian would have liked to return in a better situation - the back four was a mess actually). Despite the triple change the script wasn't affected - Castellazzi saved twice against Delvecchio and Catellani, denying Catania's third goal.

Next stop will be Lille in Champions League. Sneijder, Julio Cesar and Chivu should all be available. But the problem with Inter is not a player. When you have too many seasoned top-players, sometimes it's hard to motivate them against teams like Novara or Catania. On the other hand they do not have enough in the legs to compete against the European giants [which at the moment are Barcelona, Manchester United and Bayern Munich].

Inter will certainly improve their position in the League but have no chance to win any silverware in Europe this season and in the next one or two. Last season the team showed some problems, and selling the best player wasn't the best way to fix them. Catania was just the last reality check. For someone, maybe, the first.

Serie A 2011-12 / Day 6

CATANIA-INTER 2-1

Catania: Andujar; Bellusci, Spolli, Legrottaglie; Izco, Almiron, Lodi, Ricchiuti (69' Delvecchio), Marchese; Gomez (81' Catellani), Bergessio (66' Lopez). Coach: Montella
Inter: Castellazzi; Maicon, Lucio, Samuel (62' Corboba), Nagatomo; Zanetti, Cambiasso, Muntari, Stankovic (60' Alvarez); Milito (60' Zarate), Pazzini. Coach: Ranieri
Referee: Orsato
Goals: Almiron 47', Lodi 51' pen; Cambiasso 6'
Yellow cards: Spolli, Delvecchio, Bellusci; Castellazzi, Zarate

Comments

Posted by ifeanyi Emeka on 10/18/2011

Hi infact I'm not happy about de perfomarce of inter de season pls I want plead with de director and offical to due something about dis before inter go regilation thanks

Posted by Chris P on 10/18/2011

Good Inter blog, yet I am insulted with the fact that you did not rate Real Madrid as a European giant (obviously better than Bayern Munich).

Posted by Anonymous on 10/18/2011

Selling Eto'o was a huge mistake!

Posted by Nima on 10/18/2011

Well I again have to blame the success and failures, especially failures on Moratti. Jose told him that we needed a revolution in the squad once he got the treble. Benitez mentioned it too. So by buying two last minute players Zarate and forlan. Not composed buys but silly panic buys. Zarate is a good buy bout does forlan replace etoo. Don't forget we lost an amazing strikers but does that justify the poor defending? When we won the treble our back 4 was reaching the end of a peak. Now they're just too old as a back four. One can fill in for the rest but we need a shape up. I said it last season that now we need to aim for top 3 with champions league QF while playing only young players. It's risky but long term. So in two seasons time we have a good young first 11. Now we don't have the choice but to play best 11 which is also old. So we are in a catch 22. Our king term plan is jeapordised and it will take a few seasons to get a good solid foundation. New era needs to start now!

Posted by Nima on 10/18/2011

Froggy is Awsome for a youngster but faraoni, crisiteg, Viviano (once fit), obi, nagatomo, coutinho, costagnos all need to play regularly and Moratti NEEDS to KEEP them. We need at least two young CBs with lucio helping when needed. We need one young CDM to help Esteban when obi isn't fit or available. With this in place we have youth that are playing as a unit not just filling gaps. Of course we jeapordise league position but its LONG TERM! Every club has an era, AC Milan, Bayern, Man Utd, Lyon, Barca etc Ours is ended but we can ensure the next one us sooner than before by allowing our very good youngsters to play as a unit especially in cup games. But Moratti is silly we know what he's like so I've been expecting this since we got the treble. It's no shock to real inter fans who have seen.what the clubs been doing last 5 yrs.

Posted by Ranjan89 on 10/18/2011

Good to see someone at least bothering about this whole chaotic situation of Inter as I guess Moratti isn't concerned. He should have tried to lure Ancelotti to Inter . Anyways , I also found your failure not to mention the greatest club side ever, Real Madrid as an European giant as absurd.

Posted by Nima on 10/19/2011

Regarding real Madrid I tried mentioning a team from each main nation. There is a word limit so if you're going to write a comment at least make it useful. Fool. Moratti cares a lot but its how he deals with it. This is similar to the mid 90s and early 2000s where inter were a European mockery with new managers every wk. Zaccaroni and his 3-4-3 that worked at juve but not inter..cuper who drew a lot but we were solid, lippi got sacked after 6 games went to juve and won the league. It's all happening again ... Moratti needs to allow for a squad to evolve with a manager not keep changing managers n players. Money buys you a one off cup but depth buys you a dynasty.

Posted by Gianni on 10/19/2011

@ Chris and Ranjan. Real do not certainly need my recognition to be rated as an European giant, as their present vein speaks for itself. I just mentioned the current top 3 in Europe, and in my view the most solid and consistent are Barca, Bayern and Man Utd. Arguably Real are on the same level but I feel they lack something in the back four and their midfield is not as strong and complete as some results suggest.

Posted by oem software on 02/11/2012

memliK I decided to help and sent a post to the social bookmarks. I hope to raise it in popularity!!...

Posted by Ganai on 12/05/2012

This is something a lot of non-Italians have asked me: how is it rcisat to be prejudiced against Southerners. Firstly, as anonymously noted, the law covers any kind of racial or territorial discrimination'. They read this out and put it on the big screens every game. Secondly, I think you can make a good argument for anti-southern feeling as racism. There is some stuff about the (supposed) physical characteristics of southerners, such as skin-colour, height, hairyness. (My delightful Milanese grandmother, on her daughter's engagement to a Sardinian: Oh My God! the children will be monkeys! ) Of course as well as the supposed physical stuff there are stereotypes about education, intelligence, ability to speak a proper' language etc. I have Southern friends who have been refused service in cafe8s in the Trentino on the basis of their accent.Then there is the mixture of what would more normally be acknowledged as racism in with anti-Napoletano-ism.The classic song sung at Napoli fans goes:Smell what a stench, even dogs flee /The Neapolitans are arriving /O cholera and earthquake-afflicted /You've never seen soap in your lives /Napoli are shit, Napoli [have]cholera /you're the shame of all Italy, /Neapolitan, dirty African /Sooner or later we'll stab you.I think that's pretty straight- forwardly rcisat myself.

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