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"Football is about glory, it is about doing things in style and with a flourish, about going out and beating the lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom".
Surely Inter Milan coach Claudio Ranieri never read nor heard anything of the great Danny Blanchflower, otherwise he'd have picked different words to comment Nerazzurri's last gasp win at Siena: "I'm very glad because my players fought bravely and in the end they got three points, and that was all that mattered".
That-was-all-that-mattered. Sure?
Only true diehard fans could manage to go through the whole of the Siena-Inter match, til the very end. But they were rewarded in the 89th minute when Luc Castaignos hit the winner - a low drive, after a short pass from Thiago Motta at the edge of the penalty area. But that wouldn't be the correct picture of the game.
One snap-shot of Siena-Inter says more than anything else about the game and Inter's evolution: Ricky Alvarez playing alongside Thiago Motta, a few yards before the halfway-line, playing the slowest football ever witnessed. The slowest pair of midfielders you can imagine in modern football, passing the ball each other, nearly motionless.
Boring everyone to death and [apparently] happy to be doing so. They were so slow that it was amazing not to see them filmed in black and white. Movement and passing that looked too old and tedious even for the standard of the Fifties. Unreal. Just few seconds, a couple of touches, but more than enough to summarize the state of the art. Embarrassing.
The heart of the game lies in midfield and Ranieri seems content to kill opponents with a lethal dose of boredom. Now we know that this is part of a win-no-matter-how strategy.
Apart from the evergreen Javier Zanetti and Walter Samuel - both, once again, the best men on the pitch - Inter's approach confirmed their mid-table status: a bunch of very committed players, hoping their efforts would be rewarded with a positive result.
Claudio Ranieri is experienced enough to be aware of the poor football on show from his players and knows that it's better not to talk about his team performances. That is why he often tries to divert the talk towards something else, like suggesting that "Luc Castaignos has a lot in common with David Trezeguet". Wow! What a comparison.
What a heavy burden on Castaignos shoulders, to be linked with one the best European strikers of the last decade. Can he really blossom into one of the top three strikers in Europe in one year’s time? Until the final minutes of Siena-Inter the only thing Castaignos had in common with Trezeguet was that in 2011-12 neither of them had scored in four outings.
Serie A 2011-12 / Day 14
SIENA-INTER 0-1
Siena: Brkic; Vitiello, Rossettini, Terzi, Del Grosso; Mannini, D'Agostino, Gazzi (70' Bolzoni), Brienza; Calaiò (64' Reginaldo), Larrondo (75' Gonzalez). Coach: Sannino
Inter: Julio Cesar; Nagatomo, Ranocchia, Samuel, Zanetti; Cambiasso (81' Milito); Alvarez (46' Obi), Stankovic, Thiago Motta, Zarate (46' Castaignos); Pazzini. Coach: Ranieri
Referee: De Marco
Goal: 89' Castaignos
Yellow cards: Terzi; Ranocchia
Red card: Brienza (90')
Comments
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Posted by Nathan on 11/29/2011
I am hardcore Inter so I did watch until the end. Tedious is a fair word for the match, but it does have to be pointed out that Siena contributed to this lack of entertainment value. They were the home side, playing a side coming off an away match in Turkey, yet they showed virtually no interest in actually possessing the ball. Siena played like a team that needed a point away in Europe, and in the end they got what they deserved: nothing.
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Posted by Sanat on 11/29/2011
I agree this game was a terrible advert for Serie A. But when you consider the form Inter are in - 3 points is really all that counts.
If this were a team leading the table and won this game, we would all be saying "championships are won by those teams that can win ugly and win when they aren't playing well"
This performance reminded me a lot of Mourinho's first season's Inter - winning but doing only that and without much panache.
I sincerely hope the kids play more and more with every passing round - even if Inter don't finish in the top 3, we still have a group of youngsters that are relatively experienced and can be a real force to reckon with next season.
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Posted by Sam on 11/29/2011
Yep well said again Gianni, what a show. It can be said that Siena contributed to the show by putting ten men behind the ball but often this was because Inter refused to to pass the ball quickly to the front men via the midfield and instead either booted it up field from the back or passed it slowly round the back slowly edging forward until the creaked into Sienas half, almost forcing them back.
The game really showed for me the dire need for Sneijder, Coutinho and Obi to play as they are really the only players capable of playing quick one pass and move football. Zanetti I think can as can Zarate but in the latters case it is often without any thought for an end result.
Motta, Stankovic, Cambiasso and even Alvarez at times seem content to take 15 touches then pass sidways or backwards. Then wonder how they cant get scoring ops. Anyway its 3 points, Castignos is off the mark and we continue to climb. Surely it cant get any worse than that.....
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Posted by inter 4 ever on 11/29/2011
Sanat your comment was spot on. 3 is really what counts. If we were topping the championship this win would be considered an amazing result. But since we aren't, there will still be Criticism. As long as the young lads play I will satisfied. And lucas signing is a must!
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Posted by Sia on 11/29/2011
I agree with Gianni, there is not much more to say about Inter's performance against Siena. Ranieri at least played the younger players, but I think the wrong combination, also taking Zarate out was a mistake, he was doing most of the work on the flanks, for some odd reason Stankovic as slow and out of touch he is plays almost every single game for 90 mins, I don't understand why? What Ranieri sees in him is beyond me?
I'll take the 3 points anyways and hope to see a better Inter next time!
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Posted by Tony on 11/29/2011
I watched the entire match while yawning frequently between screaming at the TV for Inter to move the ball. Then it occurred to me, the simple truth....they cannot move quickly with the players they have on the pitch. I am glad they got the three points but I am not hopeful of CL spot for 2012. I am not sure the young players they have are going to get a chance to show their value, if any, until the manager realizes that the future must be evaluated as soon as possible. The transfer window will undoubtedly be interesting.
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Posted by Nathan on 11/29/2011
As I said once already further up the page, it was dull, but I honestly don't think it was as bad as it could have been. Let us be realistic here. How many clubs excel in an away league match after an away European game? Very few. Again, Siena was uninterested in pressing and invited Inter to keep the ball. Maicon was not rampaging up and down the right side and Nagatomo seemed tired and ineffectual in his place. Zanetti was taking Chivu's spot instead of making runs out of midfield. Neither Ranocchia or Samuel can bring the ball out of central defense like Lucio can. No Sneijder. No Forlan. The game is 90 minutes and Castaignos managed a tremendous piece of skill to get the goal they needed. I'll take it.
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Posted by Fatawu sani on 11/29/2011
De problem is cabiaso,stankov,zanetti and co they are all weak and leaving poor players like they are paying bribe then sacking coachs,don't u kno dat a new coach dont kno de form of but de names that is breacking inter if u dont kno.
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Posted by whosemans on 11/30/2011
@Nathan
umm..maicon didn't play but ok.
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Posted by sam on 11/30/2011
@Whosemans, I think Nathan said that Maicon wasnt playing
@Nathan. Mate I am scared when you say that Zanetti has taken Chivu's spot. For me Chivu's only spot has to be in the stands! Zanetti is much better at left back than Chivu, he gets forward when needed and provides ample protection in defence. I actually think he is better there, as a midfield with Cambiasso, Zanetti, Stankovic et al is painful in its inordinate slowness.
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Posted by Nathan on 11/30/2011
@ whosemans
Yes, that is why I said "Maicon was not rampaging up and down the right side and Nagatomo seemed tired and ineffectual in his place." Is that really hard to understand?
@Sam
I only meant to say that Zanetti was back there because Chivu was out. We can reasonably argue about his best spot on the pitch, but I don't agree that he is slow.
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Posted by Sam on 11/30/2011
@Nathan
I wasnt saying that Zanetti himself was slow only that in combination with Cambiasso and Stankovic it is a midfield that is slow. This does not necessarily refer to their running pace but rather their style. They are not players who pass quickly and move and give the team a forward thrust like say a Silva or even Sneijder. They generally take two or three touches, take their time, make safe passes etc which retains possession but does not allow for ultra dynamic football. This is why I would prefer maybe one of these three in midfield in the holding position with another deeper lying midfielder who is more dynamic and can pop passes around, a Pirlo type. They could be complimented by Sneijder in AM and two wider midfielders, maybe Alvarez and Coutinho, all feeding a single striker. This would allow defensive stability with a number of attacking threats that could break and play quickly.
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Posted by Nathan on 11/30/2011
@Sam
Those are a valid points and I don't see anything there to disagree with. I do think that Zanetti, Stankovic, Cambiasso, and Motta can all still be effective, but not when they are on the pitch at the same time.
And I am guessing that Ranieri has figured out by now that he cannot depend on having Sneijder available. Unless Coutinho or Alvarez demonstrate some consistency in December, I believe we will see one or two arrivals and a departure in January.
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Posted by antonio on 11/30/2011
I thought this was one of Ranieri's best line-ups yet. Good mix of young and old. I liked the move of Zanetti to left back, out of the midfield, where he generally is a very conservative, rather slow midfielder. I thought he overlapped well with Zarate. Thiago Motta is an excellent player and a key piece of Inter's set piece attack. I do wish Ranieri would replace Stankovich, who I feel has lost a step to age, with Obi, who has a bit more pace, or with Sneijder's creativity (when he is fit to return). I also look forward to Maicon's confidence and emotion returning and replacing Nagatomo, who does not look comfortable at right back.
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Posted by Sia on 11/30/2011
I wonder if Sneijder's injury situation which has been on in past two months, it is a real injury or he is leaving in January, so keeping himself healthy to be traded? Forlan did that before Inter purchased him, he said he was injured, but as soon as he arrived to Inter he was fine!
I hope this is not the case and Sneijder is not leaving Inter by January, if that happens Moratti is to blame for losing so many talents in past two years.
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Posted by Sam on 12/02/2011
@Sia
Yeah it will be interesting to see what happens to Sneijder. As for your comment about it being Moratti's fault. I cannot agree with you. Moratti is a fan and as such he can make decisions based on passion rather than with a clear head. With the talent leaving in the past two years comment, I am not sure who you mean? Eto'o? Ibra? Are they the ones you mean? Both were excellent pieces of business and only good for the club. Unfortunately in Eto'os case it was forced upon us by financial fair play. To be honest if I would complain about Moratti, it would be to say that he has been too loyal to the players that one the treble. He should have sold Maicon, Milito, and a number of others when their prices were at a premiem and they were on the wrong side of 30, this would have enabled him to refresh the squad and reduce wages plus bring in quality. Now we are stuck with a number of players we will not be able to sell!
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Posted by Sia on 12/02/2011
@Sam
I agree with you on Moratti being more a fan than an owner/president and because of that he makes bad choices.
Yes, I meant Eto'o, Ibra, also Mou which only stayed for two seasons, how about Roberto Mancini, I know after Liverpool lost CL game with two BS Red Cards against Inter everyone blamed Mancini, but was it all his fault, was he a bad manager? He came aboard while Inter was doing so bad and changed the team, brought on majority of talent that is still there, Julio Ceasar, Maicon, Chivu, Samuel, Maxwell(now at Barca), Cambiasso, Stankovic, Ibra, I think Mancini would of been a great long term coach for Inter with great coaching vision. How about Balotelli (Yes very immature player, but talent that we lost), Santon another nice player!
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Posted by Amer-Inter on 12/02/2011
In my opinion Maicon is still a force to be reckoned with. He has looked better this season, than last. He has tireless long gallops down the right side and sends in great crosses. of course Nagatomo doesnt look comfortable, he is naturally left footed. He can still run, but his crosses are sacrificed greatly when he is on the right side. I would like to still a see 4-3-1-2. (left to right) Nagatomo,Samuel,Lucio,Maicon. Obi, Cambiasso, Zanetti. Sneider (when injured his place is very well taken by Coutinho, possibly Alvarez.) And Pazzini and Zarate/Forlan up front. Thiago Motta and Stanko have both lost alot of speed, but they both still have their uses as substitutes or to fill the positions of injured players. Alvarez has his moments, but the player im really impressed with is coutinho, he is sneijders fill-in, he will be something great for this team in the future. Obi isnt the most talented, but surely deserves a spot in the XI of this aged inter team.
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Posted by Irene on 12/15/2011
Well put, sir, well put. I'll ceraintly make note of that.
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About
Gianni Serra is a European football journalist. He currently writes for lechampions.it, covering international club competitions such as the UEFA Champions League, the Copa Libertadores, the CAF Champions League, the O-League. You can follow him on twitter: @gianniserra20
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