Posted on Thursday, 23rd February 2012 by Richard Hinman

Italian international left the on the last day of the January transfer window and the effects of his sale are now starting to be felt.

After making nearly 100 appearances for his first club, , he left Spain to join an emerging side, then under the watchful eye of .  He played a crucial role, alongside fellow South American Diego Milito, as the team enjoyed success by qualifying for Europe in the 2008-09 season. His performances were such that in the summer, along with Milito, he left the club to join the champions of Italy, .

He opened his account for the Nerazzuri in only his second league appearance, during the 4-0 win against fierce rivals at the start of the 2009-10 season. It was to be an incredible campaign for the team as they went on to win the treble under Jose Mourinho.

Having recently said that Mourinho was the best coach he ever worked with, it is clear now that when Mourinho did leave for Madrid in the summer of 2010, things changed for Motta. The following season the midfield man played in only half of Inter’s league games, yet his quality performances earned him a call up to the Italian national side for the friendly against Germany in February 2011.  However, under the stewardship of his former coach Gian Piero Gasperini, Motta and Inter were unable to reach the heights achieved in previous years.

Despite this, his sale to Paris Saint-Germain still came as a shock to many Inter fans. Having signed for the Parisian club, Motta immediately stated his reasons, which included the desire for a new challenge, to keep his place in the Azzurri squad and his displeasure at the sale of Samuel Eto’o.

Since his departure, Inter have experienced a huge dip in form, with just one point in four games. They have conceded eleven goals and lost at home to minnows Bologna and Novara. This poor run cannot be soley attributed to the sale of Motta, however the massive influence the brazilian born player had on the team is now starting to become apparent.

While all the headlines went to the likes of Wesley Sneijder and Lucio, Motta’s consistently good performances went largely unnoticed. He was commanding in the midfield and alongside Esteban , Inter’s central pairing was formidable. The decision to allow him to leave mid-season was incredibly short-sighted.

Certainly the club was and still is, in need of a major overhaul. Even so, to let a player like Motta, who is only 29 years old to leave, was very poor judgment. In order for Inter to improve they need to get rid of those no longer up to the task and slowly integrate young players. Selling two extremely vital cogs, like Eto’o and Motta and not bring in any adequate replacements, has backfired very badly.

Within the current Inter squad, there are two players who could fill that midfield void and both are on loan from a Serie B team.

The pair of Andrea and Angelo Palombo have shown signs, playing for , that they could be that successful holding midfielder the milanese club desperately yearns. The experienced Palombo, who has played over 300 times for and has been one of the best Italian midfielders in recent times, has made 22 appearances for the national side and is natural in a role.

However, Palombo has only made one appearance for Inter since he joined the club on the last day of the January transfer window and with only another couple of months left on his loan deal, he will have to impress soon to seal a permanent move to the San Siro.

Andrea Poli joined Inter on a 12 month deal in August last year, and similarly to Palombo has found it difficult to settle. He has only made 6 appearances and has failed to truly impress. He has a great reputation as one of the best young Italian midfielders and has represented his country at under 21 level.  Yet it remains to be seen as to whether Poli has a future with Inter.

Whether Inter replace Thiago Motta with one or both of the Sampdoria owned players is still unclear. Motta’s tireless workrate and his inexhaustible energy were vital for Inter. All teams need a player who breaks up the play and protects the more creative players and Motta certainly did that.

But, he also had impressive technical and tactical qualities which are now clearly lacking from the heart of the Nerazzurri team. With misfiring strikers, the hole left by Motta’s departure is all too evident and the problem will remain until Inter find not only a worthy, but also quality replacement.

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Richard HinmanAuthor Richard Hinman  (11 Posts)

I have always followed Italian football since a young age, and in particular my team AS Roma and their great players like Totti and De Rossi . I also enjoy watching and writing about all aspects Italian football imparticular about the big issues like Ultras and Racism. You can follow me on twitter @RiccyHinman


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