It is easy to get caught up in the fallout from Inter’s capitulation at home to Cagliari on Sunday and write them off in a heartbeat. However, despite the major slip-up to Zdenek Zeman’s men, the stable of young players beginning to show signs of promise provide a positive light for Inter and illustrate a more effective transfer policy.
Since the beginning of 2013, Inter have recruited a series of hot prospects with the likes of Dodo, Mauro Icardi and Mateo Kovacic all beginning to make their mark in the first-team. It is a much needed silver lining in what has been a troubling couple of years for the Nerazzurri that have seen a number of coaches come and go, each having failed to oversee a generational shift.
After Inter’s finest ever season under Jose Mourinho in 2009/10, the sense of optimism around the club was sky-high. However, the fans and players did not foresee what now seems inevitable with hindsight. Marco Branca, the club’s sporting director who brokered deals for Lucio and Diego Milito, failed to effectively implement a strategy that would prepare for the decline of some of the club’s older players.
Lucio and Milito were both reaching the twilight of their careers when Inter won the Champions League, while Esteban Cambiasso and legend Javier Zanetti were both past their peaks. The club’s transfer policy failed to ensure they could maintain the hefty expectations once Mourinho left and the more senior players began to show their age.
Inter finished ninth in the 2012/13 season looking hopelessly inferior to Juventus, Napoli, and AC Milan as well as Firoentina and Udinese, who made up the top 5 that season. Branca was sacked in February 2014 after failing to successfully rebuild the squad and now it looks as though Inter are finally in a place where they can develop and prosper in the long-term.
Mauro Icardi looks to be ready for a consistent run of games following professional and personal problems last year. The 21-year-old can be the Nerazzurri’s flag-bearer this season and a vital source of inspiration. His contribution may also take on a symbolic resonance as he represents the type of raw talent Inter should continue to shape their transfer policy around.
Mateo Kovacic mirrors the importance of Icardi to this Inter squad. The 20-year-old Croatian joined in January 2013 and his potential is seemingly endless. Inter drafted Kovacic from Dinamo Zagreb to rejuvenate their midfield following a string of underwhelming performances last season from Fredy Guarin and Ricky Alvarez.
Coach Walter Mazzarri has clearly outlined his high expectations for the young playmaker, claiming that Kovacic can reach similar heights to Barcelona ace Andres Iniesta. Kovacic has already found the net twice for Inter this season and looks set for a breakthrough year.
Joining Icardi and Kovacic in Inter’s impressive stable of youth talent is Dodo, the on-loan signing from Roma. The 22-year-old Brazilian has featured prominently in Inter’s opening five games and has shown he is a smooth operator as left wing-back in Mazzarri’s 3-5-2 formation. Icardi, Kovacic and Dodo will continue to develop and improve as they get more games and their performances to date augurs a future not be as bleak as the Cagliari defeat may have suggested.
Of course, a flux of youthful exuberance is nothing when there is no experience to supplement it. Inter have been mindful in adding crucial experience to their ranks in Nemanja Vidic —despite his stuttering start to the season — and Gary Medel, who will be pivotal to Inter’s rebuilding process.
Apart from the Cagliari affair, Inter have made a promising start to their Serie A campaign and will look to recapture the form that saw them thrash Sassuolo 7-0 two weeks ago. Their new transfer policy structured around targeting promising youth players seems to have been largely vindicated thus far but only time will tell if they have enough to get Inter back to the top.
Follow Matthew Gault on Twitter: @MattGault11
