Another season has come to a close in the blue and black side of Milan, and another one covered in mediocrity too for Inter.
Erick Thohir’s wishes of seeing Inter in the 2016 Champions League final which is due to be held at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza looks rather absurd now, not because the Nerazzurri are a bad side that will fail to compete with the big boys but rather because they haven’t qualified for Europe’s premier club competition, again. To make matters worse, they also haven’t qualified for the Europa League, finishing in eighth.
The start of this season however was different to that of the seasons before. A new owner who supposedly wants to regain Inter’s place amongst Europe’s elite was thrown into the mix. That, to some extent, was evident in the club’s transfer business.
Sought-after players such as Nemanja Vidic, Gary Medel, Xherdan Shaqiri, Lukas Podolski, Yann M’Vila, and Pablo Osvaldo were all brought in at some point in the season.
However, a common theme amongst most of them is that they’ve underperformed. Shaqiri and Podolski were brought in during the January window to help boost the club’s European ambitions but ended up scoring four goals and making six assists in a staggering 38 games between them.
In fact, the last game Podolski featured in for more than 45 minutes was on March 22 against Sampdoria, whilst Shaqiri started once in the last nine games of the season.
It’d be unfair to put both under the guillotine right away for the sheer thought that they’ve underperformed this season. However, one could imagine how potent Inter could’ve been had both been on top form, especially with the dismal form of many clubs competing for European places.
However, that’s 2014/2015 Inter in a nutshell – shades of grey. On one hand you have Mauro Icardi who finished joint top goalscorer in Serie A, while on the other hand there are the likes of relatively high-profile signing such as M’Vila who hardly got a kick all season.
You get a side that overcame eventual Europa League finalists Dnipro Dnipropretrovsk in the competition’s group stages, only to be on the end of a battering at the hands of Wolfsburg in the Round of 16.
Overall, the Nerazzurri’s season was hot and cold. Far from a success, but anything but a complete failure too. They might’ve finished in eighth, but they were only three points behind Genoa – who occupied the last Europa League qualifying position, and one point behind Sampdoria who could be given the last spot if the Grifone’s appeal against being denied a UEFA Licence gets rejected.
Other high points this season include Icardi finishing as Serie A’s joint top goalscorer, and the 1-1 draw against Juventus at the Juventus Stadium. The first for obvious reasons in that despite all the hardships of late, the Nerazzurri can boast the league’s top goalscorer.
Secondly, there has also been a gulf in class between Juve – who have won four straight Scudetti, won the Coppa Italia and are now in the Champions League final – and Inter of late who have been lingering near mid-table, but they were able to get a draw.
However, it is so Inter 2014/2015 that something good is sometimes stained by a bad aspect, with Pablo Osvaldo getting involved in a heated argument with Icardi in that same game against Juventus – such an ignominious occurrence basically ended the former’s Inter career.
Also staying on the same page, Icardi and Guarin’s altercation with the fans following a 3-1 defeat to Sassuolo was completely uncalled for, especially after a loss.
There were also some negative aspects on the pitch, one of them being the ignominious exit at the hands of Wolfsburg in the Europa League round of 16 by an aggregate score of 5-2 and the Coppa Italia exit against Napoli which came courtesy of a 93rd minute winner by Gonzalo Higuain.
Player of the Season
In case you haven’t already figured it out yet, Mauro Icardi has to be the Nerazzurri’s player of the season for the 22 goals he scored all season.
Not only that, but for a player often attacked for ball hogging, the Argentine contributed six assists in Serie A.
There is no doubt that the uphill task of retaining Icardi for the upcoming season could prove vital in the Nerazzurri’s surge for Europe.
Best and Worst Signings
Gary Medel is undoubtedly the shrewdest piece of business the club has done of recent, putting in tireless performances in the middle of the park.
Arriving from Cardiff City in the summer transfer market for €10 million, the Chilean international actually signed for the Nerazzurri for less than what the Bluebirds paid for him in the first place.
In fact, the former Sevilla man appeared in all but three games in Serie A, all missed due to suspension, amassing a staggering 44 games this season.
As for the worst signing, it has to be Podolski for the sheer fact that his impact has been little despite featuring 18 times.
The World Cup winner, who was brought in from Arsenal on loan in January, only scored one goal which was a scorcher against Udinese, while making four assists in all competitions. Surely a player of his experience should be doing much better.
Goal of the Season
Even though Inter were knocked out of the Europa League in the Round of 16, Fredy Guarin’s wonder strike in the round of 32 second leg against Celtic to ensure qualification is our goal of the season.
With his side leading on aggregate on the away goals rule but wary of the threat posed by a Celtic equaliser which would have eliminated them, the Colombian smashed a late rocket past Craig Gordon to send the Beneamata through.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6-L_SiukOM[/youtube]
The Coach
A key moment in the club’s season though came in mid-November when Walter Mazzarri was sacked in favour of Roberto Mancini, who returned to the club for the first time since 2008.
Mancini not only has a better record, but fans were growing impatient with Mazzarri who employed tactics that would ultimately result in a very passive style of play. That is not all of the equation, as ‘Mancio’ himself will play a big role in convincing players to come to the club.
Even though Mancini’s first season back at the club didn’t finish as he’d have hoped, it would no exaggeration to to say that the Nerazzurri recently found their identity with players such as Rodrigo Palacio rediscovering form in Serie A having found things difficult all season, whilst Hernanes looks to have finally settled in.
