There have been many factors that have contributed to Inter’s downwards slide in recent years, with one of the major problem being the defensive fragility after losing some key defenders such as Lucio and Walter Samuel.
The replacements that were brought in were not up to standard and the Nerazzurri lacked any organisation and leadership at the back.
But have they uncovered a gem in Jeison Murillo?
The 23-year-old was signed from Granada in the summer for a price of around €7 million and seems to have already been a worthwhile investment.
The Colombian joined on a pre-contract agreement which went under the radar, but since then he has won the Young Player Award at the Copa America 2015.
He’s played all three games so far in Serie A and Inter have only conceded one goal, signalling the kind of impact him and fellow defender Miranda have had on the team.
But it was the Milan derby at the weekend in which Murillo really stood out, leading the defence with Gary Medel who was standing in for the injured Miranda.
Murillo showed a bit of class that has been absent in the Inter backline since the Lucio and Samuel partnership of 2010.
Perhaps what is most impressive about him is his raw pace and how quickly he can get across the ground. On a few occasions the Nerazzurri were a bit light in numbers at the back with Luiz Adriano and Carlos Bacca getting in behind, but Murillo was quick enough to get back and get in a solid tackle or just simply put them off.
That’s not the only attribute he has though. The youngster is also very comfortable on the ball and in the Milan derby carried the ball up the pitch to start off attacks for his team in the style of Lucio.
It feels like now with him in the team, Inter’s defence is a lot more solid and with Miranda to come back into the lineup it looks very promising for the club.
It’s very early on in the season and Inter have won all three games which although doesn’t signal much in terms of who will win the league, it does give the fans hope of what can happen for the rest of the year.
With a much better strength in depth in the squad, who knows what Inter can achieve for the season. They were unfancied to finish in the top three but they are definitely capable of achieving that with this squad.
With a better front-line, midfield and a much better defence with the aforementioned Murillo in the heart of it, the Inter project with Roberto Mancini at the helm seems to be well under way.
