As an Inter fan, I cannot honestly say that I am surprised by the seemingly uniform opinion amongst the media that the Nerazzurri are weaker going into the new season than the last, but that is not to say that I agree. Quite the opposite, in fact, I feel that this has been a summer in which a blueprint has been laid down for the next generation of success at the club.
Granted, their have been some significant losses, none more so than Samuel Eto’o, undoubtedly Inters’ player of the season last year. The influence of Marco Materazzi, within the dressing room alone, should not be underestimated and it saddens me that a talent such as Davide Santon could not be integrated into the squad.
On the plus side though, most of the deadwood has been cleared out- Suazo and Rivas get a special mention in this regard!- with only Sulley Muntari and Chivu remaining as the standout liabilities within the squad. And it is when I look closely at Inters’ reshaped and revitalised squad that I am filled with genuine optimism for the years ahead.
Without question, we are a team in transition. Inter have just enjoyed years of unprecedented success, peaking with the Treble-winning team of 2010, but the time had come to look to the future, and at reducing the average age of an elderly squad. Zanetti, although clearly superhuman, cannot go on forever, and father time may well soon catch up with the likes of Stankovic, Milito, Samuel and Lucio, and probably already has in the case of Cordoba.
And although I am regularly hearing the negative press concerning our ‘ageing’ squad, nobody seems to have noticed the young players who have either been brought in or have come through the ranks and are ready to go!
For the first time in a long time, Inter could quite easily put out a starting 11 with no outfield player older than 27, and still have a few left over for the bench! Sceptics may not believe me, and so I will illustrate the point so it is there for all to see…
In addition to the starting 11, there are a further 5 players (who should all see some degree of first team action) to warm the bench, all under the age of 20. Marco Faraoni (19), Matteo Bianchetti (18), Lorenzo Crisetig (18), Coutinho (19) and Luc Castaignos(19), have all been involved in pre-season and will be looking to make their mark this season.
It would be hard for anybody to argue against this being a very competitive team, with only Luca Caldirola at centre back lacking in first team exposure, and even he played 11 league games for Vitesse last season, and is held in high regard at Inter.
The recipe for success, however, has always been a mixture of youth and experience, and once you add into the mix the likes of Zanetti, Lucio, Cambiasso and either Forlan or Milito, I feel the squad has the strength to match anybody (bar the footballing freak that is Barcelona!).
Where Inter have been found wanting in recent years has been in the pace department. In Europe in particular, even against ‘lesser’ teams, the Nerazurri have been made to look pedestrian against sides they should be beating comfortably. It now appears that this situation has been addressed, particularly in the wider areas, and Inter now have genuine speed in the shape of Maicon, Jonothan, Nagatomo, Obi, Zarate, Alvarez, Coutinho and Castaignos, mouth-watering options for the coach to have.
The signings that the club have made this summer should all get their chance to sign, particularly as Gasperinis’ tactics (Be it 3-4-3 or 4-3-3) have a heavy emphasis on pace and attacking from wide areas.
Another cause for optimism, certainly from what was seen pre-season, was the faith shown to some of our youth players. Going off their performances against teams such as Celtic, Man City and Olympiacos, Faraoni, Caldirola, Bianchetti and in particular Joel Obi look more than ready to contribute.
In the past, Inter have been far too eager to rid themselves of promising talent from the primavera squad, only to waste millions on squad players who are in no way superior. Perhaps the most obvious example in recent history would be Andrea Pirlo, who could not get a game in the first team, despite his obvious talent, even when Marco Tardelli was brought in as manager, who had coached him and raved about him for the U21’s.
Even players who have not had the same impact in Serie A as Pirlo could have been far better utilised at Inter. At Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson has always recognised the value in home grown players, knowing that what they may lack in technical ability, they more than make up for in passion and a handy trait of being happy as a squad player. The likes of Nicky Butt and Phil Neville may not have set the world on fire after they left Utd, and the same will probably be said of John O’Shea and Wes Brown, but they all played their part in years of success.
Inter should learn from these past mistakes, and even if not all of them had become nailed on starters, I feel the club would have saved a lot of money, and had more of an Italian identity, with a squad containing Pirlo, Santon, Bonucci, Aquafresca and Pasquale, as opposed to the likes of Suazo, Muntari, Mancini, Burdisso and Chivu.
The reason for this change in policy may well be solely down to the impending Financial Fair Play rules, as opposed to a genius-like long term strategy devised by Moratti and Branca (Though I will give them the benefit of the doubt), but by cutting down the average age of the squad, investing in youth and looking to make better use of the academy players, Inter seem to be putting themselves in a position to compete both domestically and abroad for years to come.
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really nice article, I support your thought.. Inter really needs to reshuffle their aeging squad.. and they need to adopt modern fast attacking play!!