In a week in which Inter turned 104 years old the club is at a crossroad both on and off the field. The aging squad continues to falter on the field while off it there is much discontent from supporters directed at Coach Claudio Ranieri and President Massimo Moratti.
Having helped Inter to build momentum and a string of results that saw them rise to as high as fourth in the table, Claudio Ranieri now finds himself in a position were just one more loss could, and probably should see him fired as Coach.
In the league Inter have picked up just two points in their last seven games and face the very real possibility that they will not qualify for next years Champions League.
While it is true that a number of factors have played a part in Inter’s recent horror run, Ranieri’s insistence on living up to his nickname of “The Tinkerman” has left the team completely without stability or cohesion. Not only has Ranieri continued to altar the line-up but he has also made baffling substitutions and trialled a series of formations that have left the team in disarray.
Things appeared to come to a head on the weekend after Inter over turned a 2-0 half time deficit at home to Catania to escape with a draw. While at first this may have come as a relief to Ranieri, the reaction of the players afterward displayed they wouldn’t be crediting their coach for the turnaround. Instead it emerged that keeper Julio Cesar had given the half time “rev up” and in post match interviews many players, including captain Javier Zanetti were quick to point this out.
The reality for Ranieri now seems clear, next season he will not coach Inter, the only question now is whether he sees the season out or not. The fact that there seems to be few alternatives to fill the position and that entering at this stage would be a poisoned chalice for another coach it would appear Ranieri will be around until June.
Given this and the fact that Ranieri is a proud man, he and the team must find a way to finish the season on a high. To do this Ranieri must get the senior and most influential players back on side and playing well. The team must also settle into a clear and consistent formation, and if this means returning to a 4-4-2 and the benching of star player Wesley Sneijder, then so be it.
Inter’s horror run coincided with the return of Sneijder from injury, and while the Dutchmen has been in reasonable form, the biggest problem is the flow on effect on the rest of the team that his inclusion brings. With Sneijder in the team, Inter lack width and become very one-dimensional in attack, and in defence his lack of willingness to get back behind the ball has them often over-run in midfield and therefore conceding vast amounts of possession.
While it would be unfair to lay too much blame on Sneijder, like Ranieri his time at Inter appears to be coming to an end and while he has given the club so much, especially in the treble winning year, its hard not to see both Sneijder and Inter feeling at the end of the season its time to move on. In fact these two likely departures will surely just be the start of what will be an important transition period for Inter as they look to completely rebuild the tiring squad.
Before the rebuilding can begin in June however, there are important games to be played as Inter must push to finish in the top three and not miss out on the lucrative Champions League. That all begins this weekend when Inter are away to the plucky Chievo in the league and then look to overturn a 1-0 deficit at home to Olympique Marseille.
In fact the ability of Inter to rebuild the squad quickly and effectively will directly hinge on how they finish the season, as without both the money and prestige of playing in the Champions League it will prove harder to recruit quality talent to the club.
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