Marco Branca: The man who ruined Inter

Inter’s preseason is already kicking off into full gear.

Andrea Stramaccioni was sacked and subsequently replaced by former Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri. Now there are plenty of rumours as to which players Mazzarri wants to bring in to the Nerazzurri and mold them into his team.

Along with all of that, Indonesian businessman Erick Thohir is apparently wants to invest into the club. All of these recent stories have led Nerazzurri supporters to believe that all of the team’s problems are solved. There’s one lingering trouble that’s still sitting in the luxury box at the Giuseppe Meazza, and that is sporting director Marco Branca.

Branca was responsible for the majority of Inter’s transfers during their treble winning 2009/10 season. Key pieces like Lucio, Diego Milito, and Samuel Eto’o were all brought in and shined for the club.

However, the latter was only acquired due to the Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Barcelona deal, which involved both cash and a player exchange. Lucio and Milito were signed by teams abroad and in Italy respectively, and were two of the best in their positions during the Jose Mourinho-era.

Lucio was arguably the best defender in 2009/10 while Milito was one of Europe’s top marksmen with 30 goals in 52 games in his debut campaign for the Nerazzurri. Despite all of that success, the one flaw in those moves for Branca have been the ages of the South Americans.

Lucio was 31 when he moved from Bayern Munich, while Milito was 29 upon leaving Genoa. They were both in their primes, but since Mourinho left, every player around that age are either past their peak or consistently hurt.

That’s where Branca’s strategy has gone awry. For those two or three years, those specific players shone on the big stage. Once they reached their mid-thirties, however, they no longer performed at that top level.

Now due to the veterans getting more minutes, their bodies can’t take the toll and they have ended up getting hurt. This is exactly what has happened to Milito since the 2010/11 season.

However, it’s not like there aren’t any younger replacements that can fill those boots. Inter won the Next Gen competition last year, yet those bright stars have either been loaned out or sold. Why sign Tommaso Rocchi as the “vice-Milito” when Marko Livaja is available to be recalled? The wages would also be significantly lower for Livaja over Rocchi.

It’s clear that Branca is the reason that Inter haven’t returned to the top of the mountain since Mourinho left. It isn’t the coaching, it’s the quality of the squad, and that responsibility falls to the sporting director. If the players aren’t good enough, get rid of them and start the rebuild. Radja Nainggolan is the blueprint example of who the Nerazzurri should be targeting.

Finishing ninth in the table with the highest amount of defeats since 1948 isn’t acceptable for a club of Inter’s stature. It was clear that the team wasn’t up to par with Juventus, Napoli, Fiorentina, or AC Milan. All of the blame shouldn’t be over Stramaccioni’s head, because he is a good coach, the signs are there. Starting off at a club like Inter was always going to be difficult. Instead it should be Branca the fans should be mad at.

Now both Mazzarri and Branca have a herculean task ahead of them. Getting Inter back into the Champions League is a must. Three straight years without it would be disastrous for Inter’s finances.

Making the investment into a younger, stronger squad will pay off dividends later. With teams like Milan and Roma rebuilding, Inter have a golden opportunity in reclaiming one of the top three spots in Serie A. That’s only if Branca can deliver the first bit of success since 2010 when Inter claimed two domestic trophies and the honour of being Europe’s best on that lovely spring evening in May at the Santiago Bernabeu.