Roberto Mancini has been confirmed as the new Inter head coach, replacing Walter Mazzarri after his dismal performance left Erick Thohir no choice but to relieve him of his duties.
Mancini comes in charged with an unenviable task – to return a former European giant to the summit of Italian football. He knows how to do it, but repeating the feat is would be an immeasurable accomplishment.
Mancini enjoyed great success at the helm of the San Siro during his four years there, scooping three Scudetti, two Coppa Italia and two Supercoppa Italiana.
Mancini’s Inter were a team of true dominance, not dissimilar to Juventus in recent years. Ironically, it is Juventus Mancini will aim to usurp as the premier force in Italian football but will not look to mirror the Bianconeri’s blueprint for success.
The former Manchester City boss has always had his own distinct style of management, one that has given him tremendous success in Serie A in the past. His Inter were an impenetrable force at the back, designed to build attacks effectively from the back. It was a interesting paradox for Mancini, who had been an attacking player during his career, but recognised the essential nature of a reliable defence.
His re-appointment makes sense for the club and for him. Having been ostracised from Manchester in an ugly fall-out with the team he brought a first ever Premier League title, he failed to settle in sufficiently in Istanbul with Galatasary and has since taken six months off, biding his time for the correct job to surface. This development represents a great opportunity for both club and coach to rebuild their reputation and project an image of success.
One of the most impressive facets of Mancini’s teams through the years has been their defensive solidity. He inherited a leaky defence at the Etihad Stadium from successor Mark Hughes and moulded them into a title-winning team, fending off bitter rivals Manchester United in the process in extraordinary last-gasp fashion.
Many people point to the tremendous success of Jose Mourinho at Inter, but it was Mancini who built the foundations of success.
One of Mancini’s first assignments, and one of his toughest, will be the Derby della Madonnina with AC Milan on Sunday, November 23. It is true that periods of transition in football can take a long time, almost frustratingly so, but Mancini does not have time on his hands at Inter.
He has been thrown into the deep end with his former club in the throes of yet another depressing season and the hopes of those who adorn Nerazzurri are firmly pinned on his shoulders.
The 49-year-old will arrive and immediately look to remedy Inter’s defensive woes which have seen them concede 14 goals from their opening 11 games en route to five defeats. The derby with Milan represents an opportunity for Mancini to show his coaching powers of recovery and reassure Erick Thohir that he has made the right decision in welcoming him back to the club.
Their city rivals are not having their best season either and Mancini will hope the quality and experience with his squad, who have been severely underperforming under Mazzarri this season, will finally come good and get the club back on track to success. It is a long and potentially winding road ahead, but Mancini has the required skillset to drive Inter back towards the highest echelons of Italian football.
