“Non Vincete Mai! (You never win)” Was the chant that Inter Milan’s opposition fans, especially those from AC Milan, sang to Inter at every match before the 2006 Calcio scandal. Fourteen titles later, including the 2010 Champions League, that same chant is only but a mirage, but Inter are still faced with other problems.
After letting Samuel Eto’o leave, Inter tactician Gian Piero Gasperini hinted numerous times to club president Moratti that quality teams are always measured by quality attacking players, a clear sign that Inter needed to fill the void left by the Cameroonian. This summer’s transfer window has been everything from hectic to unpredictable for anyone associated with the club, but at the end there seems to be a clearer picture on what is to hold for Inter’s near future.
Just like Rafael Benitez, Gasperini inherited a team that cannot spend crazy money and a group of players that were on the wrong side of thirty. Inter’s only hope of signing quality players were from sales. Inter also needed these sales to cut down their debt and wage bill, but at the same time the Milan club wanted to be competitive. The clubs financial and ageing problem has forced some hard decisions, lets see how Inter and Gasperini will try to succeed.
Eto’o’s Replacements
Inter’s first dilemma regarded Samuel Eto’o, the club talisman and one of the best strikers around. Eto’o's decision to join Russian outfit Anzhi sparked headlines throughout the world for numerous and obvious reasons. The Cameroonian will now be earning wages of over €20m per season and his lifestyle comprises of training and living in Moscow while having to take a private jet to Dagestan for home matches.
Transfer deadline day was perhaps the most satisfying for Gasperini as he welcomed the last few pieces of his tactic-puzzle with the singings of Diego Forlan (Atletico Madrid) and Mauro Zarate (Lazio). Forlan was a low-cost option to fill the void left by Eto’o while Zarate was the wide man needed and possibly the wild card that could make Inter a more “dangerous” attacking team.
Diego Forlan had a poor last season and was expected to shine after a great 2010 World Cup performance. Compared to Eto’o, Forlan was inferior for most of the attacking statistics a forward would have, except for crossing. Forlan had a marginally higher cross success rate with 44% p/g while Eto’o had 31%, a rather insignificant observation but one that shows Forlan does occasionally like to go wide.
Mauro Zarate perhaps was the player that was the most comparable to Eto’o, from a statistical point of view. Compared to Eto’o, Zarate’s overall performance was pretty similar to the Cameroonian’s. Zarate successful crosses rate was far better than Eto’o with 1.17 p/g to Eto’o’s .31 p/g. Surprisingly, Eto’o got dispossessed a lot more than Zarate with a rate of 2.91 p/g compared to the Zarate’s 1.94 p/g. Zarate had a marginally better tackles p/g rate however he did misplace more passes with 1.57 p/g turnover rate compared to Eto’o’s 1.49 p/g.
Sneijder Dilemma
Inter’s second and possibly biggest dilemma regarded Wesley Sneijder. The midfield orchestrator had been linked with both Manchester teams throughout the summer and the transfer looked very likely to go through, apparently there was even a website that featured a countdown for Sneijder to sign for United. At the end Sneijder remained, but despite his permanency, Gasperini faces an unnecessary problem.
Gasperini insists his teams play a 3-4-3 formation, which clearly is not suited for Sneijder. Considering Inter do play 3-4-3, the two most realistic positions Sneijder could take up in this formation is left wing forward or centre midfield. Sneijder does not have the speed and style to play up wide and it would also be hard to leave the likes of Forlan, Coutinho or Alvarez out as they are more suited for that role. Regarding centre midfield, he doesn’t have the right work rate and physicality to succeed there. It will be hard to see Sneijder play wide or deep, so Gasperini might end up modifying his 3-4-3 to a 3-4-1-2 formation. Let’s have a look statistically on how Sneijder could play in a deeper central midfield position.
Esteban Cambiasso would be Sneijder’s partner in centre midfield in a 3-4-3, and when comparing their defensive statistics against each other, one could say it is rather suicidal. Sneijder averaged an embarrassing 0% aerial duel success last year in Serie A compared to Cambiasso’s 52%. Sneijder made an average of .36 interceptions and .56 tackles p/g, while Cambiasso averages 2 interceptions and 2.47 tackles p/g. Lastly Sneijder got dispossessed 1.84 times p/g and Cambiasso recorded a low .37 dispossession rate. Obviously Sneijder dominates all the attacking statistics compared to Cambiasso, but in a deep midfield position, the Dutchman would be too far away from his comfort zone to fully express his talents.
Youth Direction
Having signed Ricardo Alvarez (23) from Velez and Luc Castaignos (18) from PSV earlier in the summer, Inter left all the other business right till the end of August with a couple of surprises. The first surprise was the signing of talented 21-year-old Andrea Poli from relegated Sampdoria. Poli had been linked with Inter previously but no one really expected that rumor to formalize at that stage.
Inter also secured a deal to bring Slovenian midfielder Juraj Kucka (25) from Genoa in January or next summer. Kucka is a different player from all of the midfield/attacking prospects. He isn’t a flashy player, quite the opposite, he is a player that runs and sacrifices for the team. His statistics compared to Inter’s hard working midfield exemplifies that. Kucka had the highest aerial duel success and total tackles per game compared to likes of Thiago Motta, Cambiasso, and Stankovic. Not bad for only playing six months in Serie A.
Coutinho (19) and Joel Obi (20) are the other top prospects that have matured more since last year. Coutinho missed this pre-season training with Inter as he was with the Brazil U-20 World Cup squad. The Brazilian was one of the most exciting players in that tournament, and helped his side win the trophy with 3 goals. Joel Obi has been with Inter all pre-season, and started all major matches including the Supercoppa. Despite his young age and inexperience with the first team, young Obi has been a star play and starter for Nigeria alongside Chelsea’s John Obi Mikel. Word’s from inside the Inter camp are that Obi will be playing a key part in this year’s first team.
Question marks were raised after Davide Santon was sold to Newcastle, but the reality of this sale was the fast emergence of 19-year-old Italian defender Marco Faraoni, also Jonathan was bought from Santos as a possible replacement for Maicon. Faraoni, who can play anywhere on the flank and centre back, was snapped from Lazio’s youth system last season and was said to be their best player. In pre-season, the young Italian showed great versatility as he played all over pitch, and showed great pace and accurate crossing/passing.
So what is expected from Inter this season? To be honest, a lot. Pride is at stake, and Moratti will not want to bear the blame for more bad decision making. Inter have experience and a good bunch of youth prospects to integrate, and by next February the “new” Inter should be ready to display their potential. Whatever happens the most important aspect for Inter is to stay united and fight hard, because the very last thing they ever want to hear is “Non Vincete Mai!”
