Internazionale vs AC Milan, the Milan derby, known in Italy as the Derby Della Madonnina used to be a match that showcased some of the best players in the world. It is a derby unlike any in the world. It is probably the only derby in the world where the fans arrive and leave together on derby day with a rivalry and intensity that lasts for 90 minutes only. It is not uncommon to see Inter and AC Milan fans go back to the same home after the game. It is a derby characterised by a majestic show of choreography by the fans in the stands before the match mocking each other in a good natured manner.
Sunday saw Inter play the role of hosts in a stadium shared by both teams. Inter had won 2 out of 2 and Milan had won 1 and lost 1 in their respective first 2 matches of the season. Both teams have had a number of mediocre seasons and had undergone major rebuilding during the summer transfer window to promise a return to their glory days in the near future. Most of the match was contested in the midfield and in all fairness, a draw would have been the most deserving result. Inter had a nervy start with new signing Jeison Murillo in particular making some mistakes to allow AC Milan a glimpse at the goal but Samir Handanovic pulled off a couple of great stops to keep Inter in the game as he had done for a lot of the last two seasons.Overall, AC Milan had created clear-cut chances albeit capitalising from mistakes made by Inter. Inter in contrast lacked creativity and fluidity to create any chances. The nearest they got to scoring was a long range effort from Stevan Jovetic. Inter started to threaten more in the second half and Fredy Guarin had a couple of half-chances, one saved by Diego Lopez and another headed over before scoring the only goal of the game out of nothing with a shot from distance. Milan didn't threaten an equaliser until the introduction of the enigmatic, moody but talented Mario Balotelli who had a free-kick saved by Handanovic and another effort that crashed off the bottom of the post. Inter won 1-0 relying largely on a gritty performance and moments of individual quality at both ends of the field.
I have a lot to be upset and even disillusionised with the current Inter squad and the summer transfer dealings of the club. I am even losing my connection to the club and it is a testing time for me at the moment for my allegiance and loyalty to the club. I describe myself as an unique Inter fan. I don't know many Inter fans personally and I doubt they would share or understand my sentiments now and from listening to me, you might think I am a fan of a club that has started the season poorly. Inter might be top but we have won all matches so far by a slender margin without playing particularly well. Looking at it positively, winning this way is a sign of a champion team and champions have to be able to win without playing well. However, if this continues, Inter will get found out and get caught, the bubble will burst and when that happens, it will all come crashing to the ground. At the moment, almost everyone of Inter persuasion and allegiance is on the moon and excited at the start we have made but honestly, I feel we have been lucky. Results matter the most in Italy thus the optimism and excitement. For me, results and performances are equally important. I don't mind losing by playing well because sooner or later, we will start winning and when we start, we would be difficult to stop. I understand that it is impossible to play well in every game of the season and there could be matches where you would need to eke out results but playing well is important. I understand that this is a new Inter team that has lots of new arrivals and would need time to gel and maybe then we will see Inter playing well. It's great that Roberto Mancini recognises that the team has not achieved anything and not reached its maximum potential yet. It is expected of someone with his experience. Let's see if the performances get any better in the coming weeks
Back to the issue of my disillusionment and lack of connect with the club. Let me just briefly state the points. First, I have been upset for many seasons now at the lack of Italian representation in the first team. We have not signed many Italians and many Italians have not made it into the first team through Inter's youth team via loan spells elsewhere. It just feels that Italians are purposely marginalised and foreigners are favoured in the club's signing process. I am a fan long enough to know that the club's foundation is based on the concept of internalisation thus the club name and accepting foreigners into the team but it remains an Italian club and it needs to have Italians in the team.
Secondly, was it really necessary to sign and sell all these players in the summer. The sale of Xherdan Shaqiri and Mateo Kovacic in particular were upsetting and I feel they were totally unnecessary. We have replaced Shaqiri with the signing of Ivan Perisic, Stevan Jovetic and Adem Ljajic but Kovacic has not been replaced and we might suffer from the lack of creativity in midfield. Perisic, Jovetic and Ljajic are creative but none of them operate as midfielders. Signing Geoffrey Kondogbia was fine but for the sum that he was signed for, considering the club is in debt, I feel was excessive. He hasn't set the world alight yet with his performances and has looked pretty ordinary. The signing of Murillo has been a good decision but he should have been paired with Andrea Ranocchia. Joao Miranda has done well too. Nemanja Vidic, with all due respect and fondness I have for him, could have been an option to be sold not Marco Andreolli. Martin Montoya looks like he was signed to be an understudy which is fair enough because he was signed on loan and Inter needs cover at right back. Was the signing of Alex Telles really necessary? Maybe it is because the manager doesn't have faith in Yuto Nagatomo, who for all my fondness for him, should have been sold. I agree with the sale of Joel Obi, Ruben Botta and Hernanes. Perhaps Fredy Guarin should have been sold too if we needed more cash to reduce debts.
Now to my main beef from the summer transfer dealings, the signing of Felipe Melo and not selling Mauro Icardi. Why was Melo signed for? The real reason would be that he adds experience in centre midfield, brings personality and character to the team and dressing room and has the faith of the manager. He did do a good job in midfield until Balotelli came on but I don't have faith in his qualities and after selling Kovacic, signing another defensive midfielder who is mainly going to kick lumps out of his opponents is not the way to go. Gary Medel our number 1 defensive midfielder can kick lumps out of his opponents and is intelligent enough to read the game well. We should be looking to sign a deep-lying playmaker. In the first place, we shouldn't even sell Kovacic. If there was someone that we should have cashed in on for a big sum, it would have been Icardi. He finished last season as Capocannoniere but he is not a striker that can get goals on his own. He needs the supply to score. This season he has looked very ordinary having played one full game in the pocket of Alessio Romagnoli and another for a short while after he got injured minutes in the first half. If the creative talents of Perisic, Ljajic and Jovetic work, he would get chances to score if not, he would been starved and ineffective. A striker that relies solely on chances created for him to score can be replaced easier than a creative talent like Kovacic thus making it wiser to sell Icardi instead of Kovacic. To add salt into my wounds and to rub it in for me, he has now been made club captain. MAURO ICARDI! THE CAPTAIN OF INTER?! It is an absolute disgrace that the captaincy that was worn with great honour by great men not just footballers like Giacinto Facchetti, Giuseppe Bergomi and Javier Zanetti is now worn by an immoral man like Icardi. It is a disgrace! At the moment, the jersey still remains the best thing about this season. It is testing for me but I will keep pledging my allegiance to the club.
No comments:
Post a Comment