After watching Inter extend its winning start to the Serie A season which equals the previous best start to a season (under Hector Cuper in the 2002-03 season), a penny dropped in me on what to expect of Inter 2015-16. I found contentment at the end of the match replacing the frustration and dismay I felt since pre-season. It was like I had reached enlightenment. We shall go through more of that later but first my views on the match.
As an attacking force, Inter offered little. It was nothing more than what we have seen in the previous matches, some dangerous forays into the opponents half and some nearly moments. I struggle to think of any clear-cut chance we created until the goal before half-time. It was a goal scored by my enemy in my colours and that too with a hint of luck as the ball could have very nearly not got through to him. It wasn't exactly an inch-perfect pass but Mauro Icardi deserves credit for making the most of it to score. That goal just epitomises his talent in the box. Geoffrey Kondogbia deserves the credit for picking him out. It wasn't Pirlo-esque but efficient. I was pleased to see Inter score and take the lead but honestly, the identity of the scorer didn't leave me feeling pumped. Defensively, we were rock solid and steady especially in the second half when we didn't give Chievo even a sniff at our goal. Samir Handanovic had an easy outing. In the absence of Joao Miranda, I would have preferred to see Andrea Ranocchia given a chance to play and stake a claim in the side but the performance of Gary Medel in the last two matches vindicates his inclusion as a centre back. Medel was brilliant in his defending and especially his reading of the game. Murillo put in a more solid performance than he did against Milan but had to retire from the match earlier than expected due to an injury. Ranocchia did finally make a appearance as Murillo's replacement but he looks like a player short on confidence and feeling sorry for himself. If I could, I would just like to say to him that this is not the time to feel sorry and wallow in self-pity, it's time to prove the manager wrong and the only way he can do that is to be brilliant in every moment he gets on the field. He might just finally get his chance this midweek against Hellas Verona with Miranda and Murillo likely to be out injured.
How Felipe Melo was not even yellow carded in the game it beats me, pun intended as that was his objective. He was aggressive throughout,sometimes a bit more so and one day, someone will notice it and it could land the team into trouble if he is not careful and is more interested in kicking lumps out of his opponents. To be fair, he wasn't very dirty against Chievo. He was fine except on a few occasions but I still feel he could have got a yellow card for at least one of his challenges. I was most impressed by him when he went over to Stevan Jovetic, who looked frustrated and unhappy at being brought off, to calm him down so that he doesn't speak out of turn to the manager or displays an ugly behaviour in public. That was a mark of a leader and a strong character. Kudos to Melo for that but I am not impressed by his footballing ability. Ivan Perisic went on a great run in the second half, bursting with pace and leaving defenders in his wake, to remind us why he was bought. I hope to see that more often because that was the most exciting thing an Inter player did all game in the attacking third. Jovetic, looks a little lost and frustrated with what is expected of him tactically which is a shame as a player like him needs to be free to create and be a thorn for the opposing defenders. Kondogbia, has gone about his job quietly but for a player that was bought for such a high fee, he is offering little. What is he supposed to do on the field? I haven't fully figured that out. He looks like a box-to-box midfielder but hasn't made the impact expected of such a player. He wears the look of a man that is just there to do his job as well as wearing a quizzical look on his face almost wondering what is he doing there and how did he get there. It doesn't look like he speaks much and commands much on the pitch but that could be down to the lack of proficiency in the Italian language. I still feel he is over-rated especially for the price we paid for him. Maybe he has been made to wear the proverbial tactical shackles and if he is unshackled we will see an explosive player. At the moment we are seeing a tame and timid player. It was nice to see Palacio play a cameo role and do well. It's wonderful to see Santon doing well, oddly enough (or not), the only Italian in the starting eleven for the first 4 matches of an ITALIAN club. I would want to see Adam Ljajic play and from what I have read of him, he is not someone who will take kindly to being left on the bench for long so man-management is going to be important here for Roberto Mancini and the good of the squad.
Now back to the point of enlightenment, Inter 2015-16 is not built to excite with its style of play. It is build to grind out results. It has been built to be dogged and determined. It has been built to be solid at the back first. It is meant to be efficient and muscular which is why players like Melo and Kondogbia were bought. It also explains why Guarin starts over Brovozic and why Kovacic was sold instead of Icardi. Excitement of any kind going forward will be provided by Perisic, Ljajic, Jovetic, Biabiany and Palacio. It looks like any major threat going forward and the most beautiful pieces of play will come down the flanks and not through the centre. When Roberto Mancini won the Scudetto post-Calciopoli, he had built a muscular squad then that played to the strengths of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Icardi doesn't have the talent of Ibrahimovic to win matches on his own with a piece of magic but it looks like he is building a muscular side again but this time to feed Icardi with opportunities to score.
The challenge Mancini would face is in keeping the players motivated, fresh and to keep spirits high in the dressing room. Besides involvement in the Serie A, Inter would only be involved in the Coppa Italia and that in itself will ensure Inter is fresher than its opponents as they have only one game a week to prepare for. Mancini is right not to rotate the squad too much and to retain the players in the starting line-up base on merit but with the quantity and arguably even the quality in the squad, it will be difficult to keep everyone motivated and happy if he doesn't rotate players around a bit. It might have a negative effect on the team as well as it could cause someone to upset the apple-cart, causing friction in the dressing room. Rotating would also help keep everyone on their toes as well. Spirits are high in the dressing room because the team is doing well now. We will only see the true spirit, strength and character of the squad of when the chips are down.
So far Inter have been grinding out results without looking particularly pleasing to the eye but the objective doesn't seem to be to entertain but just to win. However, Serie A is a tactical league and before long, the team's tactics will be figured out and if there is no Plan B, it could backfire very badly when the flaws of the system had been found out by the opponents. It's tough for me to see Inter just grinding out results for the rest of the season. We have been winning by the odd goal in matches by creating little. Inter cannot go on creating little if they are to win football matches because there will come a time when Inter has to chase the lead or break the deadlock and by creating little, Inter will not be able to achieve either. It is still a team settling in but I hope the team starts creating and scoring more soon. I doubt the team will be pleasing to the eye and exciting to watch though but it still needs to do more going forward.
I wouldn't say I am delighted with the direction Inter is taking despite my enlightenment. I still feel it is not the right way to go about it but if Inter win the Scudetto in May or at least wins the Coppa Italia, I would have lesser to complain. For now, while they are still successful, all hail Boring, Boring Internazionale!
On Roberto Mancini, he had built exciting sides when he first took charge of Inter in 2004-05 and 2005-06. However, the lack of Scudetto successes (courtroom awarded Scudetto notwithstanding) and a multitude of draws has lead to a more pragmatic approach. He builds teams to win by buying players. He doesn't exactly patiently develops players as youngsters which is not exactly the kind of profile of a manager I would employ. Unfortunately, I am not Erick Thohir and I am not rich enough to buy over the club and run it my way. I am just a fan voicing my views through my blog.
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