Inter Milan: What the Nerazzuri Need to Do to Shoot Up the Serie A Table

You could say that Inter Milan is not exactly going through the best patch in its storied history.

Just a few years ago, Inter were one of the most feared clubs in the world, and the pride of Serie A. Then-manager Jose Mourinho's industrious side managed to beat Barcelona en route to winning the Champions League, and the club achieved similar success in the league, capturing the Scudetto as well.

With wonderful players likes Wesley Sneijder leading the team to the first Italian treble in history and an historic "quintuple" of domestic and international titles, Inter looked like they would become a new powerhouse in European football.

Then, something went wrong.

You might say it began with Mourinho's departure to Real Madrid, the disastrous tenure of his successor, Rafael Benitez, or any number of tactical miscues since an extremely balanced side took Europe by storm.

Whatever the cause was, the Nerazzuri simply dropped off the footballing landscape, and have ceased to be a threat in the Champions League or Serie A since their best days a short time ago.

Clearly, this is a team in need of a seismic shake-up. With many aging players who are getting more ineffective with every game and training session, Inter clearly need a breath of fresh air.

This necessary change begins with the squad itself, but, of course, a tactical rethink must occur to improve the relatively lackluster product that Inter delivered on many occasions last season.

Some of those alterations are already occurring, showing that the club is on the right track toward improvement and an uptick in form.

Item one on manager Andrea Stramaccioni's list was, understandably, to get rid of many of the old and tired players who have lost the spark, if not the will to win, that drove the team to its former glories.

Lucio and Diego Forlan, both declining players, were let go without much resistance. In the former's case, Inter were more than content to see him depart to Juventus on a free transfer, even if he had some scathing words about his former club.

Yet there is much more dead wood to be cleared out, and it must for the club to move forward into a new era.

First, Maicon needs to go. Javier Zanetti has made way for the Brazilian on the right flank, but, oddly enough, the much older Zanetti possesses much more energy and verve on both ends of the pitch than his younger teammate.

Put the incomparable captain back in his rightful place, and watch both the defense and attack receive a welcome boost from his soon-to-be 39-year-old legs.

Mediocre players must make way, as well.

At least Stramaccioni has made good progress in this regard by greatly reducing the roles of worn-out players such as Dejan Stankovic and Julio Cesar (replacing the latter with one of the best goalkeepers in Serie A, Samir Handanovic).

More slicing needs to be done, though. Fans should hope that Cristian Chivu sees his playing time decrease, despite inking a new contract, after consistently delivering uninspiring performances for Inter.

And the search for Samuel Eto'o's successor continues. One wishes that Giampaolo Pazzini, a player who ostensibly should be in his prime years, could grow into something more than an average, workmanlike striker.

While Diego Milito had a fantastic season, it would be far too easy to rely on the 33-year-old and fall into the same age trap that Inter have in the past. Milito is absolutely worth keeping, but someone younger, even on a limited transfer budget, must come in to provide him with assistance up front.

These changes need not be wholesale, though. Despite the many areas in which the squad can improve through transfers in both directions, simple tactical adjustments will do a world of good for the side.

As aforementioned, shifting Zanetti back to the right flank and marginalizing less productive players is a great start. But change must start and end with Wesley Sneijder.

The Dutchman can be the vital cog in the Inter machine when he is fit and deployed correctly. Both have been issues for him recently, but the latter is obviously the easiest to fix.

We've seen his tremendous quality for the Netherlands in the role of a typical No. 10, creating chances spectacularly for his teammates, keeping play flowing, getting into favorable attacking positions and having the occasional go at goal himself.

Yet, much of the time Sneijder is deployed deeper for Inter, playing in a more recessed position in which he can act as the metronome of the side and control the engine room from deep. In other words, he has been more like Andrea Pirlo than Mesut Ozil.

And that doesn't suit Sneijder at all. Put him where he has always flourished, and the entire team will reap the rewards. You need not have tremendously skilled attacking players if the man in control of the whole operation is one of the best in the world.

If these all sound like significant and difficult changes, it's because they are. There are not one or two easy things that Inter can do to turn itself around, because, even for one of the biggest clubs in Italy, rebuilding is always a painfully slow process.

But, with decisive and intelligent action on the part of the manager and the club's brass, and a little bit of corresponding luck with players' form and injuries, the Nerazzuri can again be one of the most feared and respected teams in Serie A.

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