6 Reasons For Inter Milan Fans To Remain Calm

It has been a summer stranger than most in more ways than one. Real Madrid didn’t break the world transfer record even once, Milan bought players younger than age 37, ManUtd didn’t have their characteristic big money signing they usually have and Arsenal didn’t let their best player leave. Some things remain the same as ever with ‘Citeh’ continuing their spending spree from last season and Barca playing the Beautiful Game as only they can as they strolled past Racing on the opening day of La Liga.

But the thought on most football fans all around the world and particularly those that follow the Serie A, is the strange tactics of Inter during the transfer season. Juventus have gone for broke changing everything in sight from their manager to the majority of their squad. Roma have made valuable additions in the shape of Borriello on loan and the finalizing of Burdisso’s signing from Inter (which looked like falling through at one stage in the summer). Perhaps the greatest surprise comes from Milan who for the better part of the close season bemoaned the lack of funds but then came up with two aces right at the death in the shape of Ibrahimovic and Robinho. Both these are proven forwards and most defenses in Italy and Europe might be quaking in their boots at the thought of them two and Ronaldinho plus Pato. It is this recent flourish that makes Inter’s inactivity all the more evident and fans of the treble winners are looking for answers and reassurances that their team has what it takes to challenge for honors once again.

However, on looking closer at things, I for one believe that things are not all doom and gloom for Inter and there seems to be a method to the club’s ways. Some of my reasons for this confidence are as follows:

1)      Inter’s excellent squad: This is the same squad that last season was able to handle the rigors of three competitions and came out successful in each of them. One year doesn’t change much and a closer look at the player’s ages shows that these champions still have a lot to offer. Lucio and Samuel are 32 and with all the fuss that’s being made about their age, one should think that they were on the wrong side of 35. In contrast, neighbors Milan have Alessandro Nesta who is 34 and extremely injury prone these days. Cambiasso is 30 and at the peak of his powers. Zanetti is the only one of the bunch who could be categorized as ‘old’ but anyone who’s seen Inter’s games from last season will agree that ‘Il Trattore’s’ fitness levels are better than most 25 year olds. Most of the other squad members, including Sneijder, Eto’o and Milito are more in their prime rather than in decline mode. The only worry might the quality of the backup defenders in the shape of Cordoba and Materazzi who might not be the best candidates to fill in for an injured Lucio or Samuel given their age and decline in form. Additionally, one should not forget that this will be Eto’o and Sneijder’s second season in Serie A so they should be much more at home in this league, not that they showed that they weren’t last season. With the exception of Ballotelli, Inter were able to keep all of the squad from last season and that is no small matter given the constant interest from Real Madrid for the most part. So I feel that looking at the numbers, there is really not that much to feel worried about for us.

2)      Good New Manager: Much is being made of Rafa Benitez and his lack of ability to manage Inter. While his transfer dealings may have left a bit to be desired during his time at Anfield, his tactical nous is certainly without doubt among the best in Europe. In fact Inter seem to have a clear cut role for Benitez and transfer dealings still remain under the control of the excellent Marco Branca. One must not forget that Benitez did get the better of Mourinho in the Champions League and with a much inferior squad than what the Special One had at his disposal back then (and while some might call it luck, no one can deny that you need luck to win the Champions League, just ask Mourinho about Scholes’ disallowed goal against Porto).

Clubs often make a couple of token signings to please the new manager just to make him feel that they trust in him and his abilities. Inter have already done that with Mourinho (Quaresma) and seen the effect of that. I am pleased to see that we did not rush into any panic buys as the squad is really very well balanced.

Rafa’s style even while at Valencia was never one of flamboyance and so the Italian league should suit him a lot better than the Premier League. One must not forget that with resources far far smaller to that available to Real and Barca, he managed to knock the big two of their perch for a while and that is no small achievement. His time at Liverpool was muddled with a number of off-field distractions that have been well publicized and the lack of any such troubles at Inter will certainly bode well for him. To write off Rafa even before he has had a chance to work with this group of players for any reasonable amount of time would be a classic case of jumping the gun. This is the first time in a long time that Benitez will be working with the best group of players in the league and that is something his predecessor always enjoyed, shouldn’t that count for something ?

3)      Putting Mourinho into perspective: No one can take away the credit Mourinho is due for his efforts at Inter but one must also put things into a little bit of perspective. His two main signings, Quaresma and Muntari in his first season were anything but hits. Even in his second season, he seemed keener on bringing Deco to Inter until that deal fell through and Inter signed Sneijder. It has often been felt that Marco Branca had as much a hand in this signing as Mourinho and while Jose would never have sanctioned Ibrahimovic’s departure, it was only after Ibra left that Inter had a more fluid style of play than from previous seasons. So for all worrying Inter fans out there, do not worry, we were successful not because of one man alone. He had numerous run-ins with referees and match officials leading to suspensions and distractions galore. These almost cost Inter the Scudetto and one should not forget that the team nearly managed to blow a massive gap at the top to gift wrap the title to Roma (well we did blow it but I thank Pazzini for a tiny favor he did in Rome). While Inter will lose out on Jose’s amazing charisma, we will have far less to worry about in terms of run-ins with everyone around with Benitez in charge. I am not for one moment slighting Mourinho but I just call for a bit of perspective while referring to his achievements. No one man is ever bigger than this great club.

4)      Inter’s chance on youth: With the lack of a big name signing, it has given a chance to a number of youngsters to break into the senior squad. Inter’s Primavera team has been doing very well over the last few seasons and a combination of Primavera players and low-key signings is one that has great potential for this season and future. McDonald Mariga has already shown in flashes at the end of last season and the beginning of this season that he is something special. (he was a Jose signing, and a very good one at that) Even during the 0-0 draw against Bologna, Mariga showed excellent energy in tracking back and canceling out the opposition’s attacks even before they crossed the halfway line. He showed a willingness to make runs into the box to support the strikers and had a very good all round display. Considering that he is only 23, Inter may have done a smart thing by declining the option to sign Mascherano. Jonathan Biabiany at age 22 is a pacy winger and allows the option of allowing Eto’o to partner Milito up-front, a desire he has made no effort to hide. Coutinho is another exciting signing (or rather loan returnee) who at age 18 can learn the tricks of his trade from a potential Ballon d’Or winner Wesley Sneijder. The problem of Inter’s lack of backup defenders has also been addressed to some extent with the signing of highly rated Italy Under-19 defender Davide Faraoni from Lazio and the very impressive Andrea Ranocchia from Genoa (he will join in 2011 and will be on loan with Genoa for the 2010 season). The latter was particularly impressive in his displays for Bari last season until an injury ended his season early. A fully fit Santon can be looked upon as a new signing as he missed almost the whole of last season through injury. Thus I feel Inter have acted with a clear method in mind as mentioned earlier and have the right mix of youth and experience. We should have a ready and experienced squad of youngsters to take over from the current stalwarts as a change of guard occurs over the next 2 or 3 years.

5)      2010/11 a successful season? : The only problem with a treble winning season is that the only way forward is down. It is almost impossible for a team to do win successive Champions League titles, let alone trebles. Thus we Inter fans must be sensible in our expectations from this season. Progress into the Quarterfinals (maybe Semi-finals) is well within the grasp of this team and especially under the astuteness of Benitez and I for one will look at this as an acceptable level of success. The league might be a close run affair but Inter have the advantage of playing with the same bunch of players from last season and once the cob-webs from the close season are shaken out, we should kick into gear much sooner than others around us in the shape of Milan and Juventus who have more new signings than survivors from the previous season. The Coppa Italia may not feature at the top of the priority list but given the influx of youth, what better way than to give them a taste of the real thing than with a run out in the cup competition. All in all, even if Inter end up with “just” the Scudetto at the end of the season, I hope Inter fans the world over look at this as success and don’t pan the manager and the team. Like Zanetti had said in a recent interview, the aim must be to get the second star above the Inter crest in the next two years and that will be an achievement.

6)      Side Notes: There is often a fear that players who have won everything there is to win will not be as hungry the following season. In Inter’s case, this might not be true. First of all, Samuel Eto’o is probably the hungriest striker in the world at the moment. He had a poor World Cup with Cameroon and scored “only” fifteen goals last season. If Benitez can find a way to play him up top with Milito, we might end up with the 30 goal season that everyone has come to expect from him. Moreover, Milito cannot be expected to have the magical year he had last season (if he does I’m not complaining though), and having a partner alongside, can take a little bit of pressure off him. Zanetti and Cambiasso are the nucleus of this team and having missed out on participating in the World Cup altogether, one can be sure that they would have as strong a drive as ever. The strengthening of Milan, Juve and Roma has led most observers into believing that Inter may not even be the favorites for the crown this season and Benitez can well use this to take the pressure off his squad which has had to play under the constant burden of being favorites in the Serie A.

Another massively important fact is that Inter need to be compliant with the UEFA Fair Play rules and after being bailed out by their biggest fan (and owner) Massimo Moratti time and again, we will need to have our house in order by the time those regulations come into play. This has been explained beautifully in Swiss Rambler’s article “The Price of Inter Milan’s Success”. Thus Inter need to make every Euro go longer than in past seasons. And that means getting the most out of an existing squad while previously we would have gone out and forked millions on one or two new signings whether they were needed or not.

As Inter fans, we must stand by our team and not get on their backs like the rest of the Italian media even if a few early games go against us. This team has one ingredient that’s most crucial: It knows how to win. Forza Inter.