Inter Milan vs Werder Bremen: Crisis? What Crisis?

It is often believed that you can separate a good team from a champion team by their reaction to a defeat. If Inter’s performance against Werder Bremen on Wednesday evening is anything to go by, the Nerazzurri have proven once again why they are the team to beat in Italy and in Europe

Inter came into this game on the back of a disappointing loss away to Roma. An injury time goal by Roma’s Vucinic saw Inter fall to their first defeat of the season. What made the defeat an even bitterer pill to swallow was the all-round abject performance.

The spark that was visible in the 4-0 demolition of Bari earlier in the week was all but missing. The chasing pack once again saw a chance to catch up with league leaders. How would Inter respond?

The bad news didn’t end there. There were numerous reports in the media following the Roma game that Benitez was losing the dressing room unity, something his predecessor never allowed to happen. Injuries to Milito, Pandev, Samuel, and Zanetti were also not the ideal preparation for a European game against a team that has troubled Inter in the past in this competition.

The world was waiting and watching for Inter to fall flat on their face and put on a dull show, something that their fans have had to endure even when Mourinho was in charge.

The only problem with this speculation was no one had told the Inter players that. A 4-0 thumping of Bremen was as emphatic a display as any. The last time Inter suffered back-to-back defeats was in 2006 under Roberto Mancini and today’s game has continued that run a little longer. This shows that the team has become a very tough unit both mentally and tactically.

Bremen came into the game struggling for form and consistency. This is a team that has let in fourteen goals in their first six league games. The fragility of their defense was all too evident as Inter scored a hat-trick of goals in a devastating thirteen minute spell in the first half. Eto’o scored in the 21st and 27th minutes and Sneijder added a third in the 34th.

The game was all but over as a contest at this stage and it was simply a matter of keeping their concentration as far as the Inter players were concerned.

Inter started the game with typical nervousness and Julio Cesar made a right mess of things as he suffered a lapse in concentration, only to be saved of further embarrassment by Brazil teammate Lucio.

This mistake was to prove costly for Cesar though, as Luca Castellazzi replaced the Brazil No. 1 at the start of the second half even though it seemed as though he hadn’t suffered any knock. Maybe this was Benitez’s way of saying that no one’s place in the team is for granted.

Samuel Eto’o was simply sublime and he completed a well deserved hat-trick in the 81st minute of the game. He was also responsible for the assist that led to Sneijder’s goal. There is no doubt that he is the most in-form striker in Europe at the moment.

Injuries to first team regulars meant that Benitez was able to give a start to Philippe Coutinho and Jonathan Biabiany. Both had excellent games. Coutino in particular had a brilliant home debut in the Champions League. His skillful tricks, flicks and all-round dribbling were there for all to see.

Inter fans can expect a lot from this prodigious teenager in years to come. Biabiany’s pace is always a threat. He was hacked down by the hapless Bremen defense on more than the odd occasion leading to free kicks in dangerous areas.

Stankovic and Cambiasso had very solid games in the center of pitch. Cambiasso mopped up for stray passes from his teammates all night long. He acted as an almost impassable screen in front of the defense. One has to wonder if Argentina would have lost 4-0 to Germany with him in the starting eleven?

With Eto’o grabbing a hat-trick, it left no doubt about the man of the match in most people’s minds. However, on looking at the game a little closer, the biggest positive to come out for Inter was the dominant display of Wesley Sneijder. It would not be an overstatement to say that he was a vital contributor in every good Inter move.

If Inter is to succeed in Europe, they require Sneijder to be at the top of his game. Without his creativity, the pace of Eto’o and the intelligence of Milito counts for very little. If possible, I would like to have a shared man of the match award and give it to both Eto’o and Sneijder.

While there were plenty of positives to take from this game, like always there were a few negatives. Lucio suffered what looked like a knee injury. It did seem as though he was already wearing some protective strapping in and around the knee. Inter must hope now that the injury is a minor one as with Samuel also out injured, Benitez will be left with a real headache if he loses his other defensive lynchpin.

After Lucio’s injury, Christian Chivu slotted into the center to partner Cordoba. The advantage of having players who are as versatile as Chivu is that they can always come to a coach’s rescue by offering him an automatic option. His change in position meant an appearance for Davide Santon.

He was solid as ever and also made a few forays up front in the closing stages of the game. If Lucio is out for any length of time, Chivu will get to play in his preferred position of Center Back rather than Left Back. This will allow Santon to get some game time under his belt as well.

With important fixtures coming up however, Inter need all their best players fit and raring to go.  A crunch clash against Juventus is up next this weekend. An injury crisis could not have come for a worse time for Inter. But it was the club’s policy to not dip into the transfer market over the summer.

They would most definitely have factored such a situation in their plans. Thus it represents a chance to test the bench strength of Inter. It also gives a chance for the club’s management to have their decision vindicated.

Ivan Cordoba seems to be playing better this season than last. It could be the new coach or the captain’s arm band that is bringing the best out of the veteran Columbian. One must not forget that Cordoba has pace to burn even at his age. With Inter adopting a high back-line, his pace can come in very handy indeed.

Before we all get too carried away with this result, it is important to put the result into a little bit of perspective. This is a Werder Bremen team that is struggling for any kind of form and consistency. Anything less than three points would have been a real disappointment for the reigning European Champions.

The weekend’s game against Juventus will give a chance for both the players and coach to underline the fact that the Roma defeat was only a minor hiccup and nothing more. Rather than go all out in praising the team for tonight’s victory, the sensible approach would be to acknowledge the performance but decide how good the team is only after they have played a few more tougher opponents.

To sum up, I would like to list the positives and negatives from tonight’s game as follows. I would love to get the opinion of others as well and what they felt were the positives and negatives from this game.

Positives

Eto’o underlying his capocannoniere crdentials.

Sneijder played with a smile all game long—a very good sign for Inter.

Coutinho and Biabiany having impressive home debuts.

Negatives

Lucio suffering an injury.

Julio Cesar being substituted at half-time.