Inter – The cleaner Ranieri
By David, BettingExpert.com | Published
That one remarkable, inimitable relationship that helped them understand love but eventually, like all things perfect, came to a sudden end. That is what Inter had with Mourinho and trying to recreate that splendid one-time moment of joy will be haunting them for seasons to come.
Manager: Ranieri
Tactics: 4-3-1-2
Players In: Ricky Alvarez, Jonathan, Viviano, Zarate, Forlan, Castaignos
Players Out: Eto’o, Pandev, Caldirola
Current Probable Formation: Julio Cesar, Maicon, Lucio, Samuel, Nagatomo, Zanetti, Thiago Motta, Cambiasso, Sneijder, Zarate, Pazzini
Talk about how the current Inter team has long witnessed its cycle come to an end once they won a historical treble, unprecedented for an Italian club, had finally pushed into the minds of Moratti and his staff. Coupling that with Platini’s financial fair play threat, the Nerazzurri made their first steps towards rejuvenation over the summer.
Today you may be able to see the likes of Castaignos, Obi, Alvarez and Jonathan in an Inter starting eleven, playing alongside treble heroes Zanetti, Cambiasso, Snejder and Lucio. The need for this change has long been coming but with Ranieri the fourth manager in a little over twelve months easing into this project of renovation has been a troubling experience for the club. The current crop of youngsters have all been carefully chosen and the fact that they have talent to nurture has never been in any doubt. Yet thinking that suddenly the team will be able to do without Maicon just because there is now Jonathan is as unrealistic as naively believing that a master in the change of speed such as Sneijder will suddenly not be indispensable for the team now that Alvarez is on board.
All of the youngsters signed on are unfamiliar with high profile football. Performing at the very best in a league they need to acclimatize into requires months of training and observation. Inter were too quick with their choices, although a mega offer for Eto’o like that received from Russia could never have been turned down. Nonetheless, the Nerazzurri came against tactical issues as well in the past months, obstructing their path to recovery.
A team which made it to the very zenith of world football with a particular style of play would always have had problems adapting to a huge changeover towards a three-man defence, a trademark of Gasperini’s football. The players were not behind him and just as they had done to Benitez last season they refused to walk alongside the manager’s plans and let his Inter career slide into oblivion at a very young age.
Ranieri became a natural choice for Moratti after the disasters that have been threatening Inter’s future. He is a safe manager who will refrain from making the same errors as his predecessors Benitez and Gasperini. If the players are used to the 4-3-1-2 then that’s how they will play. Otherwise it will be a shift towards a 4-4-2 that causes less tactical confusion during the transition.
One may pause for a minute when asked to single out the more technical players in this side. That is a problem. If you want to open up opposition in Italy you need the individual qualities of players otherwise you will get stuck on those useless one-point matches that distance you from the top of the standings one week after another.
The main contenders for the award in this sense are Sneijder and Maicon. They move things around in this team and in their absence the side will often be seen passing it around without ever scratching the surface of their opponent’s shields. The problem is that both are frequent victims of muscle injuries so one must expect them to phone in sick often. Thiago Motta might inspire the team from central midfield at times but he is as injury prone as, at least, the other two put together.
Milito has long been abandoned by his lucky star. The goal scoring form which pushed Moratti to sign him on half way through a season while he was still wearing the Genoa jersey, although the transfer occurred the following summer, is nothing but a sweet memory of a better past now. Fortunately, Pazzini has been growing in his game and can more than make up for that. However, he needs to be fed crosses from the byline, which need to come from very active full-backs. If the latter don’t get the necessary cover then don’t expect the midfield to make up for that with crosses into the box. There simply are no effective midfielders in the team to be able to address that issue.
Zarate and Forlan were the two answers to Eto’o’s departure. Not even put together can they deliver as well as the Cameroon international did for Inter. He used to help the team out on the left and make himself available for those quick runs that would often take him to one-on-one situations with the opposing goalkeeper. The Uruguay international is one step from retirement when considering his performances after the last World Cup whilst Zarate still needs to get familiar with the concept of a team. Should he learn about that his quality will become useful otherwise he is bound to squander this chance he has been handed.
Predicted finishing position: 5th
This will undoubtedly be a very difficult season for Inter but now that Ranieri is on board things will eventually settle down. With Champions League spots being cut down from four to three as from this season in the Serie A early mishaps will cost Inter dearly. They may soon find themselves not interested in fighting a battle they know will not return anything concrete, preferring instead to shift their attentions towards a competition more suited to their current position, taking on opponents over two straight tactical battles on the European stage that can keep their heads held high and return Ranieri’s managerial profile to the high standards where it belongs.
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