QUOTE
Chapter 1: The revolving door syndrome.
In this two feature editorial I will focus on one city: Milan and their two teams: AC Milan and Inter Milan. Chapter 1 will focus on Inter as the next chapter will focus on Milan.
Well it is official. Inter have attained Figo and have brought in reinforcements and have let go of many players, most noticeably Christian Vieri and Davids. Inter still needs to look for a striker and a swap of C. Zanetti and Zalayeta are in the works with Juventus. Personally I feel that the move can be beneficial as Zalyayeta is a good striker and if Mancini gives him playing time then he can succeed at Inter. Secondly, C. Zanetti is a fringe player at Inter and Capello wants him at Juve. Well, we see what the Don can do and the mistakes that Mancini can make. Cannavaro was sold to Juve and he was a hit. Why Inter sold their best defender is a mystery to us, but to Inter it makes sense. Zanetti could be rejuvenated in Turin.
Anyhow, seeing as history works, Juve have the advantage. However, if Cruz and Recoba get more playing time then the strike force at Inter is fine and potent. Along side Adriano and Martins, the forward line is one of the best in Europe and can scare and penetrate any defence. I would love to see Inter vs. Chelsea or Inter vs. Liverpool and see if their defensive tactics could hold off this potent attack. Moreover, since Mancini loves to play offensively I would love to see an Inter vs. Barcelona match in the CL. Inter did not get Makinwa (it would have been nice to see him pair up with Martins), as Palermo beat them to the punch for his services, but he could be going to the city of Milan sooner than you think. He is still young and if Martins goes, in he will come.
All right. Let us begin with the departures. Vieri, after a love and hate affair with Inter has been let go. I believe that Inter had enough of his ways and Mancini was never a tremendous fan of him as he is known to be a strict coach and one that wants his players to give it their all. Plus, if you are in his good books, you always start for Mancini (well, not always as he is doing a lot more squad rotations now). Vieri was never at his best and Adriano was taking the lime light. He had scuffles with the fans and he always threatened to leave Inter. As we all thought that Inter would extend his contract and Vieri would earn less and stay, Inter cancelled his contract, paid the buyout clause and let him go to AC. Milan.
Now there are people who think Moratti was stupid in letting him go and selling him to direct competition. Just look at Seedorf and Pirlo. They are former Inter players who are making an impact at Milan. Vieri could be the next one, but time will tell. Moreover, many see this as betrayal, but Vieri left to a squad that wanted him and he chose to stay in the same city for comfort reasons. Plus by leaving Inter and moving to another team in Italy as playing abroad decreases ones chances to play for the national team, he could rekindle his old form; hence, be noticed and have a chance to go to Germany.
Also many other players left Inter Milan. Many youth players were loaned out to other teams, Fontana the 2nd tier goaltender left Inter after rows with Mancini, Coco nearly was loaned out to Newcastle (so many wanted his signature, but so many failed), so for now he stays at Inter which is a good idea for he is a versatile player. He began his career as a striker, a midfielder then ended up as a defender. He could be used as a defensive midfielder or as a substitute defender. So to sell him or loan him out is premature and could be foolish as he could take over C. Zanetti’s role if he leaves for Juve (however, since does when Inter ever think like this?). Emre, a gifted midfielder who played very little under Mancini and great with his left, foot has left for Newcastle after he implacably stated that he wanted out of Inter and more playing time.
Davids, the pit bull, who could have been a great asset for Roberto was squandered and left on the bench, hence he left for England. He is a superb ball winner and could have aided Veron and company to open up defences. However, when Inter last year acquired Veron, Davids was surplus to the requirements and there was a risk that he would not play. That proved to be true, hence now he is off in England with Tottenham in order to secure a place in his national squad. Dalmat has left for England and Van der Meyde too may leave Inter for England to join Davids at Tottenham. He is a very good in exploiting the flanks and a fine wing player and he could play in the left and right field areas. He was a part of the new Ajax team of youth that featured such players like Van der Vart and Ibrahimovic.
As Ibra proved to be a hit in Italy, Andre was a flop and many say it is was the Inter syndrome. I however say that he was not ready for a stressful league like Serie A and he mentioned this in a couple of interviews. In England if he does play better, it will be due to the Serie A experience and it will also benefit Emre as he was a young lad when he was playing in Serie A. Hence, there should not be a tremendous loss of shedding tears as one wanted out of Inter and the other was unsettled. Van der Meyde had his moments, but they were few in between and as of right now he is still an Inter player, but that could change and if not now in the next transfer window in January. He may get some playing time, but if he does not play well he will be on the bench Hence, many players have left and new blood or as others would say, a new world order has come in and given past precedents the changing of the guard at Inter has always failed.
Inter attained Figo, one of the best midfielders and wing players in the world. He was being tracked by Inter for ages and after a rocky two years at Real where he was deemed as surplus, old and rotting meat, he was let go and Inter attained services. He is old at 32, but keep in mind he has something to prove and we know the saying of what paybacks can be. With a strong offence, Figo can easily open up the opponent’s defence and pass the ball to Adriano or Martins to score. He can even take a whack at the net if he chooses to. He mentioned that he was meant to play for Inter and that is true as he will fit perfectly into Mancini’s 4-4-2 system. Not to mention Samuel has arrived on loan from Inter after a horrible year in Spain.
Yes, there are people that say why bother and why does Inter makes such pathetic purchases, but the fact is at Roma he was one of the best defenders in the world and all players make mistakes and were the other defenders any better? No. Here Walter could make an impression and get some payback. Secondly, he has Serie A experience and he has won a Scudetto. The Inter defence was porous like a leaky basement with cracked foundations and only Cordoba was playing well, hence if Cordoba stays at Inter and does not get transferred to Real and has the chance to play alongside Walter and if Materazzi could stay healthy and find his old form and Mihajlovic can find too his old form that made him famous at Lazio and contribute with his awesome free kicks which are still one of the best in the business (he too is a very versatile player and could be brought up to the midfield position), Inter could have solved its defensive problem. Santiago Solari, after three years of waiting and Real Madrid using ever cheap tactic in the book to not allow him to leave finally arrives at Inter as another Real reject. Yes, Inter have good relations with Real just like Juve does and many are saying that Inter is being dumped with old Real rejects or surplus players, but the fact is that Solari was a target of Inter for a long time and he was Inter’s as in the Ronaldo deal there was the option for cash or a player.
Solari is a good midfielder and versatile and he can make an impact in Italy. Where would Mancini position him is up to him, but there are many options and with a large squad at his disposal, there could be a lot of rotations to keep the players fresh. Cesar a goaltender from Brazil makes his entrance to Inter, as a highly rated player and perhaps as the new number one. Toldo is still around, but if he does make mistakes, he will pay dearly as Inter have two extremely good reserve keepers in Carini and Cesar. The goaltending for Inter is very good and is only below that of Milan (actually no, for Inter have better reserve keepers as Milan sols Abbiati) and Juve, but European wise, it is right up there and most English teams would love to have Toldo, as English goaltending is not highly regarded anymore as it was in the 70’s. Pizarro also arrives from Udinese and is highly regarded and can play well in front of the defence and is a fierce tactical player who can win the ball. Also he is the second Chilean player to play for Inter so he can make history. Hence, Inter is stacked in the midfield department and there will be a lot of competition for places and if there is an injury there are options.
Hence, with all these new arrivals some players will be benched like Stankovic as he plays the same position as Figo. We will see what occurs and if he gets loaned out and if Recoba gets playing time as he has a killer left foot and can play in midfield also. Cruz will for the most part be a bench warmer and so too Ze Maria. With so many players there could be mutiny within the ranks and certain players will want to leave, but we will find out in time.
Therefore, can Inter contest for glory? Yes, I would like to see: Gerrard, Lampard, Riquelme, Saviola, Aimar and other younger players to come to Inter, However, Aimar would break the bank and Inter could scour Brazil and Uruguay for talent, Gerrard and Lampard could have a hard time adapting to Italian soccer and Saviola is not needed right now. Riquelme is a jewel and if Inter have a chance they should acquire him. Secondly, Inter bought older players, but so did Juve and Milan and Juve, Milan and Real are no younger.
Inter have a lot of young players too and have now a balanced squad of experienced players. Figo knows how to win and he could become the leader at Inter and they so desperately need one. Inter have a fine squad and they can achieve success as they have a very young and fresh strike force. Moreover, they did win last year and if they win a couple of more games they could have won the Scudetto. If Inter could attain greater mental sharpness, and an improved defence, this team could go far. As for the lack of success. Inter must look at the present and not dwell on the past for every year is a clean slate. Just look at Chelsea. They always lost vs. Arsenal, but Lose was interested in now and just recently they beat Arsenal 2-1. Inter won last year a Coppa Italia and they finished the year with silverware and Milan did not. Therefore, Inter season last year was not a failure and as far as this year is concerned, we will have to wait. If Inter can play well after Christmas, then Inter could win the Scudetto.
Hence, the revolving door could bring in a Scudetto cake and satisfaction to the Inter tifosi. A new season looms near and let father time reveal the truth and lest us not judge. It could have been worse for the Inter tifosi. Moratti could have brought back Ronaldo and sold Adriano, but he did not, so there are signs of maturity in the transfer market in the acquisition of players. Therefore, Inter is growing up and are showing signs to become a great team. They remind me of Valencia. They splashed the cash in the early 90’s with little success, bur as time went on, they got more astute and they won trophies. Perhaps this will happen at Inter. As mentioned before, time will tell.
Bruno Cardile
In this two feature editorial I will focus on one city: Milan and their two teams: AC Milan and Inter Milan. Chapter 1 will focus on Inter as the next chapter will focus on Milan.
Well it is official. Inter have attained Figo and have brought in reinforcements and have let go of many players, most noticeably Christian Vieri and Davids. Inter still needs to look for a striker and a swap of C. Zanetti and Zalayeta are in the works with Juventus. Personally I feel that the move can be beneficial as Zalyayeta is a good striker and if Mancini gives him playing time then he can succeed at Inter. Secondly, C. Zanetti is a fringe player at Inter and Capello wants him at Juve. Well, we see what the Don can do and the mistakes that Mancini can make. Cannavaro was sold to Juve and he was a hit. Why Inter sold their best defender is a mystery to us, but to Inter it makes sense. Zanetti could be rejuvenated in Turin.
Anyhow, seeing as history works, Juve have the advantage. However, if Cruz and Recoba get more playing time then the strike force at Inter is fine and potent. Along side Adriano and Martins, the forward line is one of the best in Europe and can scare and penetrate any defence. I would love to see Inter vs. Chelsea or Inter vs. Liverpool and see if their defensive tactics could hold off this potent attack. Moreover, since Mancini loves to play offensively I would love to see an Inter vs. Barcelona match in the CL. Inter did not get Makinwa (it would have been nice to see him pair up with Martins), as Palermo beat them to the punch for his services, but he could be going to the city of Milan sooner than you think. He is still young and if Martins goes, in he will come.
All right. Let us begin with the departures. Vieri, after a love and hate affair with Inter has been let go. I believe that Inter had enough of his ways and Mancini was never a tremendous fan of him as he is known to be a strict coach and one that wants his players to give it their all. Plus, if you are in his good books, you always start for Mancini (well, not always as he is doing a lot more squad rotations now). Vieri was never at his best and Adriano was taking the lime light. He had scuffles with the fans and he always threatened to leave Inter. As we all thought that Inter would extend his contract and Vieri would earn less and stay, Inter cancelled his contract, paid the buyout clause and let him go to AC. Milan.
Now there are people who think Moratti was stupid in letting him go and selling him to direct competition. Just look at Seedorf and Pirlo. They are former Inter players who are making an impact at Milan. Vieri could be the next one, but time will tell. Moreover, many see this as betrayal, but Vieri left to a squad that wanted him and he chose to stay in the same city for comfort reasons. Plus by leaving Inter and moving to another team in Italy as playing abroad decreases ones chances to play for the national team, he could rekindle his old form; hence, be noticed and have a chance to go to Germany.
Also many other players left Inter Milan. Many youth players were loaned out to other teams, Fontana the 2nd tier goaltender left Inter after rows with Mancini, Coco nearly was loaned out to Newcastle (so many wanted his signature, but so many failed), so for now he stays at Inter which is a good idea for he is a versatile player. He began his career as a striker, a midfielder then ended up as a defender. He could be used as a defensive midfielder or as a substitute defender. So to sell him or loan him out is premature and could be foolish as he could take over C. Zanetti’s role if he leaves for Juve (however, since does when Inter ever think like this?). Emre, a gifted midfielder who played very little under Mancini and great with his left, foot has left for Newcastle after he implacably stated that he wanted out of Inter and more playing time.
Davids, the pit bull, who could have been a great asset for Roberto was squandered and left on the bench, hence he left for England. He is a superb ball winner and could have aided Veron and company to open up defences. However, when Inter last year acquired Veron, Davids was surplus to the requirements and there was a risk that he would not play. That proved to be true, hence now he is off in England with Tottenham in order to secure a place in his national squad. Dalmat has left for England and Van der Meyde too may leave Inter for England to join Davids at Tottenham. He is a very good in exploiting the flanks and a fine wing player and he could play in the left and right field areas. He was a part of the new Ajax team of youth that featured such players like Van der Vart and Ibrahimovic.
As Ibra proved to be a hit in Italy, Andre was a flop and many say it is was the Inter syndrome. I however say that he was not ready for a stressful league like Serie A and he mentioned this in a couple of interviews. In England if he does play better, it will be due to the Serie A experience and it will also benefit Emre as he was a young lad when he was playing in Serie A. Hence, there should not be a tremendous loss of shedding tears as one wanted out of Inter and the other was unsettled. Van der Meyde had his moments, but they were few in between and as of right now he is still an Inter player, but that could change and if not now in the next transfer window in January. He may get some playing time, but if he does not play well he will be on the bench Hence, many players have left and new blood or as others would say, a new world order has come in and given past precedents the changing of the guard at Inter has always failed.
Inter attained Figo, one of the best midfielders and wing players in the world. He was being tracked by Inter for ages and after a rocky two years at Real where he was deemed as surplus, old and rotting meat, he was let go and Inter attained services. He is old at 32, but keep in mind he has something to prove and we know the saying of what paybacks can be. With a strong offence, Figo can easily open up the opponent’s defence and pass the ball to Adriano or Martins to score. He can even take a whack at the net if he chooses to. He mentioned that he was meant to play for Inter and that is true as he will fit perfectly into Mancini’s 4-4-2 system. Not to mention Samuel has arrived on loan from Inter after a horrible year in Spain.
Yes, there are people that say why bother and why does Inter makes such pathetic purchases, but the fact is at Roma he was one of the best defenders in the world and all players make mistakes and were the other defenders any better? No. Here Walter could make an impression and get some payback. Secondly, he has Serie A experience and he has won a Scudetto. The Inter defence was porous like a leaky basement with cracked foundations and only Cordoba was playing well, hence if Cordoba stays at Inter and does not get transferred to Real and has the chance to play alongside Walter and if Materazzi could stay healthy and find his old form and Mihajlovic can find too his old form that made him famous at Lazio and contribute with his awesome free kicks which are still one of the best in the business (he too is a very versatile player and could be brought up to the midfield position), Inter could have solved its defensive problem. Santiago Solari, after three years of waiting and Real Madrid using ever cheap tactic in the book to not allow him to leave finally arrives at Inter as another Real reject. Yes, Inter have good relations with Real just like Juve does and many are saying that Inter is being dumped with old Real rejects or surplus players, but the fact is that Solari was a target of Inter for a long time and he was Inter’s as in the Ronaldo deal there was the option for cash or a player.
Solari is a good midfielder and versatile and he can make an impact in Italy. Where would Mancini position him is up to him, but there are many options and with a large squad at his disposal, there could be a lot of rotations to keep the players fresh. Cesar a goaltender from Brazil makes his entrance to Inter, as a highly rated player and perhaps as the new number one. Toldo is still around, but if he does make mistakes, he will pay dearly as Inter have two extremely good reserve keepers in Carini and Cesar. The goaltending for Inter is very good and is only below that of Milan (actually no, for Inter have better reserve keepers as Milan sols Abbiati) and Juve, but European wise, it is right up there and most English teams would love to have Toldo, as English goaltending is not highly regarded anymore as it was in the 70’s. Pizarro also arrives from Udinese and is highly regarded and can play well in front of the defence and is a fierce tactical player who can win the ball. Also he is the second Chilean player to play for Inter so he can make history. Hence, Inter is stacked in the midfield department and there will be a lot of competition for places and if there is an injury there are options.
Hence, with all these new arrivals some players will be benched like Stankovic as he plays the same position as Figo. We will see what occurs and if he gets loaned out and if Recoba gets playing time as he has a killer left foot and can play in midfield also. Cruz will for the most part be a bench warmer and so too Ze Maria. With so many players there could be mutiny within the ranks and certain players will want to leave, but we will find out in time.
Therefore, can Inter contest for glory? Yes, I would like to see: Gerrard, Lampard, Riquelme, Saviola, Aimar and other younger players to come to Inter, However, Aimar would break the bank and Inter could scour Brazil and Uruguay for talent, Gerrard and Lampard could have a hard time adapting to Italian soccer and Saviola is not needed right now. Riquelme is a jewel and if Inter have a chance they should acquire him. Secondly, Inter bought older players, but so did Juve and Milan and Juve, Milan and Real are no younger.
Inter have a lot of young players too and have now a balanced squad of experienced players. Figo knows how to win and he could become the leader at Inter and they so desperately need one. Inter have a fine squad and they can achieve success as they have a very young and fresh strike force. Moreover, they did win last year and if they win a couple of more games they could have won the Scudetto. If Inter could attain greater mental sharpness, and an improved defence, this team could go far. As for the lack of success. Inter must look at the present and not dwell on the past for every year is a clean slate. Just look at Chelsea. They always lost vs. Arsenal, but Lose was interested in now and just recently they beat Arsenal 2-1. Inter won last year a Coppa Italia and they finished the year with silverware and Milan did not. Therefore, Inter season last year was not a failure and as far as this year is concerned, we will have to wait. If Inter can play well after Christmas, then Inter could win the Scudetto.
Hence, the revolving door could bring in a Scudetto cake and satisfaction to the Inter tifosi. A new season looms near and let father time reveal the truth and lest us not judge. It could have been worse for the Inter tifosi. Moratti could have brought back Ronaldo and sold Adriano, but he did not, so there are signs of maturity in the transfer market in the acquisition of players. Therefore, Inter is growing up and are showing signs to become a great team. They remind me of Valencia. They splashed the cash in the early 90’s with little success, bur as time went on, they got more astute and they won trophies. Perhaps this will happen at Inter. As mentioned before, time will tell.
Bruno Cardile
