sia

The first exhibition game of the season has been played and it is time to cut some heads. “Icardi was too expensive, Belfodil is a clown who missed two penalties. Branca and Ausilio should pack their bags and go on vacation while Leonardo takes their place”.  Social medias and forum sections are being spammed with radical opinions about everything from today’s game and the one who gets to hear the most today is Ishak Belfodil. The reason is the two penalties the young player missed, one that was weakly struck and one which was better but unluckily hit the post. Because of these misses, everything else Belfodil did in the game is ignored and the focus is only on these two mistakes, something that is very wrong. I would have understood if Belfodil missed two penalties in a Champions League final but just to make it clear Inter faced TRENTINO in a friendly game. Let’s not forget that the players are going through the toughest period of the season and Belfodil’s case is special because he is fasting as well. Ramadan is going on and according to me we should praise Belfodil for playing the game under these circumstances. Cambiasso was interviewed after the game and had this to say:

“When you are tired your head isn’t with you, but this means that we are working hard and doing what the coach wants. If we would have played after our maximum capacity now, we are doing something wrong.”

Mazzarri himself explained shortly after that Inter have been working very hard and it’s a normal thing that all of the players legs are feeling a bit heavy. The one who has probably had the hardest time however is Belfodil, as well as the tough training can’t eat in the best way for an athlete because of his fasting and according to me we should respect this. Let’s be honest, if you saw the game it was clear that Belfodil had good intentions, nice technique and a great amount of skillful moves that will be useful for Inter during the season. Belfodil was heavily involved in the game and wants to contribute, something that was obvious when taking into account the amount of time he spent with the ball and also his willingness to take the second penalty even though he missed one previously. This is a clear indication that the player has an attitude which has taken him to the place he is standing today and can take him even further.

Enough about Belfodil, Mazzarri’s Inter have already started to show some clear ideas. Kuzmanovic played very well in his role and often received the ball on the wing. A special role that Inler couldn’t do at Napoli which saw him spend time on the bench at the end of Mazzarri’s reign. This role seems part of Mazzarri’s plans at Inter and on this occasion Kuzmanovic played in it. It remains to be seen if inter will keep the Serbian to perform this role going into Mazzarri’s first season in charge.

The first goal was scored by Palacio. A Palacio who seems to be in great form. The speed was there and he carried a threat each time he received the ball, don’t be surprised if Palacio is the one who will deliver with the most continuity for Inter the coming season, in everything from exhibition games to cup and league games. Palacio has been a creative force and a goalscorer throughout his whole career and I have a hard time seeing that he would stop being that. Rodrigol scored from a corner delivered by Alvarez. Ricky played very well and enjoyed his new position with Mazzarri. The tempo in these games suit Ricky’s speed and his technical ability. Ricky scored the goal that gave Inter a 3-0 lead after a nice assist from Andrea Mira. Alvarez is technically a very skilled player and he might be the wildcard for Mazzarri.

To conclude, a couple of thoughts on the future and the aforementioned Andrea Mira. He came on as a substitute and assisted Ricky for the third goal. His assist for Inter’s second scored by Capello was a beauty. Andrea Mira and Capello were both born in 1995. The first is an offensive midfielder with very nice qualities and good skill, he seems to be a good assist man. Two assists in his first game with the senior squad is not bad at all, rather the opposite. The latter is Alessandro Capello, a new signing from Bologna’s primavera. A player who scored 12 goals last season facing older opponents, a player who will play a leading part in Cerrone’s new primavera team together with Andrea Mira. A primavera team that begin their pre season tomorrow.

A new Inter is being born with Walter Mazzarri at Pinzolo and the stars of the future begin their preseason with the primavera tomorrow. Present time and the future have been thought about, the treble is in the past and a couple of heroes are going to wear new shirts. The next season we’ll face Maicon and Julio Cesar as opponents, let us thank them and remember their great service but frankly speaking we can look to the present with Walter Mazzarri and the future with Andrea Mira and Alessandro Capello which is very much more interesting.