In his regular Wednesday column Sam Olsen will be delving deep into the stories that matter to Inter’s fans looking to keep the spirit of discussion and dispute alive and well on the pages of Sempreinter.com. New Zealander Sam has published several books on military history as well as contributing to a number of sport and news related websites. His love for Inter began in 1997 watching Ronaldo waltz through confused defences in the famous blue and black, and he has enjoyed the roller coaster ride ever since. His favourite moment was watching the team lift the Coppa Italia in 04-05 with Mancini, breaking the long domestic trophy drought, while his favourite player is Javier Zanetti, the great one, who encompasses everything good and right about the club.
0-4 to Inter! Wow who would have thought it only a week ago when watching the team plodding along like a bunch of strangers who had met up at a park for a kick around? Finally Inter had proven themselves capable of scoring goals AND keeping a clean sheet. For anyone who didn’t see the game it would be easy to believe that all is good in the Inter empire and the another Champions League title is just around the corner, only after a few more Serie A titles of course! Unfortunately the reality of Sampdoria v Inter was not quite as clear cut as the scoreline would suggest. Aside from the early (and deserved) red card to Sampdoria’s Eder and the penalty save from a Samir Handanovic, who appeared to have been told that the Barcelona’s scouts were watching judging by the inspired performance that he put in, Sampdoria had several other excellent efforts which were repelled by the indomitable Slovenian. Inter were in fact fairly hopeless in the first half of the match, continuing the unfortunate trend of recent weeks where Inter appeared more suited to a relegation battle than fighting for Europe. The man advantage and a more positive outlook in the second half saw Inter home at a canter but despite the positive half question marks still remain over the longer term prospects of making Europe.
There was one particular thing that stood out for this humble fan however, and that was the potential emergence of the new spine of Inter, a spine that has been missing since Julio Cesar, Lucio, Cambiasso, Sneijder and Milito all strode out on the pitch together in the 09/10 Champions League final. Around these champions, all leaders in their own right, was built a champion team, containing a number of other leaders, Zanetti, Samuel, Eto’o to name but a few, but the central core was what drove the team in both the attacking and defensive sense. Following the Champions League victory a combination of lethargy, age and managerial incompetence, started by Mr. Benetiz’s insistence that Inter adapt to a possession based game, saw this mighty spine crack and finally crumble, leaving Inter in the miserable state of affairs they were in at the start of this season. For all the talk of renewal and the ridiculous ‘year zero’ which seems to have been every one of the last three years, Inter have continued to be unsure of whether to try and build a new team around the old champions or establish a new core with the result being a constant state of uncertainty. On Sunday we got perhaps a glimpse finally, at the future spine of a new Inter, a new beginning after four long years of false starts.
For that is what they were, false starts, after all did anyone really think a team could be build around Ricky Alvarez, a player who could dribble and do things quite well in his own right but lacked the vision and head up play to bring his teammates into it; or Fredy Guarin, a player with many similarities to an old favourite Alvaro Recoba, someone who can get the crowd on their feet and who you really, really want to see do well but who is about as consistent as a drunk man throwing darts. A player who makes an art out of failing to track players and whose only invitation to shoot needs to be the receipt of the ball. I hate to be critical of these two in particular but both to me represent the sort of signings we made fifteen years ago, all style no substance.
On Sunday we saw something different and very promising. Handanovic offers a keeper of the highest class and although he may not have been at his best of late he showed what he is capable of and would not be out of place in any of the world’s top teams in that form. In defense Walter Samuel showed himself still worthy of the title the ‘wall’ as he expertly marshaled the players around him with Rolando proving himself an able deputy. Nemanja Vidic will assume this position of defensive lynchpin next season providing the experienced voice needed to secure Inter’s last line. The emergence of Juan Jesus, who still does not have the authority to be considered a defensive leader, also bodes well and it is surely the hope that he will assume the mantle from Vidic in a couple of seasons.
Perhaps midfield offered the most exciting potential development when Mazzarri finally put Cambiasso, Hernanes and Kovacic on together, a combination the fans had been hoping to see for some time. Although their cumulative first half left a lot to be desired, they showed glimpses of what they are capable of in the second. Even assuming that Cambiasso will not be with the club next season, the partnership of Hernanes and Kovacic is a complimentary one that Inter can build around. Hernanes operates with vision, touch and an unerring eye for a pass; while Kovacic has an electric burst of pace, can take on defenders and has an eye for quick short passes. Inter have been guilty in the past of passing pointlessly in front of the opposition defense, lacking penetration and Kovacic’s ability to beat men and disrupt the opposition defensive organisation is something we have been sorely lacking. Although many would disagree I see a lot of similarities between Kovacic and Arsenal’s Jack Wilshire and believe that if Kovacic can add a little of Wilshire’s tenacity to his wonderful technical game he would surpass the Englishman.
Finally the emergence of Mauro Icardi up front has been a boon for Inter. He has demonstrated a natural ability to score and must now spell the end of Diego Milito’s tremendous career at the club. Despite his private life giving people plenty of ammunition with which to throw at him, his performances on the field are all that really count and he has shown himself to be potentially world class.
It has been a while since I have watched Inter play and actually felt that I could see the building blocks of something special, a potentially strong spine around which a great team could be built. In the Handanovic, Samuel (Vidic), Hernanes, Kovacic, Icardi grouping, I think we have precisely that, the core with which a great team can be built. It is now up to Mazzarri or whoever is manager next season to build on this promising spine and turn it into a team capable of challenging for major honours.
Final thought
I read recently on the pages of SempreInter.com that Southampton’s Mauricio Pochettino is a potential candidate to replace Mazzarri at the helm of Inter. I must say that I am an admirer of the work of Pochettino at Southampton and Espanyol, where he helped Coutinho achieve the title of top young player in the Spanish league, and would love to see him replicate this at Inter. Southampton however, do have a different set of expectations and a structure that is built around promoting youth and home grown success. I wonder whether Inter would be able to provide this same sort of environment for Pochettino and allow him to put the structures in place to be successful.
