Only 5 months ago Inter played their first game of the 2016/2017 season against Chievo Verona. The coach was Frank De Boer and we all know how it ended. A tough loss with 2-0. Now Inter has turned that dark period around, here are seven reasons why:
Coach: On August 21st, Frank De Boer had been the coach of Inter for 13 days. He struggled to find an identity after Roberto Mancini and invented a 3-5-2 that was everything but successful. But even after returning to more familiar tactics, De Boer had problems. He had lost the locker room. After that came the “normaliser” who proved to be the “enhancer”, Stefano Pioli now has a 2.28 point average in the championship.
The model: With the 3-5-2 formation against Chievo, De Boer’s intentions was to protect the defence and have Candreva and Eder play the same positions as they had in the national team. That didn’t end well. With the 4-2-3-1, Pioli has a solid defence that can also participate in the attacks. An attack that now has Icardi, the two externals, the playmaker (Joao Mario or Ever Banega), one of the midfielders and often the full-backs.
The players: On August 21st, the mercato was still open and Inter landed during the final minutes Gabigol and especially Joao Mario, a “tuttocampista” who had an immediate impact as demonstrated with the three consecutive victories against Pescara, Juventus and Empoli with him on the field. Now Inter has Gagliardini who will add even more fuel to the midfield.
The mood: Inter went to Verona with enthusiasm and good intentions, but there was just too many unknown factors. Besides the technical one, there was the turbulence surrounding Icardi and insufficient preparation between the American tour and the departure of Mancini. Now, everybody smiles, Inter has 12 points from their last 4 starts.
The administration: Another radical change compared to earlier in the season is the replacement of Bolingbroke with Liu Jun and also Steven Zhang who has signing authority. From an abnormal management where the buyer left the control to the seller, now Suning has taken the situation under control. Even when selecting the new coach.
Suning: The fate of a team is always depending on how you handle issues between owner and management. Suning took the time to study the situation, then he stepped in and has ever since been close to the club, the coach and the team. Especially Steven Zhang who gives daily reports to his father and have confidence in the Italian executives (Ausilio, Gardini and Antonello when it comes to financial issues). The project is serious, ambitious and especially long-term.
The Pinetina: Zhang Jindong started with almost nothing in 1996 and created an empire. Of course he would figure out how to resolve every problem with the UEFA FFP rules. In order to be able to move freely on the transfer market this summer (going after 3-4 top players), Suning created a three-year business plan where revenues had to be increased. How did they do that? They re-named the Pinetina to “Suning training center in memory of Angelo Moratti”, they took over sponsorship of the jersey (worth 15 million euros per year) and found other businesses that will boost the economy of the club thanks to the synergies of Suning. And not to forget: tonight Roberto Gagliardini will make his debut and there is also a new locker room at the Meazza.
Source: gazzetta.it
