Inter Feeling The Heat?
Inter Milan have put themselves under some early pressure following the disappointing home draw against Udinese. That by itself might not have been enough, but with Materazzi's loss and then an unwelcome controversy over Adriano, it is all looking a little sour at the moment. Max De Luca analyses...
The scorching afternoon sun wasn’t the only reason why Roberto Mancini was feeling the heat after Inter stumbled out of the blocks and could only manage a draw against Udinese in their opening game of the season.
Add to it the fact that that Roma, AC Milan and Juventus produced efficient, emphatic victories over their opponents and the pressure is already mounting on the shoulders of 'Mancio'.
Round one of the championship has just been completed and Mancini has already felt the need to defend his players: "We’re just starting the season, and with heat like this, I can understand that the performance was not the greatest one."
It is a telling sign that he is already on the defensive, and offering up excuses to the media after the first game of the year! His players have followed their manager's example by giving their excuses, with Cordoba stating that they "had a bit of bad luck."
The bit of bad luck Cordoba spoke of was his unfortunate own goal in extra time. As every Nerazzurro knows only too well, the club has a penchant for self-destructing when expectations are high. Injuries, meltdowns, curses and internal disputes have punctuated success and failure.
The injury to Marco Materazzi, the Adriano saga and Mancini’s tug of war with Moratti over a new midfielder have also made some early dents in the Nerazzurri armour.
Inter’s biggest blow was Materazzi’s freak injury in the friendly against Hungary that will sideline him for almost four months. His mere presence had been reassuring for both club and country over the last 15 months or so. Inter will miss “the Matrix” who was arguably the best defender in Calcio last season. The let down by Cordoba, whose erratic play was evident during the dying minutes of the Udinese game, could not have come at a worse time.
The midfield must also be an area of concern for the Inter camp at the moment, as there are too many holding midfielders in the center of the park and no sign of a creative, midfield dynamo that can run the show. For all their strikers, they really do not have a quality replacement for Ibrahimovic, who is the one reponsible for linking the play down the middle.
All that said, the biggest disappointment at the weekend was the attack. Inter were supposed to have an elite strike force, but failed to kill the game off in the first half. Some glaring misses saw them invite trouble, and that is just what they got at the end.
Finally, throw in the dragging Adriano saga and the front line is in shambles right now, as is the situation surrounding the club. I will not pass judgement on whether or not Inter could have made up their minds earlier in the season and tackled this subject cleanly, but as it stands, the striker's outburst has left the club in a corner. Unless they find a quick solution over the next two days, they will be sitting on a time bomb.
The key for Mancini will be to rally his team under an ‘us against the world,’ mentality. One of his main priorities will be keeping the team unified as they chase domestic and European glory. Inter have the best team on paper but that doesn’t automatically translate into certain victories on the pitch. It actually heightens expectations, ans with it pressure.
It certainly hasn’t helped his cause that pundits, bookmakers and opposing managers have added to that by declaring Inter the odds on favourites to win the Scudetto.
It is perhaps fair and unfair that Inter still have something to prove to their critics and fans after winning two straight Scudettos. Inter fans may not come right out and say it but they would like to win a Scudetto that is not deemed tainted or does not have any question marks surrounding it. That will silence everyone! Anything else, and detractors will rip into them over their two titles.
Amid all this, a slip-up like the draw against Udinese will most certainly tighten the noose of pressure that threatens to strangle Inter’s title aspirations!
Max De Luca
