Internazionale Main Thread II

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Inter To Release Crespo & Suazo – Report
Inter Milan are set to offload forward-duo Hernan Crespo and David Suazo this summer, according to Controcampo.

Argentine hitman Crespo has had a largely depressing season with the Nerazzurri, and has made just 16 Serie A appearances, scoring four goals.

Despite featuring regularly in recent weeks, the 32-year-old has largely found himself fourth in the striker pecking order behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Julio Cruz and David Suazo.

The 32-year-old also doesn’t get on well with Inter Coach Roberto Mancini, and he is eager to find a club who can offer him more regular first team football.

Another player who seems set to move on is Suazo. The Honduran signed from Cagliari last summer with high hopes, however he has struggled this campaign, even if he has still managed eight Serie A goals, which is one more than Zlatan Ibrahimovic in open play.

Controcampo says that Suazo will return to Cagliari next season on-loan in the deal that will see Robert Acquafresca rejoin Inter.

Acquafresca is half-owned by Cagliari and Inter, but the latter believe he is ready to make his mark at a big club.

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Real Madrid To Bid For Ibrahimovic - Report
According to the Corriere dello Sport, Real Madrid are set to make a staggering €70m bid to sign Inter star Zlatan Ibrahimovic.


Ibrahimovic has long been admired by the Spanish champions, and there were strong reports that Juventus rejected a bid of exactly the same value during the Swede’s first season with them in 2004/05.

The Corriere says that Madrid are looking for a top-class centre forward for next season, and are ready to test Inter’s resolve by offering €70m. They would also be prepared to increase Ibrahimovic’s annual salary to €12m.

With the Nerazzurri already set to offload Hernan Crespo, David Suazo, and possibly Adriano, it seems unlikely at this stage that any bid from Madrid would be successful.

However Ibrahimovic’s dreadfully poor form in the second half of the season, in which he hasn’t scored in open play for three months, may make them sit up and listen.

The 26-year-old has also been struggling badly with a chronic knee injury, which has hampered his performances, and there have been reports that this problem may never clear up.

Ibra is out of tonight’s Coppa Italia semi-final tie with Lazio, and he is also a doubt for the weekend trip to Torino.

[Dejan-Stankovic]

[Dejan-Stankovic]

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[Dejan-Stankovic]

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[Dejan-Stankovic]

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I have a feeling that moratti's dinho interest may be a smoke screen or a bait to make milan pay more.....

The players going out for sure are solari,cesar,maniche,figo.....may be,crespo and adriano...

our defense is going to be in tact....I don't see any changes there....As burdisso/rivas can deputy maicon and chivu can ceputy maxwell....We have an abundance of central def(though ironically we are struggling in that dept now bcos of the injuries)

I think we will buy jimi as he is also versatile and can play as a winger and trequartista......We surely need another winger/trequartista like quaresma and a DM if possible....

I am quite confused abt the striking dept though......Ibra,cruz and suazo are sure to stay.....We must bring balotelli in...and there is also crespo and adriano......Both can't go....If they we need to buy another striker....

So,IN:Jimi,quaresma/VDV,DM(diarra??)/Def playmaker(deco),adriano,promote balotelli..
OUT:solari,maniche,cesar,figo,crespo

What do you think dejan?

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Inter Moving In On Diego - Report
Inter Milan are closing in on the signing of Werder Bremen star Diego, according to Controcampo.

Talk in the Italian press has intensified in recent days that Diego is set to move to the Nerazzurri this summer.

Inter have identified a creative centre midfielder as one of their main transfer targets, and believe that the Brazilian can help them make a big impact in the Champions League.

Controcampo says that Diego’s father and agent has been sneakily declaring in the press that Real Madrid and Juventus are interested in signing his son, so that Inter would have free reign to negotiate a transfer for themselves.

Massimo Moratti, who is also expected to drop out of the race to sign Ronaldinho, is prepared to meet Werder Bremen’s asking price of €30m.

Diego has had a wonderful season in the German Bundesliga, and is his side’s top-scorer with 13 goals.

The 23-year-old is also a regular in the Brazil national team, and has won 34 caps, scoring six goals.

[Dejan-Stankovic]

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Il Capitano is a midfielder now...There is no doubt about it.....Zanetti,cambiasso and vieria will be our first choice midfield next year as well....Diego/quaresma should start as the trequartista......Stankovic can play in any of the midfield roles......We have dacourt and pele to provide cover for our first choice def mids.....

I am not sure but i guess konko can play RW along with RB.....And we need a good replacement for maicon...So konko would be good.....

We have too many central defs....don't we?cordoba,samuel,matrix,chivu,burdisso and rivas......So if we get konko we would sell one,probably loan out rivas......The first four on the list are not going to take it easy when they are made to sit on the bench week after week.....burdisso can be rotated in any of the four positions.....So rivas will have to go on loan if konko comes......

Yeah even i think adriano will stay at least for one more year.....So as much as i hate it crespo will have to go,though he is a year younger than cruz.....

And there is also another problem of the no. of italians for the new uefa rule......Balotelli is still not 18,so will be a ghanian still?

[Dejan-Stankovic]

Maxwell---Matrix---Samuel---Maicon is arguably our first choice defense. And we have Chivu, Burdisso, Cordoba and Rivas to alternate with them. I really like Rivas so if worst comes to worst, we can loan him out like you said so we can get Konko..

What we basically need though is for our players to remain healthy. There have been major injuries to Samuel, Cordoba, Vieira, Cambiasso, Stankovic, Cesar, Figo and Crespo and then niggling injuries to Chivu (we knew what we were getting). Ibra, Suazo, Julio Cesar, Maxwell and Jimenez. And what do you know, thats more or less our whole team. Its vital you keep your most important players on the pitch and they are the clubs who will succeed. Man U will probably win the double because they can keep Rooney, Ronaldo, Tevez etc all relatively fresh. I'd be absolutely stunned if we managed to pick the same team after 2 games in a row.

And I don't like the term 'luck' when referring to injuries. How can Javier Zanetti, 33 years old mind you, play almost every single game this season and be fit enough to run all of them out while other players who are built stronger and are also younger get injured every month? Just doesn't make sense for mine. It's all to do with the incorrect training being given.

We have AFL and Rugby which are full contact sports here in Aus and I dare say that there are less injuries in those game then in the soccer (football, er).

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Thats true dejan...There is something wrong with the 'behind the scenes' work done at the club.....Mancini has been complaining about it in public for quite a while......Hopefully they can rectify it next time.....There is no use having such a huge squad when you can barely select players for the bench......Hopefully they can rectify it next season....

[Lombardiamia]

Hi guys. Found some free time on this lovely sunday morning so I managed to see whats going on. I've seen this page and there are quite a couple of things I dont quite agree on/have something to add.
First of all, Konko doesnt play CB. I think someone mentioned that he can cover the RB & CB position.He can cover the RB, RM(not winger) and CM role.
2. Zanetti is by all means to be considered a CM not a RB anymore.This is mainly due to his age.He cannot cover all the flank like he used to a couple of years back, and putting him in midfield, reduces his amount of running.
3. Adriano's future is tied to Mancini's position. If Mancini stays, Adriano is out.If he doesnt,than Adriano might have a 30% chance of staying.
4. Someone said Burdisso can cover 4 roles..........pls, he can barely cover 1.He has been used in many positions,but can anyone say he played a decent match as RB,LB or DM??He only played decently as CB(especially with a fast paced defender next to him).
5. Since we're on the defence topic, Dejan mentioned that Maxwel--Matrix--Samuel--Maicon would be the first choice defenders. I disagree. First and foremost,I would likely chose Chivu instead of Maxwell, but also you cant put 2 strong central defenders in there.You have to have a good mix in there, and Cordoba/Rivas has to be in there.My ideal def would be Chivu--Samuel/Matrix--Cordoba/Rivas--Maicon. So the extra defender which needs to be sold, IMO is Burdisso.He doesnt cover more than 1 role,that is just a legend.
6. Injuries. You've all mentioned this year's injuries and all mentioned that its up to the staff. I just need to remind you that last summer there was the Copa America.Considering that we have a lot of SA players, we surely suffered heavily due to a non-adequate pre-season preparation.Having the SA players in bad shape,surely didnt help the other european team-mates,since they had to play even more games.Milan has had the same problem this year too. Next season, I foresee other teams suffering from this condition, whereas we should have the advantage.There is no luck involved, its just a sum of equations.
7. Balotelli turns 18 in June,and he should gain Italian citizenship immediately. So that is 1 more Italian on our list. If we keep Jimenez, he is another good man for our CL campaign, considering he's played more than 3 years in Italy between the age of 16-21.Toldo(who will presumably extend his contract till 2010) & Materazzi are the other 2.
8. Transfers.I have really no idea what transfers we'll make,but I think we'll invest heavily on our wings. I think 2 good wingers might be on our list. We have an option on Capel,and have heard about Hleb too.Konko plays as RM.He can also replace Dacourt as DM,since Dacourt is out next season.I also have a vague idea that we'll get a good striker.Remember,this is our centenary birthday,and Milan are about to get Dinho.We surely cant fly low this summer.

Until next time lads.

[Dejan-Stankovic]

Good to see you in, Lomba! Glad you found some time!

Actually, had Matrix and Samuel stayed fit, you could bet that they would be the central pairing; Samuel was a monster up until his injury and Matrix would always get the nod over Cordoba IMO. Ideally, Chivu would be our starting LB as he is more of an all rounder whereas Maxwell's strength lies in his ability to get forward which leaves his defending lacking. Chivu, at no point this season, has displaced Maxwell for the LB position. As a matter of fact, Chivu played his best football this season in the midfield when we were forced to put him in there after the numerous injuries we had. However, he has defenitely not had the same impact in the defense. Rather disappointing for mine.

Regarding injuries; it's a good point you make. Let's hope with more rest for our SA's, they can be fighting fit for next season.

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Mourinho, Lampard, Drogba To Inter — Report
Jose Mourinho has reportedly agreed to take over as Inter Milan boss in the summer, and his first priority will be to bring in Chelsea duo Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba


The Special One has been one of the most sough-after managerial recruits since departing Stamford Bridge in September.

And although Inter have yet to make an official statement, it appears Nerazzurri president Massimo Moratti has landed the Portuguese to replace Roberto Mancini at the end of the season.

Mourinho revealed recently that he is ready to return to football management, having received a number of promising offers and kept a close eye on proceedings across the globe during his eight-month hiatus from the game.

And now his successor Avram Grant, who may find himself victim to Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich’s planned summer overhaul, will face another headache as Mourinho intends to lure Lampard and Drogba to Italy.

Departing Duo

Lampard’s Chelsea future has been in doubt ever since Mourinho left the club, as the two had formed an especially close working relationship, with the manager hailing the England international as ‘the best professional [he has] ever worked with’.

And as contract discussions continue to drag on, it seems increasingly likely that Lampard will leave Stamford Bridge in the summer, especially as the midfielder has previously expressed a desire to play abroad.

Drogba’s relationship with the Special One was hardly less close. The Ivorian was signed by Mourinho from Marseilles in 2004 for ₤24 million – a club record at the time – and has since gone on to prove himself as one of the best strikers in the Premiershit.

Drogba was greatly affected by Mourinho’s departure, insisting that it was almost like ‘losing a father’ and that something was ‘broken’ within the club after he left. And the 30-year-old has been quite public about his desire to leave England and ply his trade at one of the continental giants.

Mancini's Madness

Moratti has been seeking a new manager ever since Mancini made the shock announcement that he would quit the club at the end of the season following Inter’s Champions League defeat at the hands of Liverfekkin'wankscum.

Mancini quickly renegged on his statement, insisting he had been persuaded to stay and fulfill the four years remaining on his contract, but it is believed he will now leave as he originally intended – or otherwise be ousted in favour of Mourinho