Internazionale Main Thread

[Dejan-Stankovic]

[Dejan-Stankovic]

[Totally FRANK]

[Totally FRANK]

Blog: Dress rehearsal notes
What lessons does Susy Campanale think Inter, Juventus and Roma can learn from their Saturday performances ahead of the Champions League?
The Anglo-Italian showdown is upon us and all three Serie A sides won their last domestic games before diving into the Champions League. Their performances, however, were far from convincing and I hope the tacticians can learn from these test runs.

Inter are seemingly unstoppable in their ability to churn out results, but they’ll need a far better outing than the one at Bologna to have any hope of stopping Manchester United. In their last two encounters they have shown an alarming tendency to sit on a lead and be pinned into their own half in the final 15 minutes, as the opposition stage a comeback.

You can almost feel the Nerazzurri watching the clock wind down and hoping for the best. This is the very attitude Serie A teams had to abandon many years ago, so Jose Mourinho has ‘kindly’ brought it back. Call it an extension of the current 80s nostalgia which, like Bros and jackets with the shirt sleeves rolled up, really ought to be left in the past. It just about worked with Milan and the Rossoblu, but only thanks to some spectacular Julio Cesar saves. In a knockout tie where every goal counts, sometimes double, Inter cannot keep relying on their goalkeeper to squeak out a result. Mourinho also has to realise the size of the Inter squad at his disposal, because he rotates the line-up less than most Coaches. Dejan Stankovic's absence in the first half at the Dall'Ara showed just why he is afraid to break up this team.

[Lombardiamia]

[Messinterista]

[Totally FRANK]

Actually Mess IMO Ronaldo is not the key. Scholes is the guy who makes everything tick fo ManUre.

We need to stop Scholes at every cost. Ronaldo and Rooney may take the limelight but its Scholes who does his job silently and so effectively.

[RomaShield27]

What's the story with Samuel, will he play?

[RomaShield27]

After a slow start, Italians find there are no flies on Mourinho
www.guardian.co.uk

The natives were restless when the Special One arrived at Internazionale but he has had an effect on and off the pitch. Isn't expecting the annoying little flies you get during the afternoons here at Appiano." What sounds like the Charles Darwin-style diary of a travelling naturalist in fact describes the start of Jose Mourinho's Italian journey, back in the summer of 2008 at Internazionale's training ground.

Pretty quickly, however, the natives became more of a distraction than the flies, pushing Mourinho to turn his hand to anthropology as well as football coaching in a world rather different from the one he had imagined. His first task was understanding the psychology of the natives and their newspapers. On his arrival, Mourinho believed that honest and straightforward statements, even if politically incorrect, would help him steer clear of misunderstandings and frayed nerves.

Italians who did not understand or appreciate this tactic soon made themselves heard. The director of Catania, Pietro Lo Monaco, said the Portuguese manager needed "a smack in the teeth" while many journalists and TV pundits had no sympathy for Mourinho's break with the usual day-to-day hypocrisy.

Mourinho also believed that his ironclad CV was enough to protect him from demands for "everything, now", meaning results plus spectacular football. But he soon realised his reputation could run out as fast as the credit on a mobile phone. Newspapers and TV kicked off their usual delirium, going for the huge build-up, then taking great pleasure in belittling a man who failed to "keep his promises".

Mourinho reacted with irony, but also excess. Lo Monaco's name means "the monk" in Italian; Mourinho said the only monk he had heard of was a Tibetan monk. He then demanded a fee for all the free headlines Lo Monaco was getting by talking about him. With other managers and journalists he was tougher. He crossed swords with Claudio Ranieri, a favourite target since the Italian's time at Chelsea. The Juventus manager said that unlike Mourinho he did not "need to win to be sure of what he was doing". Mourinho said that "with that mentality", Ranieri had got to 70 years of age – he is actually 60 – winning just a Super Cup, "a little cup" and that he was "too old to change".

This was a replay of his duels in England, when he accused Arsène Wenger of being "a voyeur" and said Rafael Benítez had won little: "Three years in the Premiershit without a title? I think I would be out of a job." Sir tender Alex Ferguson, he said, had "a mean outlook on life", after the Manchester United manager had failed to apologise for suggesting Victor Baia had dived during a match against Porto.

Then, slowly, Mourinho stopped throwing fuel on the flames, partly because the Inter chairman, Massimo Moratti, convinced him that if things got too hot the team would struggle to find its identity. But Mourinho cannot be sedated. Lately he has been venting his fury at referees, slamming "strange things" taking place on the field and accusing one referee of "being afraid" to officiate in a game against Sampdoria and favouring Inter's rivals. That claim saw him sanctioned.

Mourinho has also suffered from tactical headaches. Firstly, his ­underestimation of the middling teams in Italian football. Secondly, his need to work with players used to the tactics and mentality – more geared to Serie A than the Champions League – of his predecessor, Roberto Mancini.

Mourinho found he was up against a number of dynamic, organised and aggressive teams who were able to train a lot more during the week than those clubs involved in Europe. Atalanta beat Inter 3–1, while Inter scraped a 1–1 home draw with Cagliari and a 10-man Genoa side held out for a 0–0 scoreline at San Siro.

Mourinho was trying to impose his philosophy of pushing up the pitch, keeping possession and speeding things up in the final 30 metres on players more comfortable with containing their opponents before delivering a knockout blow through strength and individual talent.

The problems caused by this clash of philosophies explain the impatience, frenetic behaviour and apparently irrational choices which have been displayed by Mourinho. To unpick the closed defences of opponents, particularly at San Siro, he has tried different formations, starting with his beloved 4–3–3, using two wingers, the Brazilian Mancini and Ricardo Quaresma, who were bought specifically for that role. Then there was the Brazilian-style 4–2–4, with two strikers and two wingers. Finally, Mourinho returned to Roberto Mancini's 4–4–2, with a midfield diamond.

From that moment, results have picked up. But it is not that simple – Mourinho's handiwork shines through. He has changed the way Inter move up the field, involving more of the players. That is why defenders like Maicon, Maxwell, Iván Córdoba, Walter Samuel, Nicolás Burdisso and Marco Materazzi have been scoring goals, not to mention midfielders like Patrick Vieira, Luís Figo, Sully Muntari and Dejan Stankovic. This recalls Mourinho's Chelsea, where goals were provided by John Terry, William Gallas, Michael Essien, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole and Eidur Gudjohnsen.

Add to that the form of two key players. Zlatan Ibrahimovic still scores goals – 14 so far this season – but he has also turned provider and defender. Then there is Stankovic, who has the same physique as Lampard, fulfils the same midfield duties and scores the same long-range goals.

By results alone, the Special One has already proved himself a winner. Apart from losing the first Milan derby 1–0, he has beaten Roma 4–0 away, Juventus 1–0 at home and Milan 2–1 in the return.

There is no doubt, though, that the real test comes in the Champions League tomorrow night, against Ferguson, his long time friend and foe.

The Champions League is why Moratti hired Mourinho, and it is the competition by which Inter fans will judge him.

Sandro Modeo is a football and culture correspondent for Corriere della Sera

[Dejan-Stankovic]

[giacinto facchetti]

[Lombardiamia]

[Dejan-Stankovic]

[RomaShield27]

[zafferano]

[Lombardiamia]

[Lombardiamia]

Back to last week's derby, according to Collina, Adriano's goal was a good one.....

Collina: 'Regolare il gol di Adriano nel derby'



La regola sul fallo di mano sta creando diversi grattacapi agli arbitri, alle prese con il problema di come stabilire la volontarietà o meno dell'intervento.

Il designatore Pierluigi Collina ha commentato ai microfoni di Radio Rai: "Tutti gli arbitri stanno cercando di migliorare con il lavoro. Domenica scorsa ero in tribuna a San Siro per il derby e nessuno si è accorto del tocco col braccio di Adriano, anche sul campo era difficile vederlo in diretta. Platini non ha detto che il gol era irregolare, ma che i giudici di porta avrebbero potuto valutare il tocco da più vicino. Invece sulla rete di Cambiasso a Bologna, anche rivedendo le immagini in tv, secondo me non c'è neppure da parlarne. A velocità normale i tocchi sono impercettibili, in etrambe le occasioni non mi sento di parlare di fallo da sanzionare".

"La regola parla di volontarietà - prosegue Collina - se il braccio va verso il pallone o il pallone verso il braccio. Poi parla di distanza: se è poca, l'arrivo del pallone è inaspettato. Inoltre conta la posizione delle braccia. Le linee guida della Uefa parlano di posizione naturale rispetto al gesto tecnico che il calciatore sta compiendo. Il regolamento è chiaro nel lasciare la discrezionalità ai direttori di gara, un calcio così veloce come quello di oggi rende sempre più complicate le valutazioni. Certo, la regola più facile per gli arbitri sarebbe: tutte le volte che il pallone tocca la mano è da punire. Ma torneremmo al 'tiro alla mano', come l'episodio che Roberto Baggio ha raccontato nel suo libro in Italia-Cile del Mondiale 1998".

Collina si mostra poi aperto alle novità per il futuro: "Platini tiene molto alla proposta dei due giudici di porta, il presidente Abete ha dato disponibilità a sperimentarla in Italia. Comunque la decisione finale spetterebbe solo all'arbitro principale. Si parlerà anche di un cartellino arancione, di espulsione a tempo quando un rosso è troppo e un giallo è poco".

[Dejan-Stankovic]

Also, Adri's header against Bologna just before Cambiasso scored was called good by Collina as well which is not really a surprise.

What I find hilarious though is there's not one news report about Inzaghi pushing the Cagliari defender into his own GK just before Seedorf scored but they're still managing to go on about the goal in the Derby. This is how things even themselves out..

And guys, Stankovic is going to score vs Man U.. you heard it here first and I want credit when it happens.

[Lombardiamia]

Dejan, I'm pretty sure you havent heard anything about what should have been a penalty against Juventus when Buffon rushed onto Cavani's legs last saturday, isnt it?

Back to CL stuff, CR7 just said in an interview that 'the best team will win, i.e. us(obviously referring to Man U)'.......wouldnt hate seeing this fucker eating his words, though I doubt that will happen..

[Dejan-Stankovic]

This is the first I'm hearing of it... I wonder why Tuttosport didn't use that as their major headline!?

Mourinho is also letting fly atm too by talking up Ibra and his usual pre-match ramblings. It will be interesting to see how the game goes. I really can't predict how the game will go, even the style of play that we're going to adopt since playing such a heavyweight is going to be different from our other CL games this season. If we give CR7 as much space and time as Ronaldinho in the Derby, he'll beat us on his own. Cambiasso and Muntari are going to have to play a blinder to shut down that midfield of theirs.