Internazionale Main Thread II

[Dejan-Stankovic]

[Totally FRANK]

[Totally FRANK]

Calcio Debate: Inter New Boy McDonald Mariga - The Bargain Buy Of The January Sales
The window has closed and the trading floor has been cleared, giving Kris Voakes the chance to look into one of the better pieces of business during January.
By Kris Voakes
Feb 2, 2010 10:00:00 AM

Opportunism was what took McDonald Mariga to Appiano Gentile this week… opportunism, and the kinks in the UK government’s work permit system. But whatever alternatives Inter may have looked at first, and whatever put the kibosh on Manchester City’s attempts to sign the Kenyan, the Nerazzurri have landed themselves an absolute bargain.

There are certainly some comparisons to be made between this deal and the one which saw Sulley Muntari land in Milan in 2008. The Ghanaian had built up a hefty amount of Serie A experience, playing 125 games for Udinese before landing a €7 million switch to Premiershit side Portsmouth. A successful year on the south coast under Harry Redknapp was enough to persuade Massimo Moratti to part with €15.5m for the then 24-year-old, and he has been a valuable addition during his 18 months at Inter so far.

Mariga’s story is fairly similar. His first European experiences came in Sweden with Enkopings and Helsingborgs, but his two-and-a-half seasons with Parma have been enough to show that he has real talent to put on show in a top footballing country. At the age of 22, he looked destined to make a similar step to Muntari, by sampling the Premiershit with the world’s richest club.

But with British red tape excluding Kenya from the ranks of serious football superpowers, and Mariga therefore ineligible for a move to England, Inter have been allowed to swoop in and save themselves the kind of €8.5m mark-up they had to pay on Muntari. Instead they have offloaded Jonathan Biabiany and loaned Luis Jimenez to the Ducali, as well as paying a nominal €2.5m, for the co-ownership of Mariga. A snip in comparison.

And in many ways Mariga looks like a better long-term fit for Inter than Muntari. His stature immediately marks him out as a forceful presence, but he is also a great reader of the game both in attack and defence. He is undoubtedly a better player off the ball than on it at this moment in time; strong in the tackle, great at tracking back, excellent defensive anticipation and immediately aware of trouble around him.

But that’s not to say he can’t kick a ball too. The Kenyan can have a tendency to run himself into trouble when in possession, but that seems to come from sheer desire rather than a huge technical failure, and is something which can easily be ironed out with a number of training sessions at Appiano Gentile, as the enthusiastic youngster comes to terms with the increased demands for excellence at his new club. He also has a more than assured passing game, which suggests that, whilst he was used in a variety of positions by Francesco Guidolin at Parma, he will develop into a defensive midfield player of some repute in the coming months and years. Only niggling injuries have threatened to stunt Mariga’s growth, and Inter will hope that the change of scenery brings with it new luck on the physical front.

This transfer smacks of a move that really is looking to the future. Whoever instigated this on Inter’s behalf is a smart cookie. Clearly, between Moratti, Lele Oriali, Marco Branca and Jose Mourinho, there has been enough of an accord to push the deal through in double quick timing. But this will not have been a move dreamt up at the last minute, as much as the belief of many is that this was a simple case of making up for the failure to land Cristian Ledesma. Mariga is too much of a good fit for Inter, and the dynamic the team is taking on under Mourinho, for this to have been an afterthought. Yes, Ledesma may have been more ready to deal with the workload that this season may bring, but the Kenyan is not far from that level himself.

With the ‘Special One’ looking for a greater midfield stability ahead of big European occasions to come, Mariga would appear to be the perfect piece of Playdo, who can be easily moulded into a key midfielder for Inter’s future big dates. With Javier Zanetti turning 37 in the summer, and Esteban Cambiasso seemingly unable to reproduce his stunning Serie A form in continental competition, Mourinho has been looking for back-up. And in Mariga they have a player who could give Inter some of the physical edge they have been missing; the kind of edge which English sides have used to their advantage over the last three years in the Champions League.

So whilst Fiorentina’s signings may have cost more, and Lazio have signed a number of key players, it’s Inter who may well have plunged into the bargain bin and come up with the most valuable item of all in the January sales.

[zafferano]

Agree Frank great buy
i could not believe when happen now in june we get Kolarov
and we are on the way to build a great team
GET WELL MESSINA BOI
we need here in the forum

[Messinterista]

thanks briz.
Good article frank, and as briz said, our side is beginning to resemble one of those strong and "to be feared" euro sides.
Jose may have his negative points, but the ability he has to attract some of the great talents is priceless.

[Messinterista]

Berlusconi: 'Why Mancini?'

Milan’s decision to sign Amantino Mancini from Inter has been criticised – by President Silvio Berlusconi!

“I really didn’t understand that move,” shrugged Milan patron and Italy’s Prime Minister Berlusconi while on a visit to Israel.

The club completed the loan with an option to buy at the end of the season for under £3m on the final day of the January transfer window.

“He is another trequartista, whereas what we need is someone who finishes things off by scoring goals.

“What’s more, he has barely played in two years. I did not agree with this signature and I said so to Adriano Galliani.”

Vice-President Galliani runs the day to day business at the club, especially since Berlusconi’s political career took off.

Leonardo’s squad has struggled in the last 10 days, losing the derby and crashing out of the Coppa Italia to Udinese.

“On Sunday I go to the stadium and see people crying,” he joked. “Imagine how I feel, as not only should I cry, I also pay for this team.”

Source: http://www.football-italia.net/feb02v.html

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[Dejan-Stankovic]

[Totally FRANK]

[Messinterista]

[Dejan-Stankovic]

Oh that's another thing; playing Maicon AGAIN? Why does he need to play every single game?

[Lombardiamia]

We currently dont have any real alternative to maicon, Dejan. And he's been resting for the past 3-4 months, so playing a good game here & there shouldnt be a problem...
I dont quite agree with you guys about Santon. IMO he was good going forward, but he seemed afraid to tackle his opponents. He would simply keep going backwards when faced by someone 1 vs 1, and ended conceding a lot of space. He needs to get his head straight IMO.

[Dejan-Stankovic]

CI should primarily be to blood the youngsters and we can all agree on that. I'm sure Donati or another Prima player could have taken that spot or even switch Santon to the right and play someone at LB. It's not just Maicon though; it's the entire team that should be swapped over, save for Lucio, Sneijder etc. Mou's competitiveness has a lot of upsides but this is one place where it lets the team down.

About Santon, I didn't see the game but the most important thing is he's out there atm. As confidence grows, he'll soon surpass what we've seen of him already.

[maro]

[Dejan-Stankovic]

[Lombardiamia]

[maro]

[Dejan-Stankovic]

[maro]

[Lombardiamia]

[maro]