Internazionale Main Thread III

[Messinterista]

The replacement for Samuel is Ranocchia. So that should be a free transfer. If we are not going to spend any money surely Cassano has to be included in this scenario?
I have seen reports that Tevez has mentioned the relationship between him and the head powers at ManCity is beyond repair. He is looking for a new home. Wouldn't it be nice if we went for him? I've heard the price is way out of our league and he will most probably sign up with Real or Barca at seasons end. Shame.

[Lombardiamia]

[Messinterista]

Monday 13 December, 2010 Trap: 'Inter need Cassano the most'

Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni believe Inter are the team most in need of Antonio Cassano's services.

The 28-year-old Italy international no longer has a future at Sampdoria after falling out with Riccardo Garrone in October.

His contract situation is likely to be resolved at a hearing later today, but as of yet it's unclear what his fate will be.

Interviewed on Controcampo, Trapattoni said: “Cassano would be more useful to Inter than to Milan where there are already at least two players with similar characteristics.”

Taken to task on Cassano's personality, he said: “In terms of instinct, Antonio still can't count to three before answering back. But I have seen him improve. I had him for a month [when I was in charge of Italy for Euro 2004].

“He is a player of class and fantasia. But in a team managing the group is the most difficult thing.”

Source: http://football-italia.net/dec13j.html
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Interesting of all people Trap is saying we need Cassano. Could he really be in the pipeline to replace Rafa?

[juventino_italiano]

I see Zenga for Inter should they fail to win the club world cup...

[Totally FRANK]

The Cassano situation with Sampdoria doesn't seem to come to an end. Buying him outright may be a bad idea but if the ruling goes against Samp then a 6 month loan deal wouldn't be a bad idea.

We definitely need a striker with Coutinho going away on international duty and Biabiany not up to the standard. I don't see that many cheap options out there.

[Totally FRANK]

http://www.goal.com/en/news/2802/christ ... -inter-buy

[Lombardiamia]

[RomaShield27]

Your no.1 candidate is Vucinic...? How about if take the next plane to Malta (assuming Malta has airports) and stick a couple of knives in your eyes? Would he be your no.1 candidate then?

[Lombardiamia]

[Totally FRANK]

Benitez under pressure at Inter
Two quotes to reporters -- in the space of a few days -- from Inter president Massimo Moratti neatly sum up why the bad old days may be back.

"Ten years ago, I would have sacked Rafa Benitez by now, but I've grown as well, we all have." Then, a few days later. "I'm not going to create problems before or during the World Club Cup, afterward, we'll see."

Talk about undermining your coach in the space of a week. What happened in between those two statements? Inter lost 3-1 away to Lazio, second in Serie A, in a game in which it played badly, but had six starters missing. And it also fell 3-0 away to Werder Bremen in the Champions' League (it had already clinched qualification to the knockout round), in a game in which it played three teenagers (none of whom had started a match before this year), a 38-year-old reserve goalkeeper, and a 6-foot midfielder deployed at center back (Esteban Cambiasso).

Benitez has a huge contract and a better résumé than any other Serie A boss: it's only right to hold him to account. But the time to criticize -- in public -- is when he has the tools to, objectively, do better. Or, if you're of a populist bent, when the fans -- the ones who actually show up at the San Siro, not the armchair forumites -- turn on him. Neither is the case.

Both Inter's Ultras and the mainstream fans have, generally, been supportive. As for having the "tools" to do better, Benitez's list of excuses is long. Just four of his projected starters -- Wesley Sneijder, Samuel Eto'o, Javier Zanetti and Lucio -- have played 75 percent of Inter's minutes this season. Maicon and Walter Samuel, half of the back four that was so dominant last year, have missed half the season thus far, with Samuel out for the year following a recent knee injury. Goalkeeper Julio Cesar, another crucial ingredient has been out for six weeks, while Diego Milito, last year's top scorer, has missed half the season thus far and has lasted 90 minutes just twice this year.

Of course, none of this changes the fact that Inter has, generally, played badly; it's not just a question of results. Here, blame must be shared. While the club won't admit explicitly, Inter's brief to the new manager was this: win some silverware (the European SuperCup and the Club World Cup would do just fine), compete for the Serie A title and/or the Champions' League and integrate some of the youngsters in the first team. All this, while keeping Jose Mourinho's 4-2-3-1 system intact: a turnkey operation, basically.

Easier said than done. For a start, while Benitez also showed a predilection for the 4-2-3-1 at Liverfekkin'wankscum, it was an entirely different style. Liverfekkin'wankscum pressed high up the pitch, Mourinho's Inter tended not to. You only need to look at the personnel.

Fernando Torres is an entirely different player to Diego Milito. Steven Gerrard and Wesley Sneijder are chalk and cheese. Compounding the problem is the obvious: following a guy like Mourinho, with a squad that was loyal to him and which is aging and battle-worn was never going to be easy. Especially for a guy like Benitez, whose personality can't match the Special One's when it comes to winning over players. And particularly when Inter failed to make a single significant signing for Benitez in the summer (unlike the previous year, when it picked up half a dozen tailor-made starters for Mourinho).

A bit of research should have shown Moratti who and what he was getting in Benitez. A very good manager, probably a better tactician than Mourinho, but one who needs certain tools to succeed. And Benitez, perhaps blinded by the huge paycheck, probably should have thought long and hard about accepting the job and on what terms he was going to take it. Instead, you can only conclude that Inter figured it could pay him a lot of money to go and impersonate Mourinho (something he is most definitely not cut out to do) while leaving everything else intact.

So what next? Moratti has uncorked a Pandora's box of speculation with a range of names which, frankly, seems disconcerting and out of sync with the medium-term plan (which is to push youth this season and next in an attempt to bring down costs and move toward meeting the Financial Fair Play requirements -- a goal which seems miles away right now).

The fact that Fabio Capello, 65 next summer, and Giovanni Trapattoni, who turns 72 in February, are among the names mentioned as replacements should terrify Inter fans. Are those the guys you'd charge with a long-term rebuilding job? Leonardo and Luciano Spalletti may be somewhat more viable options, but the former's past as a Milan man would unleash a whole other can of worms and the latter is tied to the kind of mega-contract at Zenit St. Petersburg that would force Moratti to do what he swore he wouldn't do: throw good money after bad.

Of course, none of this speculation will help Benitez or, for that matter, Inter. What is even more frustrating is that, privately, Inter officials maintain that Benitez's future will be decided when the Champions' League resumes. By that point, he'll be expect to get the club back closer to contention for the title (not easy, given that Inter is 12 points back now) and into the quarterfinals of the Champions' League. Fail on both counts and that's when the ax will drop.

So why ratchet up the pressure now? To appease the media calling for Benitez' head? To be seen to be doing something? Who knows? It's Inter we're talking about after all. Logic doesn't live here.

Whatever happens, transition lies ahead, whether with Benitez or with somebody else at the helm. Lucio, Samuel, Cristian Chivu, Mancini (remember him?), Ivan Cordoba and Marco Materazzi all go out of contract at the end of this season or the next. Javier Zanetti does too (though when it comes to him, you don't rule out anything: heck, he's RoboCop, he'll probably play -- and well -- until he's 40).

The future belongs to Davide Santon (and -- as with Obiora Nwankwu, Joel Obi and Felcie Natalino -- it's crucial to figure if he's good enough or not), Andrea Ranocchia (what a boneheaded move it was to send him to Genoa this year!), Philippe Coutinho, McDonald Mariga and Rene Krhin (OK, he's been injured, but surely he would have come in handy: another Ranocchia-type lack of foresight).

Moratti and Benitez figured they could eke out another season or two out of last year's crew, but when Mourinho left, he evidently took the mojo with him. The question is whether you hand the rebuilding to Benitez or look elsewhere. You need someone -- whether it's Rafa or one of the other candidates -- who can do it through youth and on a shoestring. Get this decision wrong and Inter will feel the repercussions for a while.


Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/w ... z18734xAwi

[RomaShield27]

[Lombardiamia]

[Lombardiamia]

Oh BTW, Internacional have been eliminated yesterday by the African team. Dont know if its a good thing or not since I barely know anything about both teams. Surely though Internacional were much more quoted, therefore I suppose it is a good thing for us, hoping we dont screw up tonight. Surely at this point, if we dont win this competition Benitez will have to go no matter what. There is no excuse for us not to win against a Corean club and a Congolese..

[Totally FRANK]

I think the biggest problem we are going to face is us rather the opponents. If we play to at least 60-70% of our potential I am sure we can beat them.

I saw bits and pieces of the game yesterday, technically Internacional are the better team. They lacked some accuracy and luck in front of goal. Mazambe on the other hand are physical and both their goals were from moments of individual brilliance. If we are able to keep a large chunk of the possession and are good on set pieces and one on one's at the back we should be good enough to nick a win. That's if we get there by beating the Korean team.

[Messinterista]

Watched the match. We destroyed Seognam, who are a decent side in Asia. We started toying with them towards the end as we couldn't give a stuff, nor could they. Nice to see Milito on the score sheet again as well as a nice setup for Zanetti and Dejan. Sneijder got injured in the first minute and as soon as that happened Stankovic took his position and scored a nice goal. Im sure if Sneijder was still in that position he would have stuffed the shot. Sneijder will be out for the final. Whether thats a good thing or not, I'm not sure. Glad that we won.
I was really worried about Internacional as all South American teams consider this tournament life or death. Now that we have to face the African champions who beat Internacional, this should make for an interesting battle. Hoping we can get this win.

[Messinterista]

[Lombardiamia]

[RomaShield27]

Very good article on Ronaldo:

My Golden Boy: Ronaldo
– James Horncastle hails the phenomenal striker who became the first Brazilian to win the Golden Ball

Sandro Mazzola wasn’t at all convinced. The corners of his iconic moustache had no doubt been twisted over and over again while in deep thought, but to no avail. Il Baffo had just chaired one of the three or four scouting meetings he organised on a monthly basis following Massimo Moratti’s takeover of the club in February 1995. The season had just ended and plans were being put in place for the first summer spending spree under Inter’s new owner.

Outside the meeting in Bologna, a pair of journalists gathered having been reliably informed that Inter were keeping tabs on Ronaldo. When asked if that were true, Mazzola famously said: “I saw Brazil play against England the other evening and he touched the ball on a few occasions, maybe two or three times in all.” The journalists were incredulous. “Yes, Sandro,” they replied. “Ronaldo touched the ball three times. He scored a goal, hit the post and laid on an assist.”

Despite Mazzola’s reservations, Moratti’s appetite was whet and his soap-like love affair with a buck-toothed Brazilian began there and then. It was a courtship that was remarkable for its length, one that started in the spring of 1996 when Ronaldo flew to Milan ostensibly to take some time off after suffering the first of many knee injuries while at PSV Eindhoven. It later emerged he had visited Moratti’s offices and was presented with a gold key ring depicting the Inter badge, which became one of his prized possessions.

Ronaldo moved to Barcelona aged 19 that summer, his record in Holland standing at 51 goals in 52 games over a short yet sensational two-year spell. Before the deal’s completion, however, PSV had reportedly notified Moratti of Barcelona’s offer and asked if he would like to bid again. The Inter patron said ‘no’. Weeks later he would come to regret that decision, no more so than on October 12, 1996, when Ronaldo scored one of the goals of the decade with a serpentine dash from the half way line against Compostela.

Nike would use the footage of that performance for an advert with the following slogan: “Imagine asking God to make you the best footballer in the world… and God listened.” It’s worthwhile pausing here and reflecting on just how much excitement there was around Ronaldo at that particular moment in time. The nickname O Fenômeno felt entirely appropriate and as the millennium approached he seemed to represent a new dawn, the prototype of an insatiable all action 21st Century striker.

“If Romario is the past, the cybernetic football of Ronaldo belongs to the future,” wrote Jorge Valdano in his seminal book The Dream of Futbolandia. His forthright opinion was largely shared among the football intelligentsia in Spain after a season in which Ronaldo scored 39 goals in 44 games, dragging a Bobby Robson-coached Barcelona to victory in the Cup-Winners Cup. “There is only one moment when Ronaldo isn’t dangerous,” grimaced Juanma Lillo, the-then Oviedo tactician. “And that’s when he isn’t playing.”

Greatness beckoned for Ronaldo. He became the first Brazilian to win the Ballon d’Or and Moratti just couldn’t wait any longer. He had to have him at all costs. Inter were made aware of a buy-out clause in Ronaldo’s existing contract and when he refused to sign a new deal with Barcelona, the writing appeared to be on the wall. Luis Suarez travelled to Bolivia where Brazil were playing in the Copa America. He knocked on Ronaldo’s door at the team hotel and agreed terms.

But Barcelona wouldn’t give him up without a fight, even going so far as to take Inter before FIFA to halt the player’s departure. It was too late, though. Moratti finally got his man for a then world record fee of £19m and Ronaldo was coming to Serie A. But not everyone was happy with the move at Inter. “I don’t understand why they have signed another striker, seeing as we have so many already,” sighed Maurizio Ganz, whose disappointment was shared by Ivan Zamorano. Bam Bam’s way of welcoming Ronaldo was equally frosty – he refused to give up his No 9 shirt.

“Football is a false world,” Ronaldo said. “I can count my real friends on the fingers of one hand. You are in training camp for months: you sleep, wake up, eat together then a teammate won’t even call you. Zamorano and Moriero lived in the same apartment block as me, but I was never in their flat nor were they ever in mine. When I arrived at Inter some of the players formed a group to push me out.”

It was widely believed that Diego Simeone headed that group, the Argentine’s axe grinding against the preferential treatment meted out to Inter’s new star. His response to Ronaldo’s plea for clear-the-air talks was particularly blunt. “Perhaps he’s referring to the heating not working in the dressing room.” So it came as no surprise that when Lazio asked for a player in exchange during negotiations to sell Christian Vieri the following summer, Inter showed little hesitation in offering up Simeone as a sacrificial lamb.

Ronaldo had no such problem entering into the hearts of Inter’s fans. The Curva Nord was already singing “Oh oh oh Fenomeno” when his official debut came against Brescia on August 31, 1997. “At times people think I’m an alien, but it’s not like that,” he said. And yet the scoresheet suggested otherwise. Inter legend Walter Zenga had a word of advice for Gigi Simoni, devising a tactic that went as follows: “First get the ball to Ronaldo then tell his teammates to go and celebrate with him.” It worked. The Nerazzurri didn’t lose until December 21 and a first Scudetto since 1989 looked on the cards.

Then came Juventus, Mark Iuliano and that foul on Ronaldo, providing Italian football with the talking point of the decade. Inter lost 1-0 on April 26, 1998, in la grande ruberia – the so-called great thievery – and the title race was effectively over. Of course, on a personal level, Ronaldo’s first year in Italy was classified a success. He scored 31 goals in 44 games for the Nerazzurri including a memorable lob in the Derby della Madonnina, not to mention an often forgotten Compostela-like replica against Piacenza. He also helped deliver the first trophy of the second Moratti era – a UEFA Cup won in Paris at Lazio’s expense.

This in many ways was a watershed moment in his career – the age of innocence was about to be lost. After the mysterious convulsions before the ’98 World Cup Final came Ronaldo’s two serious knee injuries, the first suffered against Lecce on November 21, 1999, and the second tragically enough just seven minutes into his competitive return away to Lazio five months later. He wouldn’t be seen in Serie A again until November 4, 2001, his efforts to win the Scudetto coming to nothing when Inter torturously threw it all away on the final day of the season on May 5, 2002. It was all too much to bear.

And this is the point where the first Ronaldo ends and the second begins. Later that year he would win both the World Cup and the Ballon d’Or again and then become a Galactico at Real Madrid. The hat-trick he scored at Old Trafford, for which he received a standing ovation from the Manchester United fans, bore testament to his outstanding talent. But O Fenômeno was now morphing into a caricature called El Gordo, a figure of fun whose excess was unfortunately being allowed to eat away at his still remarkable legacy.

Posterity, however, should live on a diet of Ronaldo’s first five and a half years in Europe when his hunger was only for goals. After all, he scored no fewer than 136 in 164 club appearances all by the tender age of 23, a veritable phenomenon, don’t you think?

[Totally FRANK]

I think we had an average game partly because Cambiasso had a very average game. He wasn't at his usual standard and we suffered quite a bit in ball distribution from midfield because of that.

We are pretty poor from dead ball situations, we need to be better at that against Mazembe.

Even in current form I would prefer Sneijder in the trequartista position. Sneijder has this natural tendency to move towards the left wing and this gives Eto'o the option to cut inside to a central position where he is much more dangerous. Eto'o wasn't involved in the game much yesterday, he was involved in the action only in bits and pieces and I think that's partly because of Sneijder's absence. Also, Sneijder moving to the left creates a gap between him and Pandev which could be utilized by Stankovic like he did yesterday for the first goal. IMO the only good thing was that Motta came on and he gives some balance and calmness in the center of the pitch. We need to find a way to play Cambiasso, Stankovic and Motta together, preferably in a 4-3-1-2 formation.

[Messinterista]

Cassano's contract hasn't been terminated. He will be staying at Samp for the time being, with talk that they may welcome him back into the squad. The problem for anyone trying to buy him is that 5 mil will have to be paid to Real. I guess that takes us out of the running. Quite disappointed.