Internazionale Main Thread III

[Totally FRANK]

Inter Bid For Alexis Sanchez As Blaugrana Scout Watches Genoa-Udinese
- Barcelona could be set to enter race for Sanchez
- Blaugrana head scout present at Genoa-Udinese to watch Sanchez
- Sanchez considered perfect for Barca's 4-3-3
By Carlo Garganese & Kris Voakes

Barcelona are considering tabling a transfer bid for Chilean wing wizard Alexis Sanchez, with one of the Blaugrana’s head scouts present at Udinese’s Serie A match at Genoa, Goal.com International can reveal.

Sanchez has developed into one of Europe’s most explosive talents over the past few years and caught the world’s attention last summer with a series of electric displays for his country at the 2010 World Cup.

Manchester United and Inter have been long-term admirers of the 22-year-old, but speculation has intensified over the last 48 hours that the European and world champions are closing in on a €25 million January deal for Sanchez.

Inter coach Leonardo even confessed his admiration for the ex-River Plate starlet on Friday, declaring that he was a “great player” who could have a similar impact on the Nerazzurri as January arrival Antonio Cassano has on Milan.

But Barcelona are considering hijacking Inter’s proposed move, and sent one of their head scouts to Udinese’s Serie A game against Genoa on Sunday afternoon. Sanchez scored in a 4-2 victory.

Blaugrana coach Pep Guardiola believes that Sanchez is a perfect fit for the Spanish champions’ 4-3-3 formation, and has all the attributes – pace, skill, dribbling, and quick feet – to light up La Liga.

Although Sanchez’s favoured role is on the right wing – Lionel Messi’s original position – the Chilean also excels on the left of the trident, and fits in to Barcelona’s total football philosophy with his ability to shift around different areas of the attack effortlessly.

Udinese are desperate to keep hold of Sanchez until the end of the season at least, a wish that Barcelona would be prepared to grant as they are happy to add the Chilean to their roster for the beginning of the 2011-12 season.

Sanchez has scored 13 goals in 95 games in his Udinese career so far. His former clubs include Cobreloa, Colo-Colo and River Plate.

[Messinterista]

Eto'o has become our Ibrahimovic of a few years ago. If Sneijder can hit the half form he had last year as well as Milito and Eto'o keeps going at all guns blazing we will continue our climb back up the ladder. Although, I don't want to speak too soon.

[Lombardiamia]

In summer I was having a discussion with Maro about how I thought Eto'o to be an excellent striker, but not a great one......Maro if you're reading this.......I take my words back completely. Eto'o is in a class of his own currently...and not only in Italy. He is surpassing my expectations.

[maro]

Yeah, it's a pity he's so good. What a cnut. I think I just had the advantage of following his exploits for Barca fairly closely - since I've always had a soft spot for Barca - and I think there was a general agreement among the more careful observers that while Ronaldinho was outstanding and got all the credit, Eto'o was probably still their single most important and decisive player. Three or four years ago I said I thought that he was the player whose arrival would have made the single greatest difference at Roma - not that he was necessarily the best player in the world, but that his pace and ability leading the line in front of Totti would have been something wonderful for Romanisti to watch. Given the struggles the other supposedly top strikers are having at the moment, it would be hard to argue that he isn't the best striker in the world at the moment (though I guess Villa's also playing well and Ibra's back to his Serie A-effective best, much as I don't like many aspects of his game).

[vtec]

would you not consider messi and c.ron strikers? they are both scoring goals at an unprecedented rate.

[maro]

I wasn't considering them as strikers, no, though I can understand why one might and they're certainly remarkable goal-scorers. I guess I think of them more as wing-forwards or trequartisti, though you could call them second strikers, for sure; here I was thinking rather more of true primi punti.

[Lombardiamia]

Me too, I dont like to think about Messi & CR as strikers, much like I dont like to think about Eto'o to be a wide forward, like he used to play last season and even sometimes this season. Eto'o is the pure central striker, and at his current form, I can't see anyone better, currently. Sure, then again I dont see much international football, so Villa or anyone else could be doing just as good.
Ibra....he certainly is a great striker, but IMO he takes away from the team he plays with just as much as he gives. He can score loads, give assists, create by himself....but at the same time he makes his team a little too one-dimensional, too Ibra-dependant, whereas someone like Eto'o has the capability to improve one's 'giuoco'....to finish a team's effort more brilliantly. That's the difference between the 2 IMO.

[RomaShield27]

Gents, as you know Dejan has been away for a while now, so is everyone cool with making Messinese Interista your new Inter mod? Its been ongoing for a while now and we've discussed it a bit with a few of the lads so it should be all cool. MI has generously offered to help out. Hopefully we see Dejan back at some stage.

[Totally FRANK]

Sounds good to me.

[Lombardiamia]

You know my answer Shield...As for Briz I dont think he'd have any objections.

Back to Inter, tonight we play one the matches we've missed last december, against Cesena. T.Motta will be rested, so I believe Mariga will be given a starting spot. Also it might be that Ranocchia starts instead of Cordoba, since he has had some small physical problems. Cesena are dangerous, because they are one of those sides who literally park the bus infront of their goalie and only come out for quick counters. They have a very fast forward/winger in Giacherini and an old acquantice of ours, Jimenez. We'll need to take our opportunities, especially at the start of the match, cause if there's a stalemate till after 50-60 mins., everything will become harder on us.

P.S. Welcome back to Italy for the great Diego Simeone!!

[Messinterista]

[Totally FRANK]

We weren't that good today. After Milito departed we were quite poor (Btw, I hope its nothing serious). Stankovic had a bad game and Materazzi should never play in Serie A again. Even after Cesena were reduced to 10 men we kept playing at the back inviting danger all the time rather than passing the ball around in the Cesena half. Finally, Biabiany is not Inter material but Obi had a really good influence on the game. His contract runs out at the end of this season, it would be idiotic to let him go.

Ranocchia should have played but its quite stupid that we don't have a clear rule for this sort of thing. http://www.football-italia.net/jan19v.html

[Messinterista]

Matrix is there for two reasons (under my impression). Should always be a benchie and thats it...
1 Adds to our Italian count
2 the players love his antics?

Relief that we scraped the win. But this Ranocchia rule needs to be ironed out because we still have a match to play against Fiorentina that won't be a walk in the park, especially against Sinisa.

Biabany will most probably stay as a squad player because its cheaper to keep him than to sell him and buy another squad player. He was still playing for us when we had that bad run of injuries and even then he wasn't that great.
He just made up the numbers. Obi, on the other hand, should get a contract extension.

[Lombardiamia]

Agreed with Frank that we had a rather poor game bar a couple of individual performances (mainly Eto'o, Maicon & Chivu). Stankovic had a really bad game, but one has to consider that it's difficult for him to always play in a different role around the midfield. He has an excuse. Materazzi on the other hand doesn't. He's hurting us real bad this season whenever he's played. Practically I remember he's started more or less 3 games this season. First there was the derby, in which he gifted Milan with the winning penalty, then was the game against Parma, where he literally gifted 2 goals and numerous other blunders which Parma didnt take and this one....where he was hands down the worst player on the pitch. Luckily there are rumours that he will retire by the end of the season.
Obi is a player I like, but it seems the club doesnt have much faith in him as he is always mentioned in deals for the big guns. Biabiany would have fitted nicely in a team like Cesena....but for Christ's sake, not at Inter...

[Totally FRANK]

Milito has a first degree muscle strain and is supposedly out for 10 days. We definitely need to get another striker during this window. If Sanchez is not coming then we should at least try and get someone on loan or go for one of Fabiano or Forlan. We have just got Eto'o and Pandev now and one can't expect Eto'o to be in stellar form every three days.

[Lombardiamia]

We can forget any player to be bought out of simple necessity, unless he is young, talented and money-wise worth it. Therefore the likes of Luis Fabiano or Forlan are definately not targets for us. Sanchez is a target but unless Udinese let him go now (which apparently isn't the case) and lower their expectations, he wont be joining us.
Really these are the criteria where a player becomes a real Inter target - young, talented and a money-wise worth it investment. Anyone else is off our radar, whether we desperately need a player or not.

[Totally FRANK]

So we are just going to wing it like this. A Milito with niggling injuries, eventually a tired Eto'o, in and out of form Pandev and a not Inter material Biabiany. I don't have high expectations in the Champions but we will find it very difficult even to compete in the league if one of Eto'o or Milito gets sidelined with a long term injury. Even these niggling injuries could cost us as Milito will miss the Udinese game who are in a rich vein of form. We must at least promote Alibec to the first team for the rest of the season.

[Messinterista]

Unfortunately so. Moratti and Branca have said a few times that Ranocchia would be the only buy this window. Hopefully now with Milito showing signs that he might be in and out of the team this season, they may reconsider. With Man City buying big still (recently got Dzeko) surely they'd have some strikers available for a decent price? Adebayor on loan even?

[zafferano]

[Messinterista]

All Inter talk goes in the Internazionale Main Threads.
Locking.