I can understand that we have a strong squad and are the reigning Italian and European champions as well as Italian Cup winners. I also do not know the details of our financial state and I am aware that we are planning for when the FIFA financial fair play regulations come into play. However, did our treble winning side need reinforcements in the summer after such a successful season? Yes, for three reasons:
1. Lack of Motivation
It takes a lot to motivate players who have won everything. When a team is chasing objectives motivation is at its highest. Once obtained and a team are the champions is it harder to motivate players to retain titles than chase what has as of yet been not been obtained. Before we won the Champions League we were extremely motivated to win it despite being four time Italian champions as the Champions League is the richest prize in the game. Motivational levels amongst certain players who may have wanted to move to seek new challenges after winning everything with us last season is also likely to be low. Then there is our new manager, Rafa Benitez. One of the biggest contributing factors to our treble winning season was the ability of Mourinho to motivate players to consistently perform at the highest level. This is not a reflection of Benitez’s ability as any manager we hired would never have the same motivational levels as Mourinho. Bentiez’s job to motivate is even harder as he has to motivate a team that last season won everything. Furthermore, the lack of purchases may have an adverse effect on our team’s motivation. If the board are unwilling to strengthen our team then maybe the players will feel our club’s hierarchy are satisfied with what we have won and are reluctant to continue striving for success to the extent that they have done in previous years.
2. Quality in Squad Depth
We have one of the best starting line ups in the world. However, last season we dropped a lot of points in Serie A from late winter and all the way through spring competing in three competitions due to tiredness, fatigue and Mourinho’s refusal to rotate the squad. If he did rotate the squad then we still may not have collected many more points due to the quality of ‘fringe players’ and the lack of playing time they received to gel within our team. This summer we sold some good players fringe players that could have been useful in squad rotation when competing in three competitions, notably Quaresma and Balotelli, and we failed to replace them. At centre back Cordoba and Materazzi are not getting any younger and their ability is on the decline. At full back we still failed to sign anyone, despite it being a problem position for us for a number of seasons, same with an attacking a creativity centre midfielder with flair. Our biggest problem lies upfront. Milito and Eto are fantastic, but they cannot play every game next season at the highest level. With Balotelli now gone and not replaced our only strikers are Pandev, Suazo and Biabiany, which certainly do not have the quality or ability to consistently perform and score at the highest level. Coutinho has arrived and can fortunately be a substitute to Sneijder, but he is very inexperienced at this level and will not make an immediate impact.
3. Strengthening of our Rivals
We had the strongest squad in Serie A by far until the final week of the transfer window. Then Roma signed Nicolas Burdisso and Marco Borriello and Milan signed Zlatan Ibrahimovc and Robinho. Roma almost won the scudetto last season taking us to the final game of the season. Although Luca Toni has left they have signed Burdisso permanently, who was a revelation for them last season as well as Adriano (questions marks remain over his fitness and motivation levels) and Borriello making their strike force look very enticing. Milan have played a very good chess game. Appear weak so their opponents do not think they will be key challengers until the closing stages of the transfer window and then they sign two quality players when there are not many quality players available at such a late stage for their rivals to sign in order to compete. If we had decided to move for players earlier in the summer then more quality players would have been available to us, such as Silva, Ozil and Gourcuff, but not in the final week or even the final day of the transfer window. We still have the best overall squad in Serie A, but the gap between us and the rest has narrowed. I predict that Milan will score more goals than us and goals win games. Whether that will be enough for them to end our five year reign over Italian football we shall have to see.
Thursday, 2 September 2010
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
Inter Milan 2010 Season Review
Here is my review of our team, along with a rating out of ten for each player, in what has been our best and most successful season in my twenty four year living memory.
Goal Keepers
Cesar = Last season he established himself as one of, if not the best goal keeper in the world, so living up to the leaps and bounds of his development and performances last season was always going to be difficult. He made a good start to the season, but dipped in form during middle and cost us some valuable points with some uncharacteristic errors. Nevertheless, at the end of the season he showed his quality and experience when we needed it most. He made vital saves in the Champions League, notably on Messi against Barcelona and on Olic and Robben in the final against Bayern Munich which were significant moments in helping us capture Champions League glory. His save on Ronaldinho’s penalty in the second Milan derby which we won 2-0 finishing the game with ten men was also a highlight.
Rating - 8.5.
Toldo = Rarely featured due to being back up to one of the best goal keepers in the world. When called upon he has been dependable, but less reliable than in recent seasons due to lack of playing time and the fact that his age is showing. Still, has remained an experienced professional who I am sure is a good influence in the dressing room and will continue to be so if he remains next season. Watching him, one of the longest serving members of our current team, celebrate the Champions League success was touching.
Rating – 5.
Defenders
Maicon = Similar to Cesar, established himself as the best player in the world in his position last season, so set expectations high. Not as consistent as last season, but more often than not he did demonstrate why he is the best right back in the world. Similarly to Cesar, he came good at the end of the season when we needed him to. Despite showing inconsistent form a few times this season, at the business end of the season he upped his performance levels. Not only was if an ever present threat down the right wing, but he scored vital goals against Juventus, our goal and Serie A goal of the season, and Barcelona to keep our hopes alive in Serie A and the Champions League.
Rating – 8.5.
Lucio = An excellent purchase. I feel he cemented himself as the best centre back in the world with his performances in the Champions League this season. His performance in the first leg of the first round against Chelsea was the single best individual defensive display I have ever seen in my life as football fan. He was also immense in the second leg and the second leg against Barcelona. He has formed a formidable centre back partnership with Samuel. We have been lacking a centre back of his quality and attributes that could take us up to the next level. Occasionally he showed lapses in concentration and his positioning was off, but no where near as often as the vast majority of centre backs in the world. His performances are one of the main reasons we won the treble, especially the Champions League.
Rating – 9.5.
Samuel = Excellent season. Solid. Strong. Consistent. Composed. Formed the best centre back pairing in the world alongside Lucio as they both have so much quality and their characteristics compliment each other perfectly. With the best right back in the world and the ever present and consistently high performer Zanetti, we have the best defence in the world, and arguably the best goal keeper in the world behind them. It was such quality defensive skills exploited by Mourinho that was one of the biggest reasons we won the Champions League. Also cored a few goals, notably the vital last minute goal against Siena.
Rating – 9.5
Zanetti = Perfect season. Flawless. A fantastic captain’s display. Whether he was playing in centre midfield or left back he gave everything, played with his heart on his sleeve and did so with all the quality of one of he best players in the world and of his generation. Against Barcelona in both legs he contributed to limiting Messi, the best player in the world. He has played at a consistently high level ever since he made his debut for us as a twenty three year old. At the age of thirty seven he is truly an exceptional and outstanding player. He never loses possession. He never gets injured or has fitness worries. No other player deserved to win the Champions League more than him. It defies belief that he has not been called up for the World Cup.
Rating – 10.
Cordoba = Deteriorated last season, which was one of the main reasons Lucio was purchased. Since Lucio’s arrival he has become a defensive utility player and has played far less than in previous seasons. When called upon at centre back he has been his usual dependable self. However, since Chivu’s injury Mourinho played him at left back a few times, where he has looked uncomfortable both defensively and offensively. Still, despite his lack of playing time he has remained a professional, not complained (like certain Inter Milan players past and present), and did not request a transfer amongst speculation of a move to Manchester City during the January transfer window when Mancini took over as manager.
Rating – 5.5.
Materazzi = Similarly to Cordoba, played less than in previous seasons, but when called upon has been dependable and not complained about his lack of playing time. Has also provided valuable advice to Balotelli and set an example for the young striker to follow. However, there was an ugly and highly questionable confrontation with Balotelli after the first leg of the Champions League semi final against Barcelona. Still, you could see the joy and happiness on his face celebrating our Champions League victory coming from the pride he has representing our club for so many years.
Rating – 5.5.
Chivu = Chivu is a centre back, not a left back. He played left back in nearly every game in both the 4-3-1-2 and 4-3-3 formation we played this season where full backs are required to attack a lot down the wing, and he has no attacking attributes. He played very well defensively (unlike Maxwell last season), but offensively he offered little. He picked up not only a career threatening, but also a life threatening injury. He came back far quicker than anybody thought, and came back with confidence and an strong mentality, which I give him full credit, especially as a defender, as other players who have suffered such injuries take a long time to recover their confidence from, such as Cech. Since his return at the end of the season he always performed well defensively when called upon. He did a pretty good job and limiting Robben’s effectiveness in the Champions League final.
Rating – 7.5.
Santon = Had a pretty bad start to the season. I think he got caught up in the hype of his wonderful debut season and the call up to the Italy squad for the 2009 Confederations Cup, which had a negative effect on his performances at the beginning of the season. His performance in the game against Palermo in the San Siro is a prime example. He also lost his confidence. He suffered a relatively serve injury that kept him out for a couple of months. He also complained about his lack of playing time as he wanted to go to the 2010 South Africa World Cup with Italy. Yet, Chivu’s horrible long term injury was a blessing in disguise for him and for Inter Milan. Santon took taken his place at left back alot during his absence and reproduced the form that made him a house hold name last season. He showed an equal balance between defence and attack, and played with maturity, purpose and quality. His most notable performance was as a second half substitute away to Parma. He made up for his bad start to the season with his performances in January and February. Unfortunately he got injured in near the end of the season which cost him playing our way to out treble success and his World Cup place, which is surely would have got had he been fit and playing regular football.
Rating – 7.
Midfielders
Cambiasso = Proved that he is the best defensive midfielder in the world this season. Played with so much quality, passion and pride. Always closed down. Always tracked back. Won 90% of his tackles. Contributed defensively, offensively and in our build up play. Scored a vital goal in the first leg of the Champions League first round against Chelsea. One of the major reasons the likes of Drogba, Lampard, Messi and Robben were kept quite when the played against us. Did his job pretty much perfectly all season. It is a damn shame he has not been called up to the World Cup.
Rating – 10.
Stankovic = I feared he would struggle when we signed Sneijder as he would a) get less playing time, and b) perform less well considering he was moved back into centre midfield after playing behind the two strikers for the previous three seasons. However, just like when he was written off when Mourinho first joined Inter he has proved me wrong yet again. He was in stunning form during the first half of the season, probably because he was moved back into his natural position: centre midfield. He showed experience and quality by rarely giving anything away and always looking to start moves and keep moves flowing. He scored five goals this season, including a characteristic goal in the first Milan derby (a great long shot) and a fantastic long shot from pretty much the half way line away to Genoa. Unfortunately he sustained a relatively serious injury, and when he returned he did not display the same form he did in the first half of the season. Nevertheless, he always tried his best and bought experience to the table when called upon.
Rating – 8.
Sneijder = Another excellent purchase. Finally, we have an attacking midfielder with the quality, technical ability, vision, creativity and positioning that we have been so desperate for in recent seasons. He has proved to me since being at Inter that he is one of the best set piece takers in the world. He has scored important goals against the likes of Dynamo Kiev, Siena, CKSA Moscow and Barcelona, and when he does not play the team suffered as he links up play between our midfielders and our strikers excellently. My only criticism of Sneijder so far is that he was sent off three times this season, most of them for dissent. He really needs to stamp that out of his game because we are lost and at a big disadvantage without him. He is such an important part of our system that when he is absent we struggle to create chances and our overall performance suffers.
Rating = 9.5.
Thiago Motta = A questionable purchase, but established himself well during the season. Struggled to make an impact in the first half of the season, despite scoring the opening goal in the first Milan derby. He took longer to adapt and make an impact compared to our other signings, but finally in the second half of the season he did show signs of why Mourinho signed him. He played very well in the second leg against Chelsea and scored some important goals, notably his brace against Bologna. Developed from a squad player at the beginning of the season into an important team player at the end of the season. It was shame he missed out on playing in the Champions League final in the way he did.
Rating – 8.
Quaresma = Hardly used. When he came on as a second half substitute against Barcelona in the Nou Camp during the group stage of the Champions League he was our best and most dangerous player. That earned him starting place in the following Serie A game against Fiorentina, when again he was our best and most dangerous player. Unfortunately for him and for Inter, he got injured in that game for a couple of months. Since his return from injury he has only made a few substitute appearances, where he has showed the form he did last season resulting in him being branded a flop. Played very well against Livorno in only his second start of the season, but was not rewarded with another starting place.
Rating - 5.
Muntari = Last season he was our best signing. Not just because the other two were Mancini and Quaresma, but because he played well. This season he was a shadow of his former self. He literally did nothing right in any game he played in this season, other than setting up Eto’s goal in the second game against Juvenuts. Even his only goal this season was a fluke. There is a good way and a bad way to play as a defensive midfielder. Muntari does it in a bad way by rarely winning the ball without fouling a player, is clumsy, loses possession, gets booked pretty much every game, gives away needless free kicks and has a problem with dissent. Collecting two yellow cards and getting sent of eighty seconds after coming on as a substitute against Catania, a game which we subsequently lost, exemplified this. It is not surprising that in pretty much every game that he started this season Mourinho substituted him at half time. He can be replaced by so many players in the world for not too much money. He is strong and powerful with no technical ability. He is a perfect Premier League player, coincidently the league he has been linked with a move to.
Rating – 3.
Krhin = A young player who rarely played. Only made three appearances this season, two as a substitute. When he has played he has not done anything to shout about, but he did not do anything wrong. He did his job and what was asked of him.
Rating - 5.
Mariga = Only played half a season as we signed him during the January transfer window. When played he played fairly well by doing what was asked of him. Nothing too exciting, but he has done nothing wrong. Promising movement and agility. Finished the season with a goal. He is more of a centre midfielder than a defensive midfielder. Far less of a liability than Muntari.
Rating – 6.
Strikers
Milito = Another excellent purchase. Purchased to play alongside Ibrahimovic, but when he was sold added pressure was put on his shoulders to deliver the goals the world class Ibrahimovic did for many seasons for us, and he did not fail to deliver. Instantly he showed he was one of the most clinical strikers in the world, and by the end of the season he is arguably the most clinical striker in the world. He has strength, vision, finishing, pace, dribbling ability, technique, quick feet, agility, tenacity, persistence, and heading ability. He is a complete striker. His goals were so important to us winning the treble. He scored the winning goals in the Coppa Italia final, our last Serie A game of the season and the Champions League final. He delivers in big games. However, goals are not the only thing he gives us. He will run the entire game, hold up the ball and put constant pressure on the opposition’s defenders for the entire ninety minutes (as shown against Barcelona in the Champions League semi final second leg). He tracks back, wins possession, contributes in build up play and provides assists for team mates (he scored one and set up two in the first leg of the Champions League semi final against Barcelona).
Rating – 10.
Eto = Arrived with extremely high expectations due to his success and goals at Barcelona, and because he was seen as Ibrahimovic’s replacement as he was part of the part exchange deal. He did not score the amount of goals he did at Barcelona, but at the end of the season he is held in just as high regard as if he did because of what he does on the pitch and offers to the team other than goals. He has excellent movement and positioning, never stops running, runs all over the pitch for ninety minutes, tracks back to win the ball from any area of the pitch, has quick pace, sparks counter attacks and is heavily involved in build up play. Like Milito, he also holds the ball up well and constantly puts pressure on opposing defenders. Although he did not score the amount of goals many expected, he did score some very important goals for us, especially the only goal in the Champions League first round second leg against Chelsea. He also scored against Rubin Kazan in our final Champions League game that we needed to win and scored in both Serie A games against Juventus. He brought composure and experience of being a top quality striker and how to perform and deliver in big games.
Rating – 9.
Balotelli – A rollercoaster season decorated in controversy. Started well, then Mourinho fell out with him as he did not listen to his instructions. Finally got back into the team, but more controversy soon followed with the Milan shirt incident and the Inter shirt throwing incident at the end of the Champions League semi final first leg against Barcelona. In between these incidents we saw some moments of quality attacking play from him demonstrating that he is one of the best young players in world football, for example his stunning free kick in the crucial game at the San Siro against Rubin Kazan. However, numerous times he has been extremely lazy on the pitch. Giving up too easily, not chasing balls, being selfish, supplying poor crosses, and not listening to his manager’s orders, generally showing that he was not a team player. Finally, at the end of the season he actually showed he would listen to Mourinho’s orders and work for the team on the pitch, as well as sincerely apologising to the Inter family for his actions after the Barcelona game. Hopefully this is a sign he is maturing and developing in the right way. There maybe light at the end of the tunnel.
Rating – 7.5
Pandev = A great January signing, on a free contract. Gave a new dimensions to our attack as he is a forward and not a centre forward like Milito and Eto. He also allowed Mourinho to play three strikers at once. He had shown good movement, good awareness, and has scored quite a few goals initially, thus making an immediate impact. His impact was not as effective as the season progressed. He has the bad habit of dribbling with his head down and running into opposing players and loosing possession, and his finishing is not as clinical as Milito’s, as demonstrated against Parma, Napoli and in the first leg of the Champions League quarter final first leg against CSKA Moscow.
Rating – 7.5.
Arnautovic = Made only a handful of substitute appearances. When he has played he has done his job and not done much wrong. He was part of the build up for Samuel’s dramatic last minute winning goal against Siena in the San Siro. As part of his loan agreement he had to start ten games this season to make his loan deal permanent, so he will return to FC Twente in the summer, which I will not lose any sleep over.
Rating – 5.
Manager
Mourinho – Fantastic management skills on display this season. Excellent purchases. Extremely effective tactics. Great motivator. Disciplined. Good handling of the media. Amazing handling of pressure. We all know how good he is. He was hired to achieve the next level success with us and he did that. Nothing else needs to be added.
Rating – 10.
Regards,
Luke Best.
Goal Keepers
Cesar = Last season he established himself as one of, if not the best goal keeper in the world, so living up to the leaps and bounds of his development and performances last season was always going to be difficult. He made a good start to the season, but dipped in form during middle and cost us some valuable points with some uncharacteristic errors. Nevertheless, at the end of the season he showed his quality and experience when we needed it most. He made vital saves in the Champions League, notably on Messi against Barcelona and on Olic and Robben in the final against Bayern Munich which were significant moments in helping us capture Champions League glory. His save on Ronaldinho’s penalty in the second Milan derby which we won 2-0 finishing the game with ten men was also a highlight.
Rating - 8.5.
Toldo = Rarely featured due to being back up to one of the best goal keepers in the world. When called upon he has been dependable, but less reliable than in recent seasons due to lack of playing time and the fact that his age is showing. Still, has remained an experienced professional who I am sure is a good influence in the dressing room and will continue to be so if he remains next season. Watching him, one of the longest serving members of our current team, celebrate the Champions League success was touching.
Rating – 5.
Defenders
Maicon = Similar to Cesar, established himself as the best player in the world in his position last season, so set expectations high. Not as consistent as last season, but more often than not he did demonstrate why he is the best right back in the world. Similarly to Cesar, he came good at the end of the season when we needed him to. Despite showing inconsistent form a few times this season, at the business end of the season he upped his performance levels. Not only was if an ever present threat down the right wing, but he scored vital goals against Juventus, our goal and Serie A goal of the season, and Barcelona to keep our hopes alive in Serie A and the Champions League.
Rating – 8.5.
Lucio = An excellent purchase. I feel he cemented himself as the best centre back in the world with his performances in the Champions League this season. His performance in the first leg of the first round against Chelsea was the single best individual defensive display I have ever seen in my life as football fan. He was also immense in the second leg and the second leg against Barcelona. He has formed a formidable centre back partnership with Samuel. We have been lacking a centre back of his quality and attributes that could take us up to the next level. Occasionally he showed lapses in concentration and his positioning was off, but no where near as often as the vast majority of centre backs in the world. His performances are one of the main reasons we won the treble, especially the Champions League.
Rating – 9.5.
Samuel = Excellent season. Solid. Strong. Consistent. Composed. Formed the best centre back pairing in the world alongside Lucio as they both have so much quality and their characteristics compliment each other perfectly. With the best right back in the world and the ever present and consistently high performer Zanetti, we have the best defence in the world, and arguably the best goal keeper in the world behind them. It was such quality defensive skills exploited by Mourinho that was one of the biggest reasons we won the Champions League. Also cored a few goals, notably the vital last minute goal against Siena.
Rating – 9.5
Zanetti = Perfect season. Flawless. A fantastic captain’s display. Whether he was playing in centre midfield or left back he gave everything, played with his heart on his sleeve and did so with all the quality of one of he best players in the world and of his generation. Against Barcelona in both legs he contributed to limiting Messi, the best player in the world. He has played at a consistently high level ever since he made his debut for us as a twenty three year old. At the age of thirty seven he is truly an exceptional and outstanding player. He never loses possession. He never gets injured or has fitness worries. No other player deserved to win the Champions League more than him. It defies belief that he has not been called up for the World Cup.
Rating – 10.
Cordoba = Deteriorated last season, which was one of the main reasons Lucio was purchased. Since Lucio’s arrival he has become a defensive utility player and has played far less than in previous seasons. When called upon at centre back he has been his usual dependable self. However, since Chivu’s injury Mourinho played him at left back a few times, where he has looked uncomfortable both defensively and offensively. Still, despite his lack of playing time he has remained a professional, not complained (like certain Inter Milan players past and present), and did not request a transfer amongst speculation of a move to Manchester City during the January transfer window when Mancini took over as manager.
Rating – 5.5.
Materazzi = Similarly to Cordoba, played less than in previous seasons, but when called upon has been dependable and not complained about his lack of playing time. Has also provided valuable advice to Balotelli and set an example for the young striker to follow. However, there was an ugly and highly questionable confrontation with Balotelli after the first leg of the Champions League semi final against Barcelona. Still, you could see the joy and happiness on his face celebrating our Champions League victory coming from the pride he has representing our club for so many years.
Rating – 5.5.
Chivu = Chivu is a centre back, not a left back. He played left back in nearly every game in both the 4-3-1-2 and 4-3-3 formation we played this season where full backs are required to attack a lot down the wing, and he has no attacking attributes. He played very well defensively (unlike Maxwell last season), but offensively he offered little. He picked up not only a career threatening, but also a life threatening injury. He came back far quicker than anybody thought, and came back with confidence and an strong mentality, which I give him full credit, especially as a defender, as other players who have suffered such injuries take a long time to recover their confidence from, such as Cech. Since his return at the end of the season he always performed well defensively when called upon. He did a pretty good job and limiting Robben’s effectiveness in the Champions League final.
Rating – 7.5.
Santon = Had a pretty bad start to the season. I think he got caught up in the hype of his wonderful debut season and the call up to the Italy squad for the 2009 Confederations Cup, which had a negative effect on his performances at the beginning of the season. His performance in the game against Palermo in the San Siro is a prime example. He also lost his confidence. He suffered a relatively serve injury that kept him out for a couple of months. He also complained about his lack of playing time as he wanted to go to the 2010 South Africa World Cup with Italy. Yet, Chivu’s horrible long term injury was a blessing in disguise for him and for Inter Milan. Santon took taken his place at left back alot during his absence and reproduced the form that made him a house hold name last season. He showed an equal balance between defence and attack, and played with maturity, purpose and quality. His most notable performance was as a second half substitute away to Parma. He made up for his bad start to the season with his performances in January and February. Unfortunately he got injured in near the end of the season which cost him playing our way to out treble success and his World Cup place, which is surely would have got had he been fit and playing regular football.
Rating – 7.
Midfielders
Cambiasso = Proved that he is the best defensive midfielder in the world this season. Played with so much quality, passion and pride. Always closed down. Always tracked back. Won 90% of his tackles. Contributed defensively, offensively and in our build up play. Scored a vital goal in the first leg of the Champions League first round against Chelsea. One of the major reasons the likes of Drogba, Lampard, Messi and Robben were kept quite when the played against us. Did his job pretty much perfectly all season. It is a damn shame he has not been called up to the World Cup.
Rating – 10.
Stankovic = I feared he would struggle when we signed Sneijder as he would a) get less playing time, and b) perform less well considering he was moved back into centre midfield after playing behind the two strikers for the previous three seasons. However, just like when he was written off when Mourinho first joined Inter he has proved me wrong yet again. He was in stunning form during the first half of the season, probably because he was moved back into his natural position: centre midfield. He showed experience and quality by rarely giving anything away and always looking to start moves and keep moves flowing. He scored five goals this season, including a characteristic goal in the first Milan derby (a great long shot) and a fantastic long shot from pretty much the half way line away to Genoa. Unfortunately he sustained a relatively serious injury, and when he returned he did not display the same form he did in the first half of the season. Nevertheless, he always tried his best and bought experience to the table when called upon.
Rating – 8.
Sneijder = Another excellent purchase. Finally, we have an attacking midfielder with the quality, technical ability, vision, creativity and positioning that we have been so desperate for in recent seasons. He has proved to me since being at Inter that he is one of the best set piece takers in the world. He has scored important goals against the likes of Dynamo Kiev, Siena, CKSA Moscow and Barcelona, and when he does not play the team suffered as he links up play between our midfielders and our strikers excellently. My only criticism of Sneijder so far is that he was sent off three times this season, most of them for dissent. He really needs to stamp that out of his game because we are lost and at a big disadvantage without him. He is such an important part of our system that when he is absent we struggle to create chances and our overall performance suffers.
Rating = 9.5.
Thiago Motta = A questionable purchase, but established himself well during the season. Struggled to make an impact in the first half of the season, despite scoring the opening goal in the first Milan derby. He took longer to adapt and make an impact compared to our other signings, but finally in the second half of the season he did show signs of why Mourinho signed him. He played very well in the second leg against Chelsea and scored some important goals, notably his brace against Bologna. Developed from a squad player at the beginning of the season into an important team player at the end of the season. It was shame he missed out on playing in the Champions League final in the way he did.
Rating – 8.
Quaresma = Hardly used. When he came on as a second half substitute against Barcelona in the Nou Camp during the group stage of the Champions League he was our best and most dangerous player. That earned him starting place in the following Serie A game against Fiorentina, when again he was our best and most dangerous player. Unfortunately for him and for Inter, he got injured in that game for a couple of months. Since his return from injury he has only made a few substitute appearances, where he has showed the form he did last season resulting in him being branded a flop. Played very well against Livorno in only his second start of the season, but was not rewarded with another starting place.
Rating - 5.
Muntari = Last season he was our best signing. Not just because the other two were Mancini and Quaresma, but because he played well. This season he was a shadow of his former self. He literally did nothing right in any game he played in this season, other than setting up Eto’s goal in the second game against Juvenuts. Even his only goal this season was a fluke. There is a good way and a bad way to play as a defensive midfielder. Muntari does it in a bad way by rarely winning the ball without fouling a player, is clumsy, loses possession, gets booked pretty much every game, gives away needless free kicks and has a problem with dissent. Collecting two yellow cards and getting sent of eighty seconds after coming on as a substitute against Catania, a game which we subsequently lost, exemplified this. It is not surprising that in pretty much every game that he started this season Mourinho substituted him at half time. He can be replaced by so many players in the world for not too much money. He is strong and powerful with no technical ability. He is a perfect Premier League player, coincidently the league he has been linked with a move to.
Rating – 3.
Krhin = A young player who rarely played. Only made three appearances this season, two as a substitute. When he has played he has not done anything to shout about, but he did not do anything wrong. He did his job and what was asked of him.
Rating - 5.
Mariga = Only played half a season as we signed him during the January transfer window. When played he played fairly well by doing what was asked of him. Nothing too exciting, but he has done nothing wrong. Promising movement and agility. Finished the season with a goal. He is more of a centre midfielder than a defensive midfielder. Far less of a liability than Muntari.
Rating – 6.
Strikers
Milito = Another excellent purchase. Purchased to play alongside Ibrahimovic, but when he was sold added pressure was put on his shoulders to deliver the goals the world class Ibrahimovic did for many seasons for us, and he did not fail to deliver. Instantly he showed he was one of the most clinical strikers in the world, and by the end of the season he is arguably the most clinical striker in the world. He has strength, vision, finishing, pace, dribbling ability, technique, quick feet, agility, tenacity, persistence, and heading ability. He is a complete striker. His goals were so important to us winning the treble. He scored the winning goals in the Coppa Italia final, our last Serie A game of the season and the Champions League final. He delivers in big games. However, goals are not the only thing he gives us. He will run the entire game, hold up the ball and put constant pressure on the opposition’s defenders for the entire ninety minutes (as shown against Barcelona in the Champions League semi final second leg). He tracks back, wins possession, contributes in build up play and provides assists for team mates (he scored one and set up two in the first leg of the Champions League semi final against Barcelona).
Rating – 10.
Eto = Arrived with extremely high expectations due to his success and goals at Barcelona, and because he was seen as Ibrahimovic’s replacement as he was part of the part exchange deal. He did not score the amount of goals he did at Barcelona, but at the end of the season he is held in just as high regard as if he did because of what he does on the pitch and offers to the team other than goals. He has excellent movement and positioning, never stops running, runs all over the pitch for ninety minutes, tracks back to win the ball from any area of the pitch, has quick pace, sparks counter attacks and is heavily involved in build up play. Like Milito, he also holds the ball up well and constantly puts pressure on opposing defenders. Although he did not score the amount of goals many expected, he did score some very important goals for us, especially the only goal in the Champions League first round second leg against Chelsea. He also scored against Rubin Kazan in our final Champions League game that we needed to win and scored in both Serie A games against Juventus. He brought composure and experience of being a top quality striker and how to perform and deliver in big games.
Rating – 9.
Balotelli – A rollercoaster season decorated in controversy. Started well, then Mourinho fell out with him as he did not listen to his instructions. Finally got back into the team, but more controversy soon followed with the Milan shirt incident and the Inter shirt throwing incident at the end of the Champions League semi final first leg against Barcelona. In between these incidents we saw some moments of quality attacking play from him demonstrating that he is one of the best young players in world football, for example his stunning free kick in the crucial game at the San Siro against Rubin Kazan. However, numerous times he has been extremely lazy on the pitch. Giving up too easily, not chasing balls, being selfish, supplying poor crosses, and not listening to his manager’s orders, generally showing that he was not a team player. Finally, at the end of the season he actually showed he would listen to Mourinho’s orders and work for the team on the pitch, as well as sincerely apologising to the Inter family for his actions after the Barcelona game. Hopefully this is a sign he is maturing and developing in the right way. There maybe light at the end of the tunnel.
Rating – 7.5
Pandev = A great January signing, on a free contract. Gave a new dimensions to our attack as he is a forward and not a centre forward like Milito and Eto. He also allowed Mourinho to play three strikers at once. He had shown good movement, good awareness, and has scored quite a few goals initially, thus making an immediate impact. His impact was not as effective as the season progressed. He has the bad habit of dribbling with his head down and running into opposing players and loosing possession, and his finishing is not as clinical as Milito’s, as demonstrated against Parma, Napoli and in the first leg of the Champions League quarter final first leg against CSKA Moscow.
Rating – 7.5.
Arnautovic = Made only a handful of substitute appearances. When he has played he has done his job and not done much wrong. He was part of the build up for Samuel’s dramatic last minute winning goal against Siena in the San Siro. As part of his loan agreement he had to start ten games this season to make his loan deal permanent, so he will return to FC Twente in the summer, which I will not lose any sleep over.
Rating – 5.
Manager
Mourinho – Fantastic management skills on display this season. Excellent purchases. Extremely effective tactics. Great motivator. Disciplined. Good handling of the media. Amazing handling of pressure. We all know how good he is. He was hired to achieve the next level success with us and he did that. Nothing else needs to be added.
Rating – 10.
Regards,
Luke Best.
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Balotelli: Stay or Go?
There is no doubt Balotelli is one of the best young players in world football. He is incredibly talented at such a young age and can be a starter for any team in the world. He has pace, strength, good dribbling ability, is a strong finisher, has a powerful shot and is a reasonable free kick taker. He is also Italian and an Inter Milan youth product, which not only benefits us in terms of meeting the Champions League registration requirements, but also gives us a sense of national and team pride, something which we have been lacking in recent years due to the low amount of Italian players and Inter youth products. There is something very satisfying when a promising yet quality youth player comes into the first team. I can imagine it being a similar feeling to that a parent feels watching their offspring develop and become successful. You feel that particular sense pride which is stronger than in most instances, accompanied with a great desire for them to do well.
Yet it is precisely for that reason me, and the majority if not all Inter fans, feel let down and angry at Balotelli for his actions throughout this season, with his actions after the first leg of the Champions League semi final against Barcelona seemingly being the straw that broke the camel’s back. He is one of our own youth products, grown and nurtured by us due to the time and money invested in his development, so his recent actions really do feel like he has bitten the hand that fed him. Whether he becomes a footballing superstar or not, and if that happens at Inter or another club, we were the club that trained and tried to guide him. We were the club that gave him his big break. We were the club where he made his name. We were the club that stuck up for him when he was abused and when he made some of his mistakes. It is our fans that supported him when the rest of Italy was against him. For the most part we have only behaved in a way with his best intentions at heart, and for that he deserves to respect us for what we have done for him.
Reasons for his stay:
1. He is an Inter Milan youth product. He is a product of our development. He can also help us with our Champions League registration.
2. We have invested a lot of time and money into his development and by selling him now we will not get the benefits of such investments.
3. He is extremely talented and has the potential to become one of, if not the best player in the world, and I want that to happen in our team.
Reasons for us to sell him:
1. He has disrespected our team and in turn everything we have done for him on more than one occasion.
2. He brings unnecessary negative media attention which can upset the team.
3. He has a huge ego for a player of his age, experience and statue.
4. He does not listen to his team mates.
5. He does not listen to his manager.
6. He has stated his affection for our rival team Milan on more than one occasion, including the infamous shirt wearing incident.
7. He does not do what is asked of him no the pitch, such as tracking back and defending, which has at times reduced us to nine and a half men because he is only doing half his job and another team mate has to stop doing their job to tell him what to do.
8. He has released statements claiming that he does not really want to play for us, again despite everything we have done for him.
9. His agent, Mino Raiola, seems to be creating tension between his client and our club, which appears to be a way of orchestrating a move away from our club as this is a similar pattern of events to those which led up to Ibrahimovic’s departure last summer, who is another one of Raiola’s clients.
10. The Inter fans are against him and when the Inter faithful turn there backs on a player they make it very difficult for them to continue playing for us much longer. Our fans turned on Christian Vieri after he stopped celebrating scoring goals, despite him scoring 103 goals in 143 games during his Inter career, and at the end of the season he was sold.
Do I think he should stay or be sold? That is not my decision. However, if it was I would be inclined to sell him, only if we can sign a quality player in return, by which I mean one of Aguero, Cassano, Tevez, Van Persie or Benzema. I do not see the point in selling him a player if we cannot sign a player of the same or better standard to replace him.
I feel Balotelli has gone too far with his disrespectful actions. The booing and anger from our own fans towards him will not only make it difficult for him to perform, but it is also likely to negatively affect our other players, and the performance and concentration of our team cannot be jeopardised.
Furthermore, he still does not seem to be listening to Mourinho. Mourinho has told him time and time again what he needs to do to improve, but he still has not learnt. He still does not track back and defend, which shows he does not work for the team which makes our job a lot harder. Milito ran all he could in the first leg against Barcelona to the extent where he got cramp and physically could not run anymore. When Balotelli came on he lost possession and failed to track back and try and regain possession. This has happened numerous times throughout his Inter career. One time this season he lost possession and just sat on the ground watching the opposing team run towards our goal. In the second leg against of the Champions League semi final against Barcelona Milito ran his heart out for the entity of his game to put pressure on Barcelona’s defence and midfield, despite the fact that there were no goal scoring opportunities. If Balotelli had started that game there is absolutely no way he would have done the same amount of running, pressure applying, and tracking back that Milito did, and as a result Barcelona would have had more possession and would have stood a far better chance of knocking us out.
If Mourinho, one of the best man managers and motivators in the world, cannot get Balotelli to learn to become a team player then which manager can? I think it is time to give another manager a chance. I do not think Mourinho and Balotelli can work well together at the same club, so if Mourinho stays then I think it would be best if Balotelli leaves. If it comes down to Mourinho vs Balotelli I would choose Mourinho every time.
If Balotelli stays then I will respect Moratti and Mourinho’s decision, but Balotelli is going to have to do an awful lot to convince me, and the rest of the Inter fans, that it was the right decision to keep him and to repay the damage his actions have caused. I will give him a chance to do this, but he has a long way to go to gain our forgiveness.
Yet it is precisely for that reason me, and the majority if not all Inter fans, feel let down and angry at Balotelli for his actions throughout this season, with his actions after the first leg of the Champions League semi final against Barcelona seemingly being the straw that broke the camel’s back. He is one of our own youth products, grown and nurtured by us due to the time and money invested in his development, so his recent actions really do feel like he has bitten the hand that fed him. Whether he becomes a footballing superstar or not, and if that happens at Inter or another club, we were the club that trained and tried to guide him. We were the club that gave him his big break. We were the club where he made his name. We were the club that stuck up for him when he was abused and when he made some of his mistakes. It is our fans that supported him when the rest of Italy was against him. For the most part we have only behaved in a way with his best intentions at heart, and for that he deserves to respect us for what we have done for him.
Reasons for his stay:
1. He is an Inter Milan youth product. He is a product of our development. He can also help us with our Champions League registration.
2. We have invested a lot of time and money into his development and by selling him now we will not get the benefits of such investments.
3. He is extremely talented and has the potential to become one of, if not the best player in the world, and I want that to happen in our team.
Reasons for us to sell him:
1. He has disrespected our team and in turn everything we have done for him on more than one occasion.
2. He brings unnecessary negative media attention which can upset the team.
3. He has a huge ego for a player of his age, experience and statue.
4. He does not listen to his team mates.
5. He does not listen to his manager.
6. He has stated his affection for our rival team Milan on more than one occasion, including the infamous shirt wearing incident.
7. He does not do what is asked of him no the pitch, such as tracking back and defending, which has at times reduced us to nine and a half men because he is only doing half his job and another team mate has to stop doing their job to tell him what to do.
8. He has released statements claiming that he does not really want to play for us, again despite everything we have done for him.
9. His agent, Mino Raiola, seems to be creating tension between his client and our club, which appears to be a way of orchestrating a move away from our club as this is a similar pattern of events to those which led up to Ibrahimovic’s departure last summer, who is another one of Raiola’s clients.
10. The Inter fans are against him and when the Inter faithful turn there backs on a player they make it very difficult for them to continue playing for us much longer. Our fans turned on Christian Vieri after he stopped celebrating scoring goals, despite him scoring 103 goals in 143 games during his Inter career, and at the end of the season he was sold.
Do I think he should stay or be sold? That is not my decision. However, if it was I would be inclined to sell him, only if we can sign a quality player in return, by which I mean one of Aguero, Cassano, Tevez, Van Persie or Benzema. I do not see the point in selling him a player if we cannot sign a player of the same or better standard to replace him.
I feel Balotelli has gone too far with his disrespectful actions. The booing and anger from our own fans towards him will not only make it difficult for him to perform, but it is also likely to negatively affect our other players, and the performance and concentration of our team cannot be jeopardised.
Furthermore, he still does not seem to be listening to Mourinho. Mourinho has told him time and time again what he needs to do to improve, but he still has not learnt. He still does not track back and defend, which shows he does not work for the team which makes our job a lot harder. Milito ran all he could in the first leg against Barcelona to the extent where he got cramp and physically could not run anymore. When Balotelli came on he lost possession and failed to track back and try and regain possession. This has happened numerous times throughout his Inter career. One time this season he lost possession and just sat on the ground watching the opposing team run towards our goal. In the second leg against of the Champions League semi final against Barcelona Milito ran his heart out for the entity of his game to put pressure on Barcelona’s defence and midfield, despite the fact that there were no goal scoring opportunities. If Balotelli had started that game there is absolutely no way he would have done the same amount of running, pressure applying, and tracking back that Milito did, and as a result Barcelona would have had more possession and would have stood a far better chance of knocking us out.
If Mourinho, one of the best man managers and motivators in the world, cannot get Balotelli to learn to become a team player then which manager can? I think it is time to give another manager a chance. I do not think Mourinho and Balotelli can work well together at the same club, so if Mourinho stays then I think it would be best if Balotelli leaves. If it comes down to Mourinho vs Balotelli I would choose Mourinho every time.
If Balotelli stays then I will respect Moratti and Mourinho’s decision, but Balotelli is going to have to do an awful lot to convince me, and the rest of the Inter fans, that it was the right decision to keep him and to repay the damage his actions have caused. I will give him a chance to do this, but he has a long way to go to gain our forgiveness.
Thursday, 29 April 2010
Barca - Inter and some considerations
Winning at the San Siro was wonderful and our defeat in Camp Nou has to be looked in a different way on what could've happened.
The atmosphere for the encounter was a lot difficult. Barca fans showed us many reasons to hate them. And not only us Nerazurri but every other supporter of any other team. The fans tried to keep our players waken and assaulted our manager's car. That not only showed how emotional disturbed they are but that they were worried. Moreover, showed how big it was to play the finals in Madrid. It wasn't about winning the Champions League but playing the finals in Madrid. Nevertheless this wasn't reason enough to treat our players the way they did. My guess is: nobody will respect barca fans anymore. It's sad that the images that are gonna travel the world is only the beatiful party the fans made for barca before the kick off. It should be shown the horns and fireworks that woke up our president, the devastated car, the water botles thrown in our players, the booing to our players. and so on. They were bad loosers.
This is one aspect. The other is that Barcelona showed great character fighting the whole game. But also showed what has been showing since last season: lack of tactical options. Barcelona does play wonderful football and must be respected for it. It's beautiful to watch them play but after a season it does get boring and the only thing you want to see is what messi can do. Pep Guardiola is not a good manager. He was unable to put on a different barca formation. Of course barca's squad doesn't help. A lot of those players can't do what the starting XI does. There's no one to play the Ibrahimovic role, for example. Their defense is poor. But the main point is that Pep is not a good manager. Very limited.
That being said lets see what happened in Camp Nou. Inter outclassed Barcelona again. That's the short version. An uninformed spectator may think that Barcelona was better than Inter during the game. But the truth is that Inter was better in his game. At the beginning of the game Inter was still feeling the game. Much like what happend in Milan. After 20 minutes Inter started playing. It's important to remember now that we weren't in our best formation without Pandev. He's far from the quality of Milito and Eto'o but he's really helpfull when it comes to tactics. He also helps defensively, And that's the reason why we couldn't play a 4-3-3 formation with Balotelli. Even so, we started to play offensively against barca and we were creating some chances. After only 10 minutes of football for Inter Motta was sent out. That was terrible for us. The barca fans were starting to get fed up and seeing Milan all over again. When Motta was sent out they began to help the team again. Yet we managed to hold the 0-0 score.
Before continue with the final part of the game it must be said that Mourinho is not crazy or stupid. Of course we went there to defend. We had a big advantage and we needed to defend that. And let me add some information: Pandev out, Sneijder injuried, Motta out, 10 man. What people expected from inter. To go on a suicide quest of attacking barca? We did what we do best: defend. To defend is also an art. And our atacking system begins in our defense. Samuel's passing is increadibly better. Lucio's pass everybody new was good. Motta has good passing and is creative. Our attacking system and, much obviously, counter-attack system begins on defense. I don't think I have to talk about maicon and Il capitano, do I? We do have the best defensive system in the world. And i'm sorry Europe but it's South American.
The second part of the game was much like the first part. Barca attacking and Inter defending. We only had problems when mourinho decided to change our lines. We were defending with two lines 4-5-0 and then we started to do 5-4-0 lines. By doing this we gave barca a lot of space, specially Xavi and Messi and that was how they scored. I do think Piquet was offside but it was a hard call much like the one for us on the Milito goal. Despite this error Inter was phenomenal. Barca did not play the whole game.
Stoping Messi and Xavi was hard but we did it. And we did it with class. Not only we conceeded only two goals as we scored three against barca, something that people usually thought to be impossible: score more goals than barca.
At the beginning of the season I have to admit that I wasn't confident for Champions League. And it was for obvious reasons. The first and more important is that half the team was new and we were beginning to play in a different style. Sneijder, Eto'o, Milito, Motta, Lucio. 5 new players. Even our Scudetto was in danger with this. Everything was new and it was just Mourinho's second season with us. And remember we don't have the money Chelsea has. The other important reason is that we had only a few world class players. Cesar is the best keeper in the world and so is Maicon in his position. Eto'o is there too for scoring in two different Champions League finals. But who else? Milito? What has he done in european cups? Being a good goal scorer in one season doesn't make him a good player. Motta had his years and we couldn't know if he could do it again. Lucio was still a star. But in europe people didn't believe him. He got sacked from his former club. It's said that at the beginning of the season Mourinho said that he could win the scudetto with this team but the Champions League would be a disaster. I thought also.
And when Pandev came something else happened. And i'm gonna tell you what happened. He did what we expected Balotelli to do. And now our team is completed. I know i'm one of his biggest critics and still am. But he brought a lot tactically for the team. Something Balotelli never could and apparently will never bring.
The game against Chelsea showed that we were ready to be taken seriously in European Competitions. The game against Barca showed we're ready to be champions. But Chelsea did the same thing years ago. And they didn't win the Champions. We need to go there and make it happen. It's not won. The win was wonderful and we should be celebrating today. But tomorrow is time to work for Serie A title.
Hello Europe. My name is Internazionale Milano.
This is one aspect. The other is that Barcelona showed great character fighting the whole game. But also showed what has been showing since last season: lack of tactical options. Barcelona does play wonderful football and must be respected for it. It's beautiful to watch them play but after a season it does get boring and the only thing you want to see is what messi can do. Pep Guardiola is not a good manager. He was unable to put on a different barca formation. Of course barca's squad doesn't help. A lot of those players can't do what the starting XI does. There's no one to play the Ibrahimovic role, for example. Their defense is poor. But the main point is that Pep is not a good manager. Very limited.
That being said lets see what happened in Camp Nou. Inter outclassed Barcelona again. That's the short version. An uninformed spectator may think that Barcelona was better than Inter during the game. But the truth is that Inter was better in his game. At the beginning of the game Inter was still feeling the game. Much like what happend in Milan. After 20 minutes Inter started playing. It's important to remember now that we weren't in our best formation without Pandev. He's far from the quality of Milito and Eto'o but he's really helpfull when it comes to tactics. He also helps defensively, And that's the reason why we couldn't play a 4-3-3 formation with Balotelli. Even so, we started to play offensively against barca and we were creating some chances. After only 10 minutes of football for Inter Motta was sent out. That was terrible for us. The barca fans were starting to get fed up and seeing Milan all over again. When Motta was sent out they began to help the team again. Yet we managed to hold the 0-0 score.
Before continue with the final part of the game it must be said that Mourinho is not crazy or stupid. Of course we went there to defend. We had a big advantage and we needed to defend that. And let me add some information: Pandev out, Sneijder injuried, Motta out, 10 man. What people expected from inter. To go on a suicide quest of attacking barca? We did what we do best: defend. To defend is also an art. And our atacking system begins in our defense. Samuel's passing is increadibly better. Lucio's pass everybody new was good. Motta has good passing and is creative. Our attacking system and, much obviously, counter-attack system begins on defense. I don't think I have to talk about maicon and Il capitano, do I? We do have the best defensive system in the world. And i'm sorry Europe but it's South American.
The second part of the game was much like the first part. Barca attacking and Inter defending. We only had problems when mourinho decided to change our lines. We were defending with two lines 4-5-0 and then we started to do 5-4-0 lines. By doing this we gave barca a lot of space, specially Xavi and Messi and that was how they scored. I do think Piquet was offside but it was a hard call much like the one for us on the Milito goal. Despite this error Inter was phenomenal. Barca did not play the whole game.
Stoping Messi and Xavi was hard but we did it. And we did it with class. Not only we conceeded only two goals as we scored three against barca, something that people usually thought to be impossible: score more goals than barca.
At the beginning of the season I have to admit that I wasn't confident for Champions League. And it was for obvious reasons. The first and more important is that half the team was new and we were beginning to play in a different style. Sneijder, Eto'o, Milito, Motta, Lucio. 5 new players. Even our Scudetto was in danger with this. Everything was new and it was just Mourinho's second season with us. And remember we don't have the money Chelsea has. The other important reason is that we had only a few world class players. Cesar is the best keeper in the world and so is Maicon in his position. Eto'o is there too for scoring in two different Champions League finals. But who else? Milito? What has he done in european cups? Being a good goal scorer in one season doesn't make him a good player. Motta had his years and we couldn't know if he could do it again. Lucio was still a star. But in europe people didn't believe him. He got sacked from his former club. It's said that at the beginning of the season Mourinho said that he could win the scudetto with this team but the Champions League would be a disaster. I thought also.
And when Pandev came something else happened. And i'm gonna tell you what happened. He did what we expected Balotelli to do. And now our team is completed. I know i'm one of his biggest critics and still am. But he brought a lot tactically for the team. Something Balotelli never could and apparently will never bring.
The game against Chelsea showed that we were ready to be taken seriously in European Competitions. The game against Barca showed we're ready to be champions. But Chelsea did the same thing years ago. And they didn't win the Champions. We need to go there and make it happen. It's not won. The win was wonderful and we should be celebrating today. But tomorrow is time to work for Serie A title.
Hello Europe. My name is Internazionale Milano.
Tuesday, 2 March 2010
Young Prospects from Brazil 2010
Last year I made a similar article about young players that were coming strong from Brazil. I don't really remember the ones I talked about and now I'll never know. Sadly. But it's a new year and some new youngsters are appearing! My guess is. They won't leave Brazil this year. And I think I need to start by saying this.
There are three reasons for them not leaving Brazil just yet. One, and that's the main reason, is that brazillian teams are getting well structured and giving the players better contracts. They know they have very good players that could end up being amazing players and they were selling them for very little money. It seems that brazillian teams want to put on good teams and try to get money from income and not selling players. We are evolving to a more business footbal.
The second reason is some good players with some years of good football coming back to Brazil. You might think that Ronaldo ended his career by coming back to Brazil but it's not like this. He's still an icon and everybody wants to see him on the pitch. Adriano, Robinho and Fred were all in the 2006 world cup and came back. All three of them could be playing in Europe and they decided to come back home. With popular players coming back, people are beginning to have a different idea of the brazillian footbal, specially players. Not to mention that it forced the Brazillian National team manager to look at players playing in National ground, something unthinkable since 2002.
The third reason is simple: the World Cup. After the WC we're going to see who's the best player in the world, the champion of the world and the players that'll do well. These players will be negotiated. Not young prospects, but the players that show in the World Cup they are worth the signing. If Brazil win the WC with a very strong defense the prices on Julio Cesar, Lucio and Maicon will go sky high. These players are more likely to be negotiated than others. Specially if they are playing in minor leagues. If Adriano goes well he'll leave flamengo and Nilmar the same thing. If Santon goes to WC and play a hell of a tournament, he'll be linked to loads of teams. It's the normal thing after a World Cup.
Now let's take a look at some youngsters!
First one has to be Philippe Coutinho. This young prospect is already an Inter player having already trained at Inter ground. He gave an interview some time ago saying he almost had trouble with materazzi. After dribbling Materazzi with an embarrassing ball between his legs, making him search for the ball for a while (some say he's still looking for it...), the defender looked at the youngster and said: you need to work on your respect. Of course it was just a joke but it shows he's not afraid of going for it. His team was the Guanabara's Cup runner up and he is one of the best players in the team. He already has some experience for playing Serie B last year and this year he played a lot of derbys. Vasco is actually trying to make him stay. They don't want to let him go at the middle of the year. It all depends on Inter actually. The boy doesn't seem to be much worried about it and this shows his character. He is taking the chances life give him, and this is good, he'll probably become a showman like robinho with the professional attitude of a Kaka.
Another player that will be seen in Europe is the current Fluminense player Wellington Silva. He's a forward, but not a center forward. He fits right into the Arsenal way of playing. And guess where he's going? Yes.. Arsenal! Decent buying for Wenger. I got the chance to watch him play in two occasions. The boy is fast, good possession and excellent passing skills. He shoots pretty well also. Better than Coutinho. He's not as talented as Coutinho though. But will probably be seeing in the Arsenal squad pretty soon. We might be looking at some options upfront. It's likely that some a forward will leave arsenal. My guess is Van Pierse. Too injury prone. But it could be him or Eduardo or Rosicky or even Arshavin, though the last one seems unlikely to me.
There are two very good players in Santos, the same team Robinho is playing for. Neymar and Paulo Henrique are both really good. They are already really experienced since they have being playing for Santos since last season and they played the FIFA Under-20 World Cup. They're not prospects they are for real, they're ready! It's unlikely that they leave before the end of the year though. Santos is looking for a good season this year and will probably try to get the Continental Cup next season. These are the hardest players to sign. The fee to get them is really high and Santos will only take a large sum of money for either of them. If you want to see some skills just check youtube. They are increadibly efficent, really skillful and fast! Neymar is a better robinho, more responsable too. Paulo henrique can provide like Sneijder, just not with both feet. Both of them are surely on the 2014 WC. Believe me.
The last of the young prospects is linked to Inter and Henry already asked me to write something about him.The boy's name is Mario Fernandes. To explain how this boy plays is very simple: Young Lucio. He's very good defending and Gremio, his current club, is trying to adjust him to defense. He needs to eat better, get big as a defender needs to be. He's playing right back right now and he's really good. Really fast and exceptional passing for a defender, both short and long passing. For a right back is a really good passing, not exceptional since a right back needs to be good in this skill. He can drible very well but his best skill is the fast passing and running on the side. Mainly like Maicon does. Pass and appear up front for the crossing. He's the oldest of this boys, he's 20. He surely can be the one replacing for lucio next WC along with Thiago Silva. It all depends on how he'll grow. He has the chance of being a player like Maicon or simply be a good defender with excelent skills like Lucio. It actually depends on his training. Gremio wants him to play right back but he said he wants to play center defense. Gremio is helping him to become a good center defender but for now he's a right back.
That's it for this article. These prospects are something for the future. Some for a far future and some for now. But all of them will be pretty good in a short period of time. If they'll be the best in their position only time will tell. I hope I fed your hungry for news from Brazil.
Cheers,
Christian Cardoso
There are three reasons for them not leaving Brazil just yet. One, and that's the main reason, is that brazillian teams are getting well structured and giving the players better contracts. They know they have very good players that could end up being amazing players and they were selling them for very little money. It seems that brazillian teams want to put on good teams and try to get money from income and not selling players. We are evolving to a more business footbal.
The second reason is some good players with some years of good football coming back to Brazil. You might think that Ronaldo ended his career by coming back to Brazil but it's not like this. He's still an icon and everybody wants to see him on the pitch. Adriano, Robinho and Fred were all in the 2006 world cup and came back. All three of them could be playing in Europe and they decided to come back home. With popular players coming back, people are beginning to have a different idea of the brazillian footbal, specially players. Not to mention that it forced the Brazillian National team manager to look at players playing in National ground, something unthinkable since 2002.
The third reason is simple: the World Cup. After the WC we're going to see who's the best player in the world, the champion of the world and the players that'll do well. These players will be negotiated. Not young prospects, but the players that show in the World Cup they are worth the signing. If Brazil win the WC with a very strong defense the prices on Julio Cesar, Lucio and Maicon will go sky high. These players are more likely to be negotiated than others. Specially if they are playing in minor leagues. If Adriano goes well he'll leave flamengo and Nilmar the same thing. If Santon goes to WC and play a hell of a tournament, he'll be linked to loads of teams. It's the normal thing after a World Cup.
Now let's take a look at some youngsters!
First one has to be Philippe Coutinho. This young prospect is already an Inter player having already trained at Inter ground. He gave an interview some time ago saying he almost had trouble with materazzi. After dribbling Materazzi with an embarrassing ball between his legs, making him search for the ball for a while (some say he's still looking for it...), the defender looked at the youngster and said: you need to work on your respect. Of course it was just a joke but it shows he's not afraid of going for it. His team was the Guanabara's Cup runner up and he is one of the best players in the team. He already has some experience for playing Serie B last year and this year he played a lot of derbys. Vasco is actually trying to make him stay. They don't want to let him go at the middle of the year. It all depends on Inter actually. The boy doesn't seem to be much worried about it and this shows his character. He is taking the chances life give him, and this is good, he'll probably become a showman like robinho with the professional attitude of a Kaka.
Another player that will be seen in Europe is the current Fluminense player Wellington Silva. He's a forward, but not a center forward. He fits right into the Arsenal way of playing. And guess where he's going? Yes.. Arsenal! Decent buying for Wenger. I got the chance to watch him play in two occasions. The boy is fast, good possession and excellent passing skills. He shoots pretty well also. Better than Coutinho. He's not as talented as Coutinho though. But will probably be seeing in the Arsenal squad pretty soon. We might be looking at some options upfront. It's likely that some a forward will leave arsenal. My guess is Van Pierse. Too injury prone. But it could be him or Eduardo or Rosicky or even Arshavin, though the last one seems unlikely to me.
There are two very good players in Santos, the same team Robinho is playing for. Neymar and Paulo Henrique are both really good. They are already really experienced since they have being playing for Santos since last season and they played the FIFA Under-20 World Cup. They're not prospects they are for real, they're ready! It's unlikely that they leave before the end of the year though. Santos is looking for a good season this year and will probably try to get the Continental Cup next season. These are the hardest players to sign. The fee to get them is really high and Santos will only take a large sum of money for either of them. If you want to see some skills just check youtube. They are increadibly efficent, really skillful and fast! Neymar is a better robinho, more responsable too. Paulo henrique can provide like Sneijder, just not with both feet. Both of them are surely on the 2014 WC. Believe me.
The last of the young prospects is linked to Inter and Henry already asked me to write something about him.The boy's name is Mario Fernandes. To explain how this boy plays is very simple: Young Lucio. He's very good defending and Gremio, his current club, is trying to adjust him to defense. He needs to eat better, get big as a defender needs to be. He's playing right back right now and he's really good. Really fast and exceptional passing for a defender, both short and long passing. For a right back is a really good passing, not exceptional since a right back needs to be good in this skill. He can drible very well but his best skill is the fast passing and running on the side. Mainly like Maicon does. Pass and appear up front for the crossing. He's the oldest of this boys, he's 20. He surely can be the one replacing for lucio next WC along with Thiago Silva. It all depends on how he'll grow. He has the chance of being a player like Maicon or simply be a good defender with excelent skills like Lucio. It actually depends on his training. Gremio wants him to play right back but he said he wants to play center defense. Gremio is helping him to become a good center defender but for now he's a right back.
That's it for this article. These prospects are something for the future. Some for a far future and some for now. But all of them will be pretty good in a short period of time. If they'll be the best in their position only time will tell. I hope I fed your hungry for news from Brazil.
Cheers,
Christian Cardoso
Monday, 22 February 2010
Inter v Chelsea - Christian's Perspective
First of all, sorry to take too long to write it. That being said let's talk about football. First, and i think one of the most important aspects of the game, let's compare managers.
Ancelotti is no stranger to both Inter or Mourinho. Mourinho has faced Ancelotti before and so have Inter. He's not the type of manager that will make any surprises. If he has problems with injuried players he will do what you expect. There are no big changes in formation or improvising players. He'll put this formation on the game: Cech; Zirkhov, Ivanovich, Terry, Carvalho; Joe Cole, Lampard, Ballack; Malouda, Anelka, Drogba.
If Mikel start the game than it means Ancelotti got scared and will try to stop Snjeider. It's wouldn't be a surprise but I don't think it'll happen.
Unlike Ancelotti, Mourinho has the habbit of doing crazy things at one game and being really conservative in others. Mourinho has the experience and knowledge to put the best formation for this specific game and make the right changes during the game also. If he'll do it we can only know wednesday. Inter's formation is harder to guess but i believe Mourinho will enter with this squad: Julio César; Maicon, Samuel, Lucio, Santon; Zanetti, Cambiasso, Stankovic, Sneijder; Milito, Eto'o. If we see any change it would have to be Stankovic for Pandev or Balotelli. I personally think Balotelli is more likely to enter than Pandev. But that would be the change in formation.
Talking about formations we are expecting to see a 4-3-3 formation at Chelsea side. This wouldn't happen if Mikel start the line-up. We might be looking at a diamond formation if mikel start the match. It's unlikely but it could happen. Ancelotti knows that he needs to be carefull with Sneijder. Another aspect of the game that makes me believe that Ancelotti is thinking of playing Mikel is that in the case of Ballack playing he will be the one in charge for Sneijder and he is the player that commit most fouls in the Chelsea team. Obviously, Ancelotti knows that and Mourinho also. It will be really bad for chelsea having Sneijder with free kicks in front of the area.
If we are most certainly to see a 4-3-3 formation on Chelsea the same can't be said about Inter. It's actually something we don't know. We might be looking at a 4-3-1-2 formation at Inter. But what some people forget is that Mourinho, sometimes, put on formations that we haven't seen before. Last season he made a CL game playing a 4-2-4. This year, in one of the most important games for the new inter in the begginning of the season, the derby, he gave almost ninety minutes to a recent buy. Sneijder debut was on a derby with milan playing good games and inter wasn't and he did what nobody believed. He puts in charge of the creative role, the only player that had never played with those teammates! So we could actually be seeing a 4-2-2-2 or even maybe a 4-2-3-1. Again, we'll only know on wednesday.
Analysing the players themselves we have to start by Drogba. He's now the best centre forward alongside with Rooney. Milito is almost there, but not there. Drogba is in excelent form and get's almost 50% of his shots on goal, scoring almost the same percentage of the correct shots. He will be hard to handle but I do believe it's possible for Lucio to stop the monster. And we don't have to do much since he shoots from the box. He doesn't shoot from outside the area, he rather wait to enter it. That's more for Lampard and i do believe it will be hard for Chelsea to enter Inter's area. This will make him having to shoot from distance and this might make it harder for them. The other Chelsea player that needs to be taken care of is Lampard. Mourinho knows this and i'm expecting Zanetti to glue to him. Lampard cannot touch the ball and if he does he cannot pass it! That will be the true challenge for Zanetti. Lampard moves quickly, has amazing shot and excelent passing skills. But if there's a player that can make a defference I do believe this player has to be Drogba.
On Inter side we will rely on two players: Julio Cesar and Sneijder. Julio will be the last line of defence and has to stop both Drogba and Lampard's attempts. On the other side of the pitch we have to trust sneijder to provide to Milito and Eto'o. If Eto'o is our striker that moves the most, Milito is the one that is there in front of the box waiting to turn and shoot. And to make this Sneijder has to be at his best since it's the first time Milito will play against Terry and Carvalho. If Terry is a monster the same can't be said about Carvalho. Hopefully we'll see Eto'o taking advantage of that since we all saw that last season Chelsea managed to stop that monster Barcelona's attack. We have to remmember this game mainly because we might be looking at a clean sheet on wednesday.
Taking the whole team in analysis we can see that Inter and Chelsea are at the same level with Chelsea in slight advantage. Most of this advantage comes from their long time being together and that they have proven themselves in continental cups. Inter, on the other hand, has it's first international challenge with this team. A changed team in every aspect, with new players, new mentality and new tactics. If in previous years to stop inter one had to stop ibrahimovic now we're not like this anymore. Our team is very balanced and can take chelsea out. By doing so Inter will be put in a whole different place. Every year the spanish teams and the english teams are favorite with the spanish top of the table and the english one being the possible teams in the finals. If we beat Chelsea a whole new possibilites will appear with new moral for our boys.
The game itself will certainly be decided by details and on the midfield. I'm expecting Zanetti to get Lampard and Cambiasso to handle Ballack when he's attacking. If they can stop these players we can give Stankovic and Sneijder more space to create for our strikers. I truely believe Lucio will handle Drogba as he is interested not only in winnig champions league. Lucio is also thinking about the world cup. Believe me, he is. To win the match we will need the help of Eto'o. If he pass on Carvalho or Alex with ease this might open space for Milito to score. Since probably Milito with be handled by terry we will need Eto'o to open spaces. One thing is Milito outplaying the defenders in italy who worked better as a sistem and not so much individually. Chelsea's defence is as good as any good defence in italy but their defenders are, individually better. Maicon will have to stop Zirkhov, witch won't be difficult but it will limit Maicon's support to our forwards. I'm not expecting Maicon to make a superb appearance since he will have to handle zirkhov and malouda who are both really fast. Santon won't have much trouble. The only thing holding him is himself. He can outclass Ivanovich and also stop Anelka. C'mon, he stoped C. Ronaldo last season, he can do the same thing again.
Another aspect of the game that we have to consider is that Chelsea has advantage on corners. We have to be well prepared for that. Ivanovic, Terry, Drogba, Anelka all of them are really good. On the other hand our strikers are faster than their defenders. Quick passes and speed will be crutial. Another point Inter can explore are free kicks. Since Lampard makes lot's of fouls and he may handle sneijder we may score in free kicks.
I'm actually hoping for a good game, but it could end up being another Inter-Barcelona. Really dull game with few action. If I had to make a guess I would say the game will be 1-1. But i'm hoping for 2-0 for Inter.
And that's it my friends.
Christian Cardoso
Ancelotti is no stranger to both Inter or Mourinho. Mourinho has faced Ancelotti before and so have Inter. He's not the type of manager that will make any surprises. If he has problems with injuried players he will do what you expect. There are no big changes in formation or improvising players. He'll put this formation on the game: Cech; Zirkhov, Ivanovich, Terry, Carvalho; Joe Cole, Lampard, Ballack; Malouda, Anelka, Drogba.
If Mikel start the game than it means Ancelotti got scared and will try to stop Snjeider. It's wouldn't be a surprise but I don't think it'll happen.
Unlike Ancelotti, Mourinho has the habbit of doing crazy things at one game and being really conservative in others. Mourinho has the experience and knowledge to put the best formation for this specific game and make the right changes during the game also. If he'll do it we can only know wednesday. Inter's formation is harder to guess but i believe Mourinho will enter with this squad: Julio César; Maicon, Samuel, Lucio, Santon; Zanetti, Cambiasso, Stankovic, Sneijder; Milito, Eto'o. If we see any change it would have to be Stankovic for Pandev or Balotelli. I personally think Balotelli is more likely to enter than Pandev. But that would be the change in formation.
Talking about formations we are expecting to see a 4-3-3 formation at Chelsea side. This wouldn't happen if Mikel start the line-up. We might be looking at a diamond formation if mikel start the match. It's unlikely but it could happen. Ancelotti knows that he needs to be carefull with Sneijder. Another aspect of the game that makes me believe that Ancelotti is thinking of playing Mikel is that in the case of Ballack playing he will be the one in charge for Sneijder and he is the player that commit most fouls in the Chelsea team. Obviously, Ancelotti knows that and Mourinho also. It will be really bad for chelsea having Sneijder with free kicks in front of the area.
If we are most certainly to see a 4-3-3 formation on Chelsea the same can't be said about Inter. It's actually something we don't know. We might be looking at a 4-3-1-2 formation at Inter. But what some people forget is that Mourinho, sometimes, put on formations that we haven't seen before. Last season he made a CL game playing a 4-2-4. This year, in one of the most important games for the new inter in the begginning of the season, the derby, he gave almost ninety minutes to a recent buy. Sneijder debut was on a derby with milan playing good games and inter wasn't and he did what nobody believed. He puts in charge of the creative role, the only player that had never played with those teammates! So we could actually be seeing a 4-2-2-2 or even maybe a 4-2-3-1. Again, we'll only know on wednesday.
Analysing the players themselves we have to start by Drogba. He's now the best centre forward alongside with Rooney. Milito is almost there, but not there. Drogba is in excelent form and get's almost 50% of his shots on goal, scoring almost the same percentage of the correct shots. He will be hard to handle but I do believe it's possible for Lucio to stop the monster. And we don't have to do much since he shoots from the box. He doesn't shoot from outside the area, he rather wait to enter it. That's more for Lampard and i do believe it will be hard for Chelsea to enter Inter's area. This will make him having to shoot from distance and this might make it harder for them. The other Chelsea player that needs to be taken care of is Lampard. Mourinho knows this and i'm expecting Zanetti to glue to him. Lampard cannot touch the ball and if he does he cannot pass it! That will be the true challenge for Zanetti. Lampard moves quickly, has amazing shot and excelent passing skills. But if there's a player that can make a defference I do believe this player has to be Drogba.
On Inter side we will rely on two players: Julio Cesar and Sneijder. Julio will be the last line of defence and has to stop both Drogba and Lampard's attempts. On the other side of the pitch we have to trust sneijder to provide to Milito and Eto'o. If Eto'o is our striker that moves the most, Milito is the one that is there in front of the box waiting to turn and shoot. And to make this Sneijder has to be at his best since it's the first time Milito will play against Terry and Carvalho. If Terry is a monster the same can't be said about Carvalho. Hopefully we'll see Eto'o taking advantage of that since we all saw that last season Chelsea managed to stop that monster Barcelona's attack. We have to remmember this game mainly because we might be looking at a clean sheet on wednesday.
Taking the whole team in analysis we can see that Inter and Chelsea are at the same level with Chelsea in slight advantage. Most of this advantage comes from their long time being together and that they have proven themselves in continental cups. Inter, on the other hand, has it's first international challenge with this team. A changed team in every aspect, with new players, new mentality and new tactics. If in previous years to stop inter one had to stop ibrahimovic now we're not like this anymore. Our team is very balanced and can take chelsea out. By doing so Inter will be put in a whole different place. Every year the spanish teams and the english teams are favorite with the spanish top of the table and the english one being the possible teams in the finals. If we beat Chelsea a whole new possibilites will appear with new moral for our boys.
The game itself will certainly be decided by details and on the midfield. I'm expecting Zanetti to get Lampard and Cambiasso to handle Ballack when he's attacking. If they can stop these players we can give Stankovic and Sneijder more space to create for our strikers. I truely believe Lucio will handle Drogba as he is interested not only in winnig champions league. Lucio is also thinking about the world cup. Believe me, he is. To win the match we will need the help of Eto'o. If he pass on Carvalho or Alex with ease this might open space for Milito to score. Since probably Milito with be handled by terry we will need Eto'o to open spaces. One thing is Milito outplaying the defenders in italy who worked better as a sistem and not so much individually. Chelsea's defence is as good as any good defence in italy but their defenders are, individually better. Maicon will have to stop Zirkhov, witch won't be difficult but it will limit Maicon's support to our forwards. I'm not expecting Maicon to make a superb appearance since he will have to handle zirkhov and malouda who are both really fast. Santon won't have much trouble. The only thing holding him is himself. He can outclass Ivanovich and also stop Anelka. C'mon, he stoped C. Ronaldo last season, he can do the same thing again.
Another aspect of the game that we have to consider is that Chelsea has advantage on corners. We have to be well prepared for that. Ivanovic, Terry, Drogba, Anelka all of them are really good. On the other hand our strikers are faster than their defenders. Quick passes and speed will be crutial. Another point Inter can explore are free kicks. Since Lampard makes lot's of fouls and he may handle sneijder we may score in free kicks.
I'm actually hoping for a good game, but it could end up being another Inter-Barcelona. Really dull game with few action. If I had to make a guess I would say the game will be 1-1. But i'm hoping for 2-0 for Inter.
And that's it my friends.
Christian Cardoso
Sunday, 21 February 2010
Inter Milan vs Chelsea Preview
It is that time of the season again when Inter Milan enter the Champions League knockout stage surrounded by huge fan expectations, and the media repeating the question “will this be the year when Inter replicate their dominance in Italy on the European stage, or will they fail to deliver, yet again?” For the third season running Inter have been drawn against one of the favourites for the Champions League and another strong English team, this season in the form of Chelsea. It will be the first time Inter manager Jose Mourinho will face the team where he cemented his reputation as one of the world’s best managers since his controversial departure from the club in 2007. Inter are looking for their first victory in Europe’s premier competition since 1965, whereas Chelsea are looking to go one step further than their 2008 heartbreak in Moscow. Inter go into the game having drawn their last three Serie A games (scoring only once), and Chelsea visit the San Siro top of the Premier League, but with a questionable away record in all competitions this season. It will be a mouth watering tie. A tie for which so many football fans love the biggest club competition in the world. Here is my preview to most anticipated tie of this season’s Champions League first round knockout stage.
Managers
Both Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti were hired with bringing Champions League glory to their respected clubs as their top objective. Mourinho’s debut season as Inter manager still saw Inter get eliminated by Manchester United at this stage of the Champions League last season for the third consecutive season, but unlike against Valencia and Liverpool, Inter created chances and showed grit and determination. During the summer Mourinho created a better team than last season’s. Ibrahimovic, the player Inter were built around, left and in came a number of players that fitted into the team Mourinho wanted to create, which overall made a better Inter side. Mourinho is an experienced and successful coach, and has tasted Champions League glory before. He is technically and tactical skilled, disciplined, and a great man manager and motivator.
Ancelotti is a big game specialist. Just like Mourinho he is experienced and successful. In the Champions League, Ancelotti has the edge over Mourinho. He is one of very few managers who has won the Champions League on two occasions. Ancelotti is a no fuss manager who asks, but never demands anything from his chairman. He makes the best of the resources given to him, which is what he did at Milan (winning two Champions League titles in the process) and what he has done with Chelsea thus far. His team is pretty much exactly the same as Phil Scolari’s last season and he has had far more success than the Brazilian did. Zhirkov is the only noticeable addition, a player who Chelsea signed before Ancelotti arrived.
As a former Chelsea manager Mourinho knows Chelsea all to well. The team has hardly changed since his dramatic departure in 2007, and on his return from a recent scouting trip of Chelsea he claimed the players engage in the same training regimes and pre match warm ups as they did when he was manager. Ancelotti also knows Inter well. He managed their city rivals Milan for eight and a half years, playing and competing against them (and quite often getting the upper hand). Also, last season Ancelotti managed Milan when Mourinho led Inter to Scudetto success (beating Milan in both Milan derbies in the process), so they know each other reasonably well both professionally and psychologically.
Inter
First leg predicted starting line up:
---------------------Cesar---------------------
Maicon-----Lucio-----Samuel-----Zanetti
----Stankovic---Cambiasso---Muntari----
--------------------Sneijder--------------------
-----Pandev-----------------------Milito-----
Key player = Sneijder
For Inter fans, as highly anticipated as the tie itself is the formation Mourinho will start the game with. Since the lacklustre performance in the Nou Camp against Barcelona earlier in the season, Mourinho has flirted with different formations from the 4-3-1-2 formation he used to win the Scudetto last season, most notably a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-3-3, and the acquisition of Pandev during the January transfer window has aided these. Nevertheless, in the last three Serie A games Mourinho has returned to using his trusted 4-3-1-2 formation, and I feel he will again turn to it on Wednesday night, despite the immense struggles Inter had creating chances during the Champions League group stage and in pretty much all Serie A games this season under this formation.
As an Inter fan I have watched them closely all season and can say with accuracy that Inter have been most dangerous when three strikers have been on the pitch at the same time. I feel having Milito, Eto and Pandev in the attacking half of the pitch, along with the dangerous midfielder Sneijder just behind them will cause Chelsea, and especially their defence, a lot of problems. A 4-3-1-2 formation is far too narrow for my liking, and there is only one real channel of attack (through the centre), with Sneijder being the key man to make things happen. It is a very predictable formation for the opposition to control and counter easily as they only really have to worry about attacks coming through the centre, and not the wings as well. If Chelsea can control Sneijder then they will make Inter very ineffective. Furthermore, as all of Inter’s midfielders are in the centre it leaves teams the perfect opportunity to spread play down the wings and strike on the counter attack, something Chelsea are deadly at with the likes of Zhirkov, Joe Cole, Lampard, Malouda, Anelka and Drogba. I think playing a 4-3-1-2 formation will not cause Chelsea enough trouble and will allow Chelsea to exploit Inter, especially down the wings where Chelsea are so strong. I hope Mourinho surprises me with either a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 formation.
Chelsea
First leg predicted starting line up:
--------------------Cech--------------------
Ivanovic---Carvalho---Terry---Zhirkov
---J Cole------Ballack------Lampard---
---Anelka------Drogba------Malouda---
Key player = Drogba
Unlike Inter, Chelsea’s formation is far more predictable Since he took over Chelsea in the summer Ancelotti has played a 4-3-3 formation, and thus far it has worked well.
One of the most important factors going into the first leg, besides the managers, is injuries. Chelsea will be missing two key players for the first leg in Essien and Ashley Cole (who will also miss the second leg). Essien is one of, if not the best all round centre midfielders in the world and plays a very important role in Chelsea’s midfield in both a defensive and support role. He will be deeply missed in the San Siro for Chelsea, who do not really have another player with the same attributes. Given his Champions League experience, I think Ballack is more likely than Mikel to attempt to fill in for Essien. Ballack is physical strong, technical and an intelligent midfielder who will look to control and marshal the midfield for Chelsea.
Ashley Cole is another important absence for Chelsea. He is the best left back in the world, so in that respect it will be difficult for Chelsea to replace him. The most likely player to replace him in the San Siro will be Zhirkov. He has looked fairly uncomfortable when playing for Chelsea so far this season. He has good attacking attributes as he is more of a wingback/winger than a full back, but he is defensively vulnerable. That makes for a good battle with Inter’s pacey power house right back Maicon down Chelsea’s left wing. Carvalho and Lampard missed Chelsea’s game at the weekend against Wolves, but are expected to be fit for the game against Inter.
Defence vs Defence
Inter have one of the best goal keepers in the world in Cesar, and Chelsea have a well respected goal keeper in Cech, who in recent weeks has appeared to rediscovered some of his best form and finally growing in confidence after fracturing his skull in late 2006.
At right back Inter have the pacey power house Maicon, whose glowing performances in recent seasons has established him as the best right back in the world. He is physically strong, defensively sound, has great acceleration, good crossing ability and can spark devastating counter attacks in an instant. Maicon’s presence is the reason why Ashley Cole’s absence is such a blow for Chelsea because Ashely Cole, despite being good going forward, is a very good defender for a full back and consequently he could have handled Maicon’s threat better than his likely replacement Zhirkov. Zhirkov’s presence, and strong imbalance of attacking and defensive attributes, could be one of Inter’s favouring factors which Maicon’s attributes could exploit, especially when Zhirkov leaves space when advancing forward. For this reason I would much rather Inter play 4-3-3 formation, and I feel Quaresma could be of great use in this tie. Vice versa, Maicon also has to be cautious when bursting forwards for the same reason, with both Zhirkov and Malouda almost certain to take full advantage of any free space.
Mourinho stated on Friday that Santon is unlikely to be fit to play in the first leg. Although this may have been media spin by Mourinho and Santon may actually be fit to start on Wednesday night, if he is not it will be a big blow for Inter for two reasons: 1. Despite a poor run in form and drop in confidence at the beginning of the season, his performances in recent weeks have been a return to the form which made his name last season, which is what Inter needed to cope with Anelka considering Santon did a great job marking Cristiano Ronaldo at this stage last season. 2. Zanetti is likely to replace him at left back, which is not a bad thing, but Inter will be loosing his bursts of pace and dribbling from centre midfield, which no other Inter centre midfielder offers. Nevertheless, Zanetti is vastly experienced and can be a very strong defender, so I have faith that he can do a good job at marking Anelka, and the occasional burst of pace forward from left back will help make up for Inter’s lack of width. Ivanovic is a centre back more than a full back. He does not offer the same attacking threat the absent Boswinga would so is unlikely to leave the same gaps Zhirkov is likely to do on the opposite flank.
Both centre back pairings will have a tough job. The biggest problem for Samuel and Lucio is that Inter have to deal with defending against the power house Drogba, as well as the on rushing Lampard from deep. Chelsea are devastating on the counter attack so Lucio needs to be careful not to leave his defensive team mates exposed when going on one of his characteristic runs from the back. The clinical Milito and dribbling ability and unpredictable movements of Pandev are likely to cause Terry and Carvalho problems, especially with Terry’s recent personal problems affecting his performances and Carvalho returning from injury.
Midfield vs Midfield
As mentioned previously, both team’s midfield will be affected by injury, with Chelsea loosing Essien and Santon’s injury likely to force Zanetti to left back. Lampard and Sneijder are the respected players which need to be control by the opposition. Lampard plays a pivotal role in Chelsea’s midfield, and his long shots and late runs into the penalty area will be a threat which ball winner and box to box midfielder Cambiasso needs to deal with. Sneijder is Inter’s key player and spear heads Inter’s midfield. He is their most creative player and most moves go threw him, especially in a 4-3-1-2 formation. If Chelsea can control him then Inter will be made very ineffective. Sneijder’s set piece taking ability is up there with the best in the world so Chelsea have to be on guard. Ballack and Stankovic are both big game and experienced players, who will be invaluable for their respected teams in this game. The tricky Joe Cole, if on form, will be a constant thorn in Inter’s side. Skill, pacey and good link up play, it is a must that Inter limit his effectiveness and time on the ball. Muntari can be a great asset as a combative midfielder in this game where dangerous opposing players need to be controlled. He needs to time his challenges well, not give away pointless fouls, and not collect unnecessary yellow cards (the last thing Inter needs is a sending off), something he has not done all season.
Forwards vs Forwards
Both teams have quality forwards. Drogba is Chelsea’s key player and spear heads their attack. He is physically strong, a good finish, has great movement and pace, and is very strong in the air. The Inter defence needs to mark him and read his movements carefully, and Cesar needs to wary of his free kicks. Wide forwards Malouda and Anelka are very dangerous, and are key to Chelsea’s counter attacks. Zanetti and Maicon need to be on guard to break up their counter attacks. Milito is one of the most clinical strikers in the world. Like Drogba he is strong, but is a better finisher. The Chelsea defence have to make sure not to give him too much space in the penalty area otherwise he will punish them in an instant if given the chance. Pandev has good dribbling and drifting ability. He has strong unpredictable movements which make it hard for defenders to play against him. He has built up a good partnership with Milito in his short time at the club as he compliments him better than Eto. Speaking of Eto, he has a wealth of Champions League experience and a proven record in Europe’s premier competition (he is the only player to have scored in two separate Champions League finals). He is bound to make an appearance at some point, whether it is from the beginning (if my predicted starting line up is wrong) or from the substitute bench, and his European pedigree will be invaluable for Inter.
I cannot wait for this intense affair.
Yours sincerely,
Luke Best.
Managers
Both Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti were hired with bringing Champions League glory to their respected clubs as their top objective. Mourinho’s debut season as Inter manager still saw Inter get eliminated by Manchester United at this stage of the Champions League last season for the third consecutive season, but unlike against Valencia and Liverpool, Inter created chances and showed grit and determination. During the summer Mourinho created a better team than last season’s. Ibrahimovic, the player Inter were built around, left and in came a number of players that fitted into the team Mourinho wanted to create, which overall made a better Inter side. Mourinho is an experienced and successful coach, and has tasted Champions League glory before. He is technically and tactical skilled, disciplined, and a great man manager and motivator.
Ancelotti is a big game specialist. Just like Mourinho he is experienced and successful. In the Champions League, Ancelotti has the edge over Mourinho. He is one of very few managers who has won the Champions League on two occasions. Ancelotti is a no fuss manager who asks, but never demands anything from his chairman. He makes the best of the resources given to him, which is what he did at Milan (winning two Champions League titles in the process) and what he has done with Chelsea thus far. His team is pretty much exactly the same as Phil Scolari’s last season and he has had far more success than the Brazilian did. Zhirkov is the only noticeable addition, a player who Chelsea signed before Ancelotti arrived.
As a former Chelsea manager Mourinho knows Chelsea all to well. The team has hardly changed since his dramatic departure in 2007, and on his return from a recent scouting trip of Chelsea he claimed the players engage in the same training regimes and pre match warm ups as they did when he was manager. Ancelotti also knows Inter well. He managed their city rivals Milan for eight and a half years, playing and competing against them (and quite often getting the upper hand). Also, last season Ancelotti managed Milan when Mourinho led Inter to Scudetto success (beating Milan in both Milan derbies in the process), so they know each other reasonably well both professionally and psychologically.
Inter
First leg predicted starting line up:
---------------------Cesar---------------------
Maicon-----Lucio-----Samuel-----Zanetti
----Stankovic---Cambiasso---Muntari----
--------------------Sneijder--------------------
-----Pandev-----------------------Milito-----
Key player = Sneijder
For Inter fans, as highly anticipated as the tie itself is the formation Mourinho will start the game with. Since the lacklustre performance in the Nou Camp against Barcelona earlier in the season, Mourinho has flirted with different formations from the 4-3-1-2 formation he used to win the Scudetto last season, most notably a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-3-3, and the acquisition of Pandev during the January transfer window has aided these. Nevertheless, in the last three Serie A games Mourinho has returned to using his trusted 4-3-1-2 formation, and I feel he will again turn to it on Wednesday night, despite the immense struggles Inter had creating chances during the Champions League group stage and in pretty much all Serie A games this season under this formation.
As an Inter fan I have watched them closely all season and can say with accuracy that Inter have been most dangerous when three strikers have been on the pitch at the same time. I feel having Milito, Eto and Pandev in the attacking half of the pitch, along with the dangerous midfielder Sneijder just behind them will cause Chelsea, and especially their defence, a lot of problems. A 4-3-1-2 formation is far too narrow for my liking, and there is only one real channel of attack (through the centre), with Sneijder being the key man to make things happen. It is a very predictable formation for the opposition to control and counter easily as they only really have to worry about attacks coming through the centre, and not the wings as well. If Chelsea can control Sneijder then they will make Inter very ineffective. Furthermore, as all of Inter’s midfielders are in the centre it leaves teams the perfect opportunity to spread play down the wings and strike on the counter attack, something Chelsea are deadly at with the likes of Zhirkov, Joe Cole, Lampard, Malouda, Anelka and Drogba. I think playing a 4-3-1-2 formation will not cause Chelsea enough trouble and will allow Chelsea to exploit Inter, especially down the wings where Chelsea are so strong. I hope Mourinho surprises me with either a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3 formation.
Chelsea
First leg predicted starting line up:
--------------------Cech--------------------
Ivanovic---Carvalho---Terry---Zhirkov
---J Cole------Ballack------Lampard---
---Anelka------Drogba------Malouda---
Key player = Drogba
Unlike Inter, Chelsea’s formation is far more predictable Since he took over Chelsea in the summer Ancelotti has played a 4-3-3 formation, and thus far it has worked well.
One of the most important factors going into the first leg, besides the managers, is injuries. Chelsea will be missing two key players for the first leg in Essien and Ashley Cole (who will also miss the second leg). Essien is one of, if not the best all round centre midfielders in the world and plays a very important role in Chelsea’s midfield in both a defensive and support role. He will be deeply missed in the San Siro for Chelsea, who do not really have another player with the same attributes. Given his Champions League experience, I think Ballack is more likely than Mikel to attempt to fill in for Essien. Ballack is physical strong, technical and an intelligent midfielder who will look to control and marshal the midfield for Chelsea.
Ashley Cole is another important absence for Chelsea. He is the best left back in the world, so in that respect it will be difficult for Chelsea to replace him. The most likely player to replace him in the San Siro will be Zhirkov. He has looked fairly uncomfortable when playing for Chelsea so far this season. He has good attacking attributes as he is more of a wingback/winger than a full back, but he is defensively vulnerable. That makes for a good battle with Inter’s pacey power house right back Maicon down Chelsea’s left wing. Carvalho and Lampard missed Chelsea’s game at the weekend against Wolves, but are expected to be fit for the game against Inter.
Defence vs Defence
Inter have one of the best goal keepers in the world in Cesar, and Chelsea have a well respected goal keeper in Cech, who in recent weeks has appeared to rediscovered some of his best form and finally growing in confidence after fracturing his skull in late 2006.
At right back Inter have the pacey power house Maicon, whose glowing performances in recent seasons has established him as the best right back in the world. He is physically strong, defensively sound, has great acceleration, good crossing ability and can spark devastating counter attacks in an instant. Maicon’s presence is the reason why Ashley Cole’s absence is such a blow for Chelsea because Ashely Cole, despite being good going forward, is a very good defender for a full back and consequently he could have handled Maicon’s threat better than his likely replacement Zhirkov. Zhirkov’s presence, and strong imbalance of attacking and defensive attributes, could be one of Inter’s favouring factors which Maicon’s attributes could exploit, especially when Zhirkov leaves space when advancing forward. For this reason I would much rather Inter play 4-3-3 formation, and I feel Quaresma could be of great use in this tie. Vice versa, Maicon also has to be cautious when bursting forwards for the same reason, with both Zhirkov and Malouda almost certain to take full advantage of any free space.
Mourinho stated on Friday that Santon is unlikely to be fit to play in the first leg. Although this may have been media spin by Mourinho and Santon may actually be fit to start on Wednesday night, if he is not it will be a big blow for Inter for two reasons: 1. Despite a poor run in form and drop in confidence at the beginning of the season, his performances in recent weeks have been a return to the form which made his name last season, which is what Inter needed to cope with Anelka considering Santon did a great job marking Cristiano Ronaldo at this stage last season. 2. Zanetti is likely to replace him at left back, which is not a bad thing, but Inter will be loosing his bursts of pace and dribbling from centre midfield, which no other Inter centre midfielder offers. Nevertheless, Zanetti is vastly experienced and can be a very strong defender, so I have faith that he can do a good job at marking Anelka, and the occasional burst of pace forward from left back will help make up for Inter’s lack of width. Ivanovic is a centre back more than a full back. He does not offer the same attacking threat the absent Boswinga would so is unlikely to leave the same gaps Zhirkov is likely to do on the opposite flank.
Both centre back pairings will have a tough job. The biggest problem for Samuel and Lucio is that Inter have to deal with defending against the power house Drogba, as well as the on rushing Lampard from deep. Chelsea are devastating on the counter attack so Lucio needs to be careful not to leave his defensive team mates exposed when going on one of his characteristic runs from the back. The clinical Milito and dribbling ability and unpredictable movements of Pandev are likely to cause Terry and Carvalho problems, especially with Terry’s recent personal problems affecting his performances and Carvalho returning from injury.
Midfield vs Midfield
As mentioned previously, both team’s midfield will be affected by injury, with Chelsea loosing Essien and Santon’s injury likely to force Zanetti to left back. Lampard and Sneijder are the respected players which need to be control by the opposition. Lampard plays a pivotal role in Chelsea’s midfield, and his long shots and late runs into the penalty area will be a threat which ball winner and box to box midfielder Cambiasso needs to deal with. Sneijder is Inter’s key player and spear heads Inter’s midfield. He is their most creative player and most moves go threw him, especially in a 4-3-1-2 formation. If Chelsea can control him then Inter will be made very ineffective. Sneijder’s set piece taking ability is up there with the best in the world so Chelsea have to be on guard. Ballack and Stankovic are both big game and experienced players, who will be invaluable for their respected teams in this game. The tricky Joe Cole, if on form, will be a constant thorn in Inter’s side. Skill, pacey and good link up play, it is a must that Inter limit his effectiveness and time on the ball. Muntari can be a great asset as a combative midfielder in this game where dangerous opposing players need to be controlled. He needs to time his challenges well, not give away pointless fouls, and not collect unnecessary yellow cards (the last thing Inter needs is a sending off), something he has not done all season.
Forwards vs Forwards
Both teams have quality forwards. Drogba is Chelsea’s key player and spear heads their attack. He is physically strong, a good finish, has great movement and pace, and is very strong in the air. The Inter defence needs to mark him and read his movements carefully, and Cesar needs to wary of his free kicks. Wide forwards Malouda and Anelka are very dangerous, and are key to Chelsea’s counter attacks. Zanetti and Maicon need to be on guard to break up their counter attacks. Milito is one of the most clinical strikers in the world. Like Drogba he is strong, but is a better finisher. The Chelsea defence have to make sure not to give him too much space in the penalty area otherwise he will punish them in an instant if given the chance. Pandev has good dribbling and drifting ability. He has strong unpredictable movements which make it hard for defenders to play against him. He has built up a good partnership with Milito in his short time at the club as he compliments him better than Eto. Speaking of Eto, he has a wealth of Champions League experience and a proven record in Europe’s premier competition (he is the only player to have scored in two separate Champions League finals). He is bound to make an appearance at some point, whether it is from the beginning (if my predicted starting line up is wrong) or from the substitute bench, and his European pedigree will be invaluable for Inter.
I cannot wait for this intense affair.
Yours sincerely,
Luke Best.
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