[Zed.D]

Calcio Debate: Could Inter Throw Their Season Away?


Inter currently look a pale shadow of the team that were so dominant earlier in the campaign. Carlo Garganese asks whether we are witnessing the beginning of a complete Nerazzurri collapse…

(IMG:http://www.goal.com/images/22315_news.jpg)

Exactly a fortnight ago, things could not have been any better for the seemingly invincible Inter. Eleven points clear at the top of Serie A, Roberto Mancini had even been afforded the luxury of resting a number of first-team players against Livorno, so that they could be in top shape for the Champions League last 16 first leg game at Liverpool.

This tie against Rafa Benitez’s men was largely presented by both the Italian and English media as a formality. Liverpool were struggling terribly in the English Premiership and had just been humiliated in the FA Cup by Championship-side Barnsley.

However, as we all know, Inter produced a stale performance (irrespective of the scandalous red card to Materazzi) and went down 2-0 at Anfield. Since this defeat, it seems as if the walls have just caved in on the Beneamata.

Off-the-field Roberto Mancini has been attacked (twice) by unhappy fans, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marco Materazzi have reportedly fallen out, while the morale in the dressing room is said to be at an all-time low.

On-the-pitch things have been even worse. Inter were second-best at Sampdoria, and were rather fortuitous to come away with a 1-1 draw, a result that saw their lead at the top of Serie A cut to nine points.

They then repeated this scoreline four days later against Roma, salvaging an undeserved point courtesy of a fantastic 88th minute volley from captain Javier Zanetti.

Then on Sunday night they produced undoubtedly their worst performance of the season, when they were completely run ragged by mid-table Napoli, losing 1-0, and seeing their lead over Roma cut to just six points.

So are Inter in crisis?

Well with just 12 games remaining of the campaign, a six-point lead is still a very significant advantage, and many will argue that a team cannot possibly be in crisis if they have only just suffered their first domestic defeat of the campaign.

However, it is not so much a worry that Inter have lost two and drawn two of their last four games, it has been their general performance levels during these matches that is the biggest concern.

In simple terms Inter have not been playing well at all since the turn of the year. They only beat Parma and Empoli due to controversial penalties, while other dubious decisions (which caused the whole ‘Inter favoritism’ furore) went their way during their matches with Siena and Catania.

In truth the only match in Serie A that Inter have impressed in, in 2008, was the aforementioned 2-0 win over Livorno.

But every team goes through a bad run of form during a season I hear you cry.

Yes this is true, but not every squad has to contend with Inter’s current injury and fitness problems. Olivier Dacourt, Walter Samuel and Ivan Cordoba are all out for the season while Cesar, Maxwell, and Christian Chivu are also sidelined.

Most of those that are not on the treatment table are either fatigued or out of shape. Esteban Cambiasso had been possibly the player of the season in Serie A up until a few weeks ago. He has been a shadow of his real-self in recent games, clearly due to tiredness.

Then you have the likes of Dejan Stankovic and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who are constantly fighting a losing battle against niggles, the latter having admitted that he has been playing for sometime with a potentially dangerous hole in the knee.

Patrick Vieira and Marco Materazzi missed the first half of the season through injury and have been simply awful since returning. Materazzi was crucified by Napoli’s Ezequiel Lavezzi on Sunday, while Vieira has been slow, sluggish and is clearly out of shape.

When you add up all these problems you certainly cannot rule out a total collapse by Inter this season. Their chances against Liverpool are pretty much dead and buried, few would contest that, but even their Scudetto hopes are now being put to the test.

If they were to be caught by Roma, having been 11 points clear, it would be one of the most stunning collapses in recent history.
It would be something to rival Juve’s capitulation to Lazio in 2000, or as followers of the Premiership will remember, Newcastle United’s surrender to Manchester United in 1996, having been 12 points ahead.

Inter’s slightly more favourable run-in to Roma will be an advantage, but the Giallorossi are in magnificent form at the moment, and a win over Real Madrid tomorrow night could give them a huge boost ahead of the final stretch of the Serie A season. Meanwhile the Nerazzurri’s likely exit to Liverpool could have the exact opposite effect.

What are your views on this topic? Could Inter throw away their whole season? Are they in crisis? Can Roma catch them? Goal.com wants to know what YOU think?


Carlo Garganese [a.k.a the Rossoneri tifosi]

[Zed.D]

I won't rule it out! they're not going through the best of times with all these injuries and have just weakened in the last two weeks.

[dst]

Of course they could... that's how they made a name for themselves... but I don't think they will fail to win the c'ship. I hope they will but...

[kurtsimonw]

Can they throw it away? Of course.

Will they? Not a chance, they'll win the league this season.

[Nova]

Offcourse Merda wont give it away. If it wasnt for the easy refs , Roma would allready be on top of serie A.

But if they should and milan wins the CL (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) I think i just couldn't handle it (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)