Saturday, February 23, 2013

Where did it all go wrong for Inter?


Inter have been in decline for the better part of almost 3 seasons now, and after winning every competition in the 2009/10 season, one would not foresee a future like this for the Nerazurri.

Club president Massimo Moratti is well known as one of the stingier presidents, when it comes to splashing money on high-profile names, but Mourinho, unlike any of his predecessors or successors, has managed to convince the oil tycoon to open the wallet, after the sale of Ibrahimovic to Barcleona for €69.5M. The club acquired the services of Samuel Eto'o as a part of Ibrahimovic deal, Diego Milito and Thiago Motta from Genoa for €35M, Sneijder from Real Madrid, paid for with €15M and Lucio, who was dubbed an outcast at Bayern Munich, but, like everyone else from the list, came to have an unbelievable season with Inter, winning the treble and World Cup Championship afterwards.

Inter were flying as high as a club can, but when Mourinho left to coach Real Madrid, the end of an era began. Current Chelsea interim manager, Rafa Benitez was brought in as a replacement for Mourinho and was not able to replicate the high standards of Portuguese coach. He was sacked at the end of the season, and his successors, Leonardo, Gian Piero Pellegrini and Claudio Ranieri had the similar fate.

Inter's transfer market policy has changed and it's starting to resemble Liverpool's strategy with no particular goal, just buying out of impulse, though spending less money.

They've started 2012/13 promisingly with their young coach, Andrea Stramaccioni, who made them look like genuine Serie A title contestants when they were just one point behind Juventus, but since, Inter's form has dipped and Champions League qualification looks highly unlikely now for Internazionale.

Moratti's lack of spending may be attributed to the stadium plans club has, following the footsteps of Juventus, who have enjoyed financial boost from the ticket revenue ever since they revealed their new stadium, though stadium isn't expected to be functional till 2018, and one must wonder, what will happen to Inter, if the club policy remains unaltered.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Jack Wilshere substituted with thigh injury


Just as he was making his way back to the stardom, Jack Wilshere's injury concerns can't seem to go away. Midfielder was praised recently for his performances, most notably in England's 2:1 win over Brazil, where Arsenal star was declared man of the match.

Wilshere was brought down by Alfred N'Diaye right at the beginning of the second half, after which he was taken out of play, though the seriousness of the injury is yet to be determined.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has already been concerned with Jack's workload after the return from a 19-month injury.

Wilshere has made his debut for Gunners in 2008 as a 16 year old and has so far made 49 league appearances, making the scoresheet 5 times.