I recently went to visit one of my beloved family members who has a mental illness. She suffers from persecutory delusions – a condition in which the affected person believes (falsely) that someone is plotting to harm them or their family. She was a beautiful, humorous woman with a zest for life until suddenly she wasn’t. One day she was fine and the next she wasn’t.

The diagnosis was met with disbelief and then denial. If you asked her today, she would say there’s nothing wrong with her despite the multiple, extended stays in the psychiatric ward. It’s a frustrating, confusing ordeal for everyone involved and not one I wish upon even my most loathsome enemy.

The calls at 2:00 am warning me there is a plot to kidnap my nephews, the constant reminders to lock my door and stay in the house, the oft-repeated claims that I have a doppelganger who calls out to her in the apartment below. It can wear you down and sometimes it’s hard to remember that she indeed has an illness.

Every visit leaves you feeling kind of blue. You’ve exhausted all ideas, ventured down all avenues of hope before a sense of despair begins to take you in its grip, slowing squeezing the air out of you the way an Amazonian anaconda methodically suffocates their prey. You’re powerless to stop it and that’s when the resignation creeps in. Denial, disbelief and then despair. It’s a vicious cycle. And this is what it’s felt like to watch Inter over the last five years.

Every once in a while I am fortunate enough to get a glimpse of her old self; a long conversation rife with laughter, a lovely lunch devoid of claims that unknown agents are watching us, a 2-1 victory against Juventus.

I’ve learned to cherish these moments because for every step forward there is usually two steps back. The refusal to attend Christmas dinner because of an uncle actively plotting her demise, repeated calls to police about imaginary armed men roaming the neighbourhood, a deflating 3-0 loss to Napoli.

It’s the hope that kills you but you don’t really have a choice. That’s all you can do because to stop hoping is to stop believing and if you stop believing then well you’re already dead. So there’s nothing left to do but hope there is a medical breakthrough, a new miracle drug, a refreshing young doctor with an unconventional treatment plan, a world-class manager, Diego Simeone.

Here’s what we learned from Inter’s 3-0 Loss to Napoli…

The Stadio San Paolo Is A House Of Horrors

Inter hadn’t notched a victory in Naples since 1997 but the Nerazzurri were cautiously optimistic of ending the streak due to a rash of injuries upfront for the home side. Napoli quickly dispelled the notion they would be impotent in attack by firing a stunning opening salvo, which forced Inter to capitulate in a manner that would have made Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival proud.

Inter conceded two goals in the first five minutes and in the blink of an eye the match was effectively over. The Nerazzurri seemed ill prepared for the hostile environment and were fortunate not to concede another two goals before halftime.

Napoli added a third in the second half to put Inter out of their misery but not before Ivan Perisic missed a free header from close range in the 88th minute to ensure Inter left the stadium thoroughly beaten and embarrassed.

Time To Boot Geoffrey Kondogbia Out Of The Last-Chance Saloon?

Kondogbia fell out of favour with previous manager Frank de Boer after the Frenchman was accused of failing to follow basic tactical instructions. His future firmly in doubt, the 23-year-old seemed destined for an unceremonious exit in January.

Kondogbia was handed a new lease on life at San Siro when Stefano Pioli replaced De Boer on Nov. 8 and the new manager quickly reinstated the French midfielder into the starting lineup with mixed results.

Inter paid a pretty penny for Kondogbia’s services – 31 million to be exact – and have yet to see a glimpse of the talented midfielder, who was a driving force in Monaco’s quarterfinal appearance in the 2015 Champions League.

Kondogbia didn’t last 60 minutes against Napoli as he was bossed around in midfield by Piotr Zielinski and once again seems like a safe bet to join a Premier League club in the new year.

Gabi-GONE?

I’m not sure how Inter managed to muck things up to the extent where they feel the need to loan out their star 29.5 million striker to a lower-level Serie A team before handing him a proper debut. Gabigol, one of the most promising Brazilian forwards on the planet, has languished on the bench for unknown reasons since arriving from Santos in the late summer save for one substitute appearance.

Inter doesn’t have the best reputation for developing young talent and this is just another damning example. There was an article floating around last week claiming that Lionel Messi had signed a pre-contract with Inter 10 years ago. Can you imagine what Inter would have done to Messi? There’s no doubt they would have zapped his confidence, sold him to another club and watched him flourish years later with envious eyes. That’s the Inter way.

Different Manager, Same Results

Inter supporters didn’t expect Pioli to engineer a dramatic turnaround in less than a month but neither did Nerazzuri Nation expect to lose 3-0 to Napoli. The defense has been a particular sore spot, giving up 10 goals since Pioli took charge.

Inter’s back line was an unmitigated disaster against Napoli. It was sliced open more times than Iggy Pop at a Stooges’ concert. The Nerazzurri are 10th in the table, 15 points behind Juventus after 15 rounds and not even the most cynical Interista envisioned the season unraveling the way it has.

Inter need many things. They need stability. They need consistency. They need a second legitimate threat to step up when Mauro Icardi is off kilter. They need new leadership but they mainly need Simeone to rescue to his old, beloved club.

Max De Luca is a journalist based in Toronto, Canada and has been published on Reuters, CBC, Yahoo, Goal, USA Today and many more. Starting today and every Wednesday, Max will pen a column exclusively for SempreInter.com discussing the most pressing topics of the day.

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