cuadrado

Ben Boucher continues to give you his thoughts about Inter for SempreInter.com and this time it’s about the Flogging in Florence:

The alarm bells were apparently ringing, they should now be perforating the ear drums of every player & coach in the Inter first team squad. The Nerazzurri were not just beaten at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, their weaknesses were exposed in the most brutal & savage way by a team who if allowed the time & space offered to them in this game can be as good as any side in the league.

If Inter’s wretched recent away form could be explained in part by injuries, suspensions & some good old fashioned bad luck, this shameful effort feels like an unacceptable slap in the face to all those who follow this great club. Fatigue undoubtedly played a part, the team is fighting on three fronts and doesn’t seem to have the resources needed to play a strong side week after week. Tactics were also another contributing factor as Stramaccioni’s side got badly outnumbered in midfield and seemed unable to adjust or adapt from the minute Valero & co began systematically picking them apart. Most disturbing though was the absence of any fight, desire or a willingness to work hard in order to turn the tide in this one sided contest.

Fredy Guarin appeared more interested in conversations with officials and opponents than helping to rectify a situation that quickly got out of control. His constant arm waving, negative body language & inability to get even the basics right was emblematic of many players wearing the Nerazzurri colours on Sunday night. Samir Handanovic watched as an endless stream of Viola swarmed towards his goal, at times even the Slovenian shot stopper seemed to scratch his head in bewilderment as to what was taking place in front of him.

The loss of Diego Milito was devastating for both the squad and manager but as professionals it’s now their responsibility to find solutions to the problems that the loss of Il Principe has caused. When a business loses its number one salesman or Chief Exec it does not cease to trade. That is what Sunday felt like to me, a squad that had reached rock bottom waving the white flag of surrender. With the derby now just a week away, Stramaccioni will not only feel the pressure from his supporters to fix this mess but will see the media scrutiny ramped up to a new level. Despite my belief that yet another coaching change won’t benefit the club whatsoever, these next few games could prove pivotal to the future of Inter’s young tactician.