Ben Boucher delivers his Sunday editorial for SempreInter.com as usual. Pleasant read for you guys:
After a comfortable 4-0 victory over Cittadella in Walter Mazzarri’s first competitive game, it finally feels like the Serie A season is almost upon us. Here are five things that have caught my attention from around the world of Inter this week.
Home is where the heart is (and where titles are won)
During the five Scudetti that Inter won from 2005/6 onwards, visiting sides only managed to take three points away from the Giuseppe Meazza on four occasions. This included two consecutive seasons where Inter remained unbeaten on home turf. I’m not insinuating that Inter will in anyway challenge Juventus for the title this year but a winning football team must deliver in front of its own supporters. Walter Mazzarri had this to say about correcting the Nerazzurri’s patchy home form before today’s game: “I’d like us to start doing that right from the off and if that were to happen, if we did make it through to the next round, then we’d have to make sure we build on that”. A 4-0 victory followed but Inter must strive for consistency on their own ground. Many winnable games slipped from their grasp at the Meazza last year and this is clearly something Mazzarri has prioritised as an area for improvement during the forthcoming campaign.
Bad habits are hard to kick
I know all about this one, it sounds easy to just ‘quit’ a bad habit but in reality that simply isn’t the case. Smokers keep smoking; drinkers keep drinking and Inter keep giving opponents time and space to pick their shot out from 25 yards. It doesn’t seem to matter whether the opponent is on the counter attack or Inter have just cleared a set piece, there is always an area in the middle of the pitch that contains opposition attackers and very few Inter defenders. The gap appears to be caused by passive defending combined with the midfield pressing as individuals rather than a collective. If this ‘habit’ can’t be eradicated it could be another very long season for Samir Handanovic between the posts.
Newsflash: We have tall players! Cross the ball…
It was my ‘pet hate’ under Strama and although there have been positive signs, it continues to be an area in which Inter could vastly improve: Crossing the football. How many times (particularly at the start of last season) would Cassano, Nagatomo and even Javier Zanetti get in behind the full backs only to stop and pass the ball back into midfield allowing the opposition defence to reset? This season there are no excuses. The coach will insist we play this way (go and see Napoli videos of the balls that were whipped in for Cavani) plus we have the players to deliver that all important finishing touch. Icardi, Belfodil and Milito when he returns can all be a threat in the air. Ricky Alvarez has also shown that his late runs can cause havoc to a defence. For Inter to succeed this year it’s vital the players understand and execute Mazzarri’s instructions.
Bring the Inter Channel to the masses
Your sick of it, I’m sick of it. We’re all sick of it. Awful Internet streams. Whether your local satellite company has decided not to show the Inter game or in some cases haven’t even purchased the rights for Serie A, we’ve all had to resort on occasions to watching sub standard, poor quality Internet feeds. If Erick Thohir is to be involved with Inter his experience with the broadcasts that are provided for U.S. sports teams could be hugely beneficial in giving Inter fans around the world the access to this team that they deserve. From Indonesia to India, Sweden to Scotland there are millions of us that would gladly pay a premium to watch the team we love play each week. When Massimo Moratti talks about ‘revenue streams’ being the one thing that hold Inter back surely this is a win-win situation that could provide instant cash flow for the club?
Hold on tight, this ride could be very bumpy….
Like the very best theme park rides this season will be full of ups and downs. The integration of different tactics and a new style of play take time and can come at the cost of consistency. Particularly in the first few months of the season, just as you think the team are ready to take steps forward there will inevitably be a predictable regression. A poor performance, an inexplicable result will happen more often than we’d like to think. The point that I will hold onto is that this coach has attempted to succeed in Serie A under worse conditions than he finds at Inter. He has managed to defy the odds on several occasions and although we may feel some pain along the way, he seems to be the right man to coach inter at this difficult time.