In his regular Wednesday column Inter fanatic Sam Olsen will be delving deep into the stories that matter to Inter’s fans looking to keep the spirit of discussion and dispute alive and well on the pages of Sempreinter.com. New Zealander Sam has published several books on military history as well as contributing to a number of sport and news related websites. His love for Inter began in 1997 watching Ronaldo waltz through confused defences in the famous blue and black, and he has enjoyed the roller coaster ride ever since. His favourite moment was watching the team lift the Coppa Italia in 04-05 with Mancini, breaking the long domestic trophy drought, while his favourite player is Javier Zanetti, the great one, who encompasses everything good and right about the club.
No one says the life of the football manager is easy. After battling your way up from the lower reaches, coaching kids and amateurs you finally get your break and potentially a small pay check coaching a semi professional side. Eventually, if you keep at it, you might graduate to a professional team and make a living yourself and a select few will make it too the big time coaching a team that people actually watch on TV. All along the way you are subjected to abuse from parents, supporters, players and eventually media. You can only take it on the chin, back yourself and keep on working. Once you do achieve success, you never know how long it will last for, maybe you will be a flash in the pan, get a chance at a big team, fail and end up managing some small club in the lower leagues; or maybe you will actually succeed in the pressure cooker and survive to have a flourishing career. There is only one certainty however, you like your players, will only be as good as your last game. And so Walter Mazzarri finds as he pushes his team onto consecutive wins with a solid 0-2 over Parma giving him a little break from the incessant conjecture about his future. It was a win of vital importance considering Parma’s position right behind Inter on the table and opens up a five point gap for Inter to their rivals in the race for the Europa League spot.
Mazzarri has found himself fighting barbs from every corner over the past few months as his team succumbed to a series of poor results, the decent start to the season collapsing like a Middle East peace agreement in a series of woeful performances and his own star shining just a little less in the incessant heat. The season actually has had an uncanny parallel to last season where Inter also appeared to be challengers before fading after a number of poor performances and an injury crisis, sparking the end of Andrea Stramaccioni’s whose fledgling career at the Nerazzurri did not withstand the pressure.
Stramaccioni stood accused of not having giving his team an identity or tactical blueprint which inevitably left them confused and unsure on the pitch. This was immediately blamed on his youth, inexperience and the pressure of leading a top team and it almost seemed like Moratti was doing him a favour by cutting him loose and giving him the chance to get away from it all. But what about Mazzarri, the veteran? Has he improved on this? Given the team a clear tactical blueprint and the confidence to go out and play? Is he the man to lead Inter on this new project to take the team forward next season?
On the evidence of the last few games I would answer with a resounding no. I watch a team who seemingly has a clear tactical plan, one revolving around a three man defence, with flying fullbacks and a central core that is supposed to dictate the game by spraying passes out to the wings. But I don’t see it working. There is no control. No domination of the game by Inter. It is as if we are rolling the dice in every game and hoping that our number come up, like some homeless gambler putting his savings on red or black. We are not controlling the pace of the game and we do not seem capable to shutting down the opponent’s space properly to limit their chances. I understand that Mazzarri has his favoured tactical system and he believes in it but I wonder whether the team has the players who are suited to this system. I used to criticize Benetiz because he arrived at a club who were perhaps the world’s best at counter attacking football. Instead of taking this and gradually adapting it over time, he announced we would play more attractive free flowing football based on possession, a system that none of the players characteristics were suited to, and watched as the goals dried up and the team’s form went down. Mazzarri is guilty of the same crime. He has not been able to adapt his system to his player’s strengths, rather trying to adapt his players to the system, like putting square pegs in round holes. Many would argue that these men are professional and should be able to adapt but when you are playing at this level forcing a player to play a style that is not his natural game reduces their performance and therefore effectiveness, just look at Torres at Chelsea.
Aside from tactical inflexibility and lack of control during matches, I also have concerns over the mental preparation these players have been given. Mazzarri seems unable to motivate his players to higher performance levels. Mourinho’s and even Mancini’s Inter teams never gave up, they expected to win and if they went ahead it was almost an impossible job to come back. I just don’t see that anymore. I watched Inter go ahead in these last two games, both times only after being baled out by miraculous Handanovic saves and red cards to the opposition. It is as if after going ahead the team just panic like teenage boys talking to a girl they like for the first time. Instead of pushing on and either controlling the game and limiting opposition chances like they would have done under Mourinho, or just pushing hard for a second goal; they collapse into a state of disarray and seemingly do their best to gift wrap a goal in beautifully coloured paper as a present to the opposition. And let there be no mistake. The two clean sheets we have kept in the last two games are not representative of great defence and domination, but rather a lot of luck and incredible goalkeeping. Watching the team go ahead it appears as if they are so shocked by the turn of events that they have no real idea about what they are supposed to do next, you can almost see the panic come across all but Handanovic in goal. In this confused state they simply run around like a bunch of playstation players controlled by infants, hoping that something happens. It is up to Mazzarri to instil this belief into his players, to get them to believe they will win every game. I just don’t see that.
Then there is the start of the new era under Thorir. I just wonder whether Mazzarri is the one I want starting this new era, he feels too old Inter. I would love to see a progressive manager who knows how he wants to play, wants young energetic hardworking players and has a vision for Inter as a club. Mazzarri, you feel would be content bringing in some more tired older, proven players who collect a nice wage and do what they need to do to keep everyone happy.
I actually see a lot of similarities between Mazzarri and Benetiz, as both are supremely arrogant men, both blame others for their problems and both refuse to accept to be flexible with their methods. The next few years will be pivotal for Inter as it comes to terms with the regulations of financial fair play, the loss of the champions of 2010 and the arrival of a new owner. The choice of who will take the team forward with all these changes taking place will be vital as to whether the team can get back challenging for titles or for Europa League positions. For me, Walter Mazzarri is not the man. I just cannot see any real growth or development within the squad or the players. I do not see a man who has injected any real enthusiasm or joy into this team, who has given them the confidence to go out and be the best like say Simeone has done at Athletico, or Brendon Rogers at Liverpool. Inter need someone like this. A manager who can take us to the next level, who encourages young players to take chances and makes the senior guys remember why they started playing football in the first place.
Who would you like to see at the helm of the club next season?
Has Mazzarri done enough to keep the reigns or do we need change?
funny how you complaining about dominating a match yet you prefer a coach who use counter attacking style. and i find it hilarious how you comparing this year with mou’s era and mancini’s. then as much as i hate benitez (pretty much a lot), i still think he was treated unfairly here. he was given a tiring team without any reinforcement. while the other two was given almost everything they wanted. benitez’s failure is not about how they failed to integrate the team to his attacking system but because the coach had no support from anyone around the club, either the management or the players. it was proved by leonardo that that same team can play attacking kind of football with just some reinforcements. i don’t know if you forget that or was intended to forget that.
and the same case when you’re saying mazzarri did the same mistake because the fact is this pretty much same team with this pretty much same system is what took us to those winning streak performance last year. again, either you forget that or you intended to forget that.
and let’s face the fact shall we. every coach in every team always needed a players with his preferable abilities to suit his preferable system. especially if the team he took over is a team which consists of a bunch of mediocre who made individual mistakes match after match with lack of concentration in almost every minutes of every game and only one really world class player which ironically only standing in front of the goal. so of course there will be and there should be chop and shop in almost every part of this team. another fact, mazzarri had done a good job for club with less good players and less economic support than this team and even less talented players. so, what was that again about he wanted proven players with nice wage?
and if you’re saying we we were baled out by handa’s miraculous saves plus red card, then i must have been lost count with how much the opponent baled out with either miraculous saves from their goalkeeper, penalty claim that we should got from the ref, not to mention the post and the terrible finishing these team had. and it was funny how you mention handa’s miraculous saves because in the same game mirante also did a miraculous saves of his own.
but i do agree with you on the mentality part. no, not the never gave up, expected to win, and impossible job to come back part. i’m sure you’re just trying to show your humor on that part because it was just so hilarious to compare this team with those of mou’s and mancini’s. but that part about how mazzarri pretty much failed to motivate the team better and make them stand again after a fall. that one he failed. him and pretty much every coach after mourinho.
then for the question, is mazzarri the right man to bring this team to their champions habit? i’m still indecisive about this. cos it’s not just about mazzari himself but about the whole management. but is he the right man in this kind of time? i believe yes he is. he has experience, know how to handle things, know what he wanted. even if he couldn’t bring this team to it’s glory ways, he is the right one to start it over
Where is Maikel? Did he read this editorial? Even inter qualifies to UCL next season,a coach replacement is still needed. No mean to offend Mazzarri’s fans,lets realistic,our current inter have no clear identity,a good performance in the pitch,a never ending fighting spirit for 90 minutes. Maybe for some of us will blame the players that isnt same with mancini or mou’s era,but did we ever see inter player fight hard on the pitch like materazzi or chivu? Maybe mazzarri isnt like mou. The former is tactically great,and the later is a perfect motivator. Whatever a coach type is,at least try to being adaptative as good as possible. And this ends with question: is inter who must follow mazzarri or the opposite?
Yeah I kind of agree with you. I have always thought that Inter lack a long term perspective about what sort of team they are. We expect coaches to come in and organise the team and if it doesnt work then we sack the coach and get another one with a different vision. I would like to see the board and owner put forward the vision for the club, a vision of what they want to see on the pitch. Personally I believe Inter’s history is ingrained in the solid defense, quick counter attacking style that won us the Champion Leagues in the 60’s and with Mou and I would like to see us take that as our flag and bring in coaches who prefer this style. At least then we would have some sort of continuity and can also choose players suited to this system. Now we have one coach who wants counter attacks, the next wants possession, the next wants direct football with high pressing etc etc.
Well, we all know that Thohirs vision includes integrating young players into the squad and obviously that is working perfectly right now..
I think its very unhealthy for a team to change their coach every season, but i dont understand why they dont make it right in the first place. Its like people werent expecting this from Mazzarri, well have they seen him do anything else?
I agree with Sam that there is just no way WM can take us to the next level and when we bring in a new man it is so important he actually has some knowledge to adapt to Inter and his players and not the other way around. To me, that is an important characteristica to distinguish a good coach from a lesser..
I agree with the Benitez/Mazzarri mirroring BUT I confess I disagree with the comments on Rodgers and Simeone. I watch Liverpool play and their defence is basically shit for a champions league side. It\’s not sustainable. Without Sturridge AND Suarez they’d be like this team I used to know in the early 2013-14 season…Inter!
Simeone is good. But I lost a lot of admiration for him last night. He didn’t know how to direct his team through Mourinho’s defence.
I support both Chelsea and Inter and don’t want one’s success to necessarily come at the other’s expense/ But Mourinho is the only manager I know who can combine catenaccio with an attacking style while spitting on tiki tala. Inter needs that. Chelsea has the players to adapt to other coaches much better. They’ll do well enough without Mou.
I want Mou back to lead Inter’s new era. No-one, not Mazzarri, Rodgers, Simeone, Klopp, Leonardo, Mancini, Guardiola, is as capable or as well qualified.
I like how Rodgers and Simeone have been able to build teams to play a certain way. The players they bought in were all chosen for their characteristics not reputation and both clubs operated on a fairly strict budget. Both managers have got their players to understand what they want and get the best out of what they have got. You watch Liverpool and all the players buy into what they are trying to do, all players know their rolls and all players give 110% and never give in. Look at Sturrige and Coutinho. Both came from teams who did not use them properly but now both feel important and are playing awesome. That is down to good management. Ferguson was another who was awesome at motivating players and getting them to understand what is wanted and to get them to play to their potential. Aside what you think about the tactical side of things, I think the best managers manage to get their players to understand what they want to do on the field, to feel like they can express themselves, who gives the players confidence and makes them feel like a game is never lost.
Rodgers and Simeone both depend on what my friends and I jokingly term a ‘Spanish 9’-one forward who’s got pace-1, poaching and playmaking abilities on top of standard no 9 qualities. I’m sorry, but without Suarez and Costa Atletico and Liverpool would not be champion material. Mazzarri showed he can pilot the same boat when he had Cavani to lead Napoli’s line.
I totally agree with your overall assessment that Mazzarri is not the man to lead Inter’s new era. But we differ on our tactics, which leads us to admire different managers to different degrees. It’s an impasse
Couldnt agree more. Spot on.
I don’t know where to begin. We all feel unlucky about inter right now and I agree on several points that mention but its unfair to inters current management to compare todays inter with an inter rhat could afford buying a benchwarmer for 23 millions (almeyda).
Its also unfair to compare the management situation at todays inter with simeone or brendan Rodgers. Rhe fans of atl madrid doesn’t put so much pressure on their own players and talents like the fans of inter. Every fuckin season we demand our team to win the scudetto without having a great team like we use to have. If we’re going to develop our on talents we must have to stop expecting that we are going to win something in a couple of years. Rodgers have been experiencing difficulties with his team except this season. We don’t have that patience in this team and that’s why we buy experienced players.
And another thing; do you really think that managera like simeone or klopp would like to train a team with no money, a mediocre squad and fans who demands scudettos every season? Be realistic guys….we just have to settle down with mazzarri for a while
I agree too, Sam summed it up nicely. I for one would like a coach that can get the maximum out of the players that he has at his disposal, utilize them to be at their effective best, not the one who has a rigid although balaced system that he doesn’t have the right players for. If we don’t have the money as we’re restricted by FFP and low revenue, why would a guy that needs to change half of a team to play decent football be the best choice? I don’t get that. Maximize the talents of Hernanes, Kovacic and Guarin for Christ sake, they’re probably the most technically gifted midfield in the league, only second to Juve. And we don’t have a playing scheme, relying on the lousy wings we have, with no real targetman. Inability to play through the middle where we’re most gifted is not down to the players, instead it’s down to a coach, unfortunately. Those players aren’t great defensively, so probably they’re best suited for high pressing instead of deep positioning that Mazzarri insists on. Mazzarri’s system is alright, it works fine, but he needs to change half a team to be effective, and that’s no good for me.
Well said, I agree. BUT it’s also important to see whose replacing him, is it an untested inexperienced coach like Stramacionni?! I don’t want to see that either. I want someone who actually won something, like DeBoer or Simoene.
I even don’t oppose giving Maurito to Athletico in order to free Diego Simeone from his contract which is until 2017.
AMEN, I agree with every word in this editorial.
Jurgen Klopp
Nima, I thought you were in favor of keeping Mazzarri. I would like him to stay one more season and see how it goes. I think the current squad is average with some exeptions. Just because Jonny, Alvarez, and Juan have improved didnt mean we didnt need better players in their positions.
I am. This is Sam Olsen’s editorial, hence the title Sam Olsen’s Wednesday Editorial =)