While discussing Serie A on the podcast Beyond the Pitch, David Amoyal from Gianluca Di Marzio’s English page stated that, “There is no figure in Calcio that faces more pressure than Mancini.” This is really Roberto Mancini’s first real season at Inter. The former Manchester City boss took over from Walter Mazzarri last fall. Mancini took over a train-wreck, and inherited a squad with a weak mentality on the pitch. Although Inter brought in some players in January, the club never challenged for a place in the Champions League, and ultimately were not even good enough to make the Europa League. It would be unfair to blame Mancini for Inter’s failures last term due to the fact that he was unable to have a preseason with the squad and the team had such a poor start under Mazzarri.
Now, Mancini has what he wants. Erick Thohir has invested heavily in the squad, and brought in the likes of Geoffrey Kondogbia, Joao Miranda, Jeison Murillo, Stevan Jovetic, and Martin Montoya. The club was able to have a preseason retreat and a tour in China as well. Now, Mancini will have no excuses for not meeting expectations this season. I will be previewing the 2015/16 for Inter, as well as going over how the club’s rivals have strengthened.
The transfer market: arrivals
This summer has seen massive changes at Inter. Following the disappointing 8th place finish last season, Erick Thohir knew that he had to invest in the mercato, and invest he did. This summer Inter signed Geoffrey Kondogbia, Joao Miranda, Jeison Murillo, Stevan Jovetic, Jonathan Biabiany, and Martin Montoya. Due to the fact that the majority of the deals were loans with mandatory purchase fees, Inter spent € 56.7m in total. Inter addressed the main issue early in the summer; the defense. Last season Inter conceded 48 goals, which was an embarrassment for a team that should be fighting for the Champions League places.
Miranda is undoubtedly the strongest defender that has been brought in. The Brazilian has proven that he is a world class center back. While at Atletico Madrid, Miranda won two Uefa Europa League titles, a La Liga title, and helped guide Atleti to the 2013/14 Champions League final. Jeison Murillo may be more of an unknown name, but the Colombian was fantastic in the 2015 Copa America, and won the Young Player of the Tournament award. Martin Montoya was brought in from Barcelona, and hopefully the Spanish right back can blossom into a fine defender while at Inter. Inter’s move for Geoffrey Kondogbia was the biggest state of intent this mercato. The Frenchman was pursued by the likes of Arsenal, Real Madrid, and AC Milan, but in the end Inter won the race to sign the Monaco man. Although the transfer fee was hefty (€35m), Kondogbia’s talent cannot be doubted, and at only 22, he can develop into one of the best midfielders in the world. Inter also brought in Stevan Jovetic to aid Mauro Icardi in the attack. Should the Montenegrin stay healthy and find good chemistry with Icardi, Mancini will have himself a deadly duo upfront. Overall, Inter have done some great business so far this summer, and clearly there are still more players who can come in.
The transfer market: Departures
You cannot simply buy without selling. Inter needed to sell some of their assets in order to comply with Uefa’s financial fair play, and to fund other moves. Inter received a total of €80 million worth of sales this summer. The Nerazzurri sold two of their stars in Mateo Kovacic and Xherdan Shaqiri for €35 million and €17 million respectively. Although many fans are disappointing that Inter sold such talented players, these sales actually make sense. Inter need to win today. Mateo Kovacic is a great prospect with great potential. At the moment, Kovacic must improve. After two years at Inter, many would argue that the midfielder’s performances have not warranted such a high price tag. Yes, Kovacic is a magician, and has shown flashes of brilliance on the pitch, however, Inter received a very lucrative offer from Real Madrid for a player who has really underperformed in the last two seasons. The sale of Shaqiri came as a big surprise because the player arrived from Bayern only 8 months ago. Unfortunately, things did not go well for Shaqiri in Milan. The Swiss international did not suit Mancini’s style of play, and it was time to move on. Both Joel Obi and Marco Benassi joined Torino on a permanent basis. The Italian Under 21 international’s co-ownership was resolved, and the player joined the Granata for €4m, while Obi arrived for €2.8m. These two players were never going to break into Mancini’s side, and a move seemed like the only option. Although many fans are rightfully frustrated with Inter’s sales, the club had to sell in order to fund other moves and cope with Financial fair play.
The transfer market: What is still needed?
Although Inter have strengthened significantly over the last two months, the squad is still incomplete. This is because Mancini wants to play a system with wingers. A 4-3-3 formation seems like the way to move forward, and Ausilio and Fassone are working on bringing in wingers. The player at the top of Inter’s shortlist is Ivan Perisic. The Croatian winger has been pursued by the Nerazzurri for the last month and a half, and a move is looking more and more likely. Latest reports from Sky claim that Inter and Wolfsburg are close to reaching an agreement. Mancini may ask for another winger, and Ezequiel Lavezzi of PSG could be an option. Diego Perotti is another player that has been heavily linked to Inter, as well as Napoli’s Dries Mertens, Jose Callejon, and Manolo Gabbiadini. Unfortunately, it will be difficult to negotiate any move with Aurelio De Laurentis. The Napoli patron has clearly stated that he has no intention to do any business with the Nerazzurri.
Inter still need fullbacks. It currently seems as if Mancini is not happy with the current fullbacks he has at his disposal. Inter are not close to landing any specific fullbacks, but Fabio Coentrao, Jacopo Sala, Domenico Criscito, and Faouzi Ghoulam have all been linked to Inter recently. Ausilio needs to rush and find an adequate fullback to meet Mancini’s demands. If Inter can bring in at least one winger and a left back, then the squad will be complete.
How the team will line up
During Inter’s preseason, Roberto Mancini has tinkered with the formation. The 4-3-1-2 formation seems to be the most likely formation that will be used against Atalanta this Sunday. This is because Inter are yet to sign Ivan Perisic or any wingers to assist Jovetic and Icardi in attack. After Inter bring in a winger, Mancini will probably revert to a 4-3-3 formation.
Samir Handanovic has been Inter’s protagonist in goal for the last three seasons, and will be between the sticks for the coming campaign. Joao Miranda and Jeison Murillo will make up center back partnership. Since it is very unlikely Inter will sign two fullbacks, a familiar face in Davide Santon will probably play on the right side of defense. Hopefully Inter can sign a strong left back such as Coentrao or Criscito, but at the moment Juan Jesus is the top candidate. Inter have a lot of depth in center midfield. If Mancini plays a 4-3-1-2 formation, Kondogbia, Medel, and Brozovic will play behind the trequartista Hernanes. If the tactician fields a 4-3-3, then the midfield will consist of only Kondogbia, Medel, and Brozovic. Inter’s attack is currently incomplete. For a 4-3-1-2, Mauro Icardi will partner Stevan Jovetic in attack. With a 4-3-3 formation, Icardi will play as the number 9, with Jovetic and a new signing, such as Perisic, on the wings. The team looks solid, but it is all up to Mancini mix the ingredients together.
The player to watch: Mauro Icardi
Break out star: Assane Gnoukouri
The departure of Mateo Kovacic could be a blessing for up and coming star Assane Gnoukouri. The defensive midfielder, who is only 18 years old, made his Serie A debut against AC Milan. The Ivorian put in a convincing performance, and won over the hearts of the Interisti. In preseason, Gnoukouri has arguably been Inter’s strongest performer, and hopefully he can get some more game time this season. It could be Gnoukouri’s year if he takes his chances and gets a run of games at Inter in the 2015/16 season.
Inter’s rivals
Juventus
Although Inter’s greatest rivals off of the pitch may be Juventus, the Bianconeri have overshadowed the Nerazzurri on it for the last four seasons. Allegri’s side lost three real leaders in the squad in Arturo Vidal, Andrea Pirlo, and Carlos Tevez. This meant that their management was going to invest the money they earned from their Champions League run. Juve beat Inter to sign Paulo Dybala, who is a fantastic player. Mario Mandzukic, Simone Zaza, Sami Khedira, Danielle Rugani, and Alex Sandro all made the move to Turin this summer. Marotta is still looking to bring in a trquartista, and if Juve land a world class number 10, then they will become even more dominant. Speaking from an unbiased opinion, Juventus still have a stronger side than Inter, and competing for the title might not be a realistic goal for Interisti. The Bianconeri’s depth could really help them, and many Interisti are still bitter about losing Dybala, who could blossom into one of the best strikers in the world in the coming years.
Predicted finish: 1st
AS Roma
One club that has done fantastic business off of the pitch this summer has been AS Roma. The Giallorissi sold two former Primavera players in Andrea Bertolacci and Alessio Romagnoli to Milan for a combined €50m. This money was reinvested in rejuvenating the attack. Roma signed Edin Dzeko and Mohammed Salah, who are two fantastic attackers. Dzeko could give Roma what they needed last season, which is a true number 9. Salah’s pace and trickery could benefit Roma a lot as well. With regards to the defense, Sabatini brought in Rudiger from Stuttgart, and Lucas Digne seems set to join from PSG. Last season Roma scored 54 goals, and finished 17 points behind Juventus. Dzeko and Salah should help bang in the goals, and Roma’s stacked midfield and solid defense should allow them to push Juve all the way for the title. Inter are not much weaker than Roma, and it will be up to Rudi Garcia to see if he can be flexible to field the right 11.
Predicted finish: 2nd
AC Milan
The team that has been compared with Inter the most has been Milan. Both teams have taken similar paths this summer. After finishing out of Europe, both Inter and Milan heavily reinvested in the market. AC Milan spent over €90m on players, and sold only €30m worth of players. It seems destined that Milan will get punished by Uefa for breaching Financial Fair play due to the fact that the Rossoneri have not received a lot of money from and European competitions. Milan have a strong team, but it is slightly unbalanced. With regards to the attack, Carlos Bacca and Luiz Adriano could form a formidable partnership. In midfield, Andrea Bertolacci and Jose Mauri are both well rounded players, while Nigel De Jong is a feisty tackler. However, Milan still need another midfielder, and looks like Roberto Soriano could arrive from Sampdoria, which would balance the midfield a lot more. Milan have two sides to their defense. On one hand, Mihajlovic has Alessio Romagnoli and Mattia De Sciglio. Both players are young and talented, and could be the future of the Italian national team. On the other hand Milan have Philippe Mexes and Luca Antonelli, who are both inconsistent performers. Mihajlovic is a former Interista, and the Serb has a strong character to guide this Milan side. I think that Inter are slightly stronger than Milan, but if the Rossoneri bring back Ibrahimovic, I would have to say Mihajlovic’s team have the edge. The Derby Della Madonnina will be a spectacle between two great teams on the pitch once again.
Predicted finish: 3rd-6th
Napoli
One of the clubs that has been under the radar this summer is Napoli. The Partonopei brought in Maurizio Sarri to replace Rafa Benitez. Sarri was an outstanding coach last season for Empoli, which earned him a move south. Sarri’s men strengthened their midfield with the additions of Allan and Mirko Valdifiori. Both player are proven Serie A performers. Vlad Chiriches was an odd signing in defense. Napoli missed out on almost every defensive target on their shortlist, and know their defense remains their Achilles heel. Should Sarri work his magic, Napoli could be a very dangerous side. There are a lot of ifs and buts about Sarri, but in general, the mood going into the season for the Neapolitans in positive. I believe that on paper, Inter and Napoli match each other, but it will depend on how each respective coach manages their side.
Predicted finish: 3rd-6th
Lazio
Out of all of the top sides in Serie A, perhaps Lazio are the club under the radar most often. Pioli’s men finished a deserved 3rd place last season, but playing in Europe will put a burden on the squad. If Lazio advance to the Uefa Champions League group stage, then it is expected that the team will drop points and lose their focus on Serie A. Lazio brought in players to increase the depth in the squad. There were no big name signings, but Lazio could make a push for the Champions League once again. The capital side arguably have the best winger in the league in Felipe Anderson. Inter look stronger than Lazio on paper, but Pioli’s team play a beautiful style of football, and are capable of matching and team in the league
Predicted finish: 3rd-6th
Inter’s prediction for the 2015/16 season
The pressure is really on Roberto Mancini to get it right at Inter. Yes, the squad is still on complete, but Mancini will have no excuses if he does not guide the team into the Champions League. The competition for 3rd place will be immense. I see Inter, Napoli, AC Milan, and Lazio all on the same level, and it will be a dog fight for the Champions League spot. With a winning coach in Roberto Mancini, and a solid squad, Inter should challenge for 3rd. If the club bring in a left-back and a winger, then I will give the slightest edge to Inter. Hopefully, it will be a great year.
Predicted finish: 3rd-6th
