Goodbye Champions League, hello silenzio stampa and crisis mode. Those are the conclusions that can be drawn after Inter lose in the dying minutes thanks to a Babacar goal against Fiorentina at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence.
Inter are in a very deep crisis as this result ensures that Inter will miss Champions League football next season as well, something that the club had banked on given the start to the season. A club of Inter’s stature being out of Europe’s top competition for the 6th year in a row will have massive repercussions in the summer as many players like Mauro Icardi and Samir Handanovic will want to leave and the club will have to replace these players whilst trying to balance the books and not strain an already difficult financial situation. Mission impossible just got more difficult and what enfuriates Inter as shown by the media gag order issued by the club tonight, is that it didn’t have to end this way tonight.
Sure, Fiorentina dominated possession but that was expected and Inter defended very deep and well as things looked to be going their way, especially after Alex Telles miraculous save on the goalline in the first half as well as Handanovic coming up with the goods as he’s done all season. Things got even better after Kondogbia linked up really well with Palacio who served Brozovic for the first goal of the night when giving Inter the lead. And Inter looked good: solid in defense, balanced and compact in midfield as well as threatening Fiorentina on the counter attack.
That is until Murillo made a schoolboy error in defense in assisting Valero to the equalizer which sent shockwaves through the team as Fiorentina dominated more and more. Inter got back into it until an incredibly poor Mazzoleni decision to send Alex Telles off for a second bookable offence for a challenge that wasn’t even a free-kick, let alone a yellow card. This despite seeing and deciding to not give Kalinic anything when he elbowed Murillo in the face. Nothing new under the sun as no other team in the Serie A has received this many red cards this season as Inter has. None. More often than not for decisions which are questionable at best but the rug was pulled from under Inter’s feet when Babacar scored the winner when Inter yet again were unable to get the ball away despite Handanovic making two excellent saves.
Sure there 13 matches left and Roma are only 2 points ahead of us and we have to play them too although it will be very difficult as it’s away at the Stadio Olimpico. The problem isn’t mathematical, the problem is that Inter have won only 2 Serie A matches of the last 9 played, drawing 3 and losing 4. This is a mental collapse and there are no quick fixes for those, especially now when Alex Telles and Geoffrey Kondogbia received red cards and won’t be available for selection for at least 1 fixture, against Sampdoria next Saturday at the San Siro before traveling to the Juventus Stadium in Turin. Before then, Inter have the return leg of the Coppa Italia against Juventus which is of academic importance given how the Bianconeri wiped the floor with Inter in the first leg.
They say that it’s always the darkest before it gets lighter, that once you’ve hit rock bottom it’s only up from there. What’s really scary is that given this fixture list, Inter may have not even hit rock bottom just yet.