After a dramatic slide down the table some questioned Roberto Mancini, but Ian Kerr thinks he’s still the right man for Inter.
Up until recently some Interisti had started to question the ability of Nerazzurri Coach Roberto Mancini after dropping from first place to fifth in the Serie A table in the space of two months.
During January and February the club only managed 10 out of a maximum 24 points, but after a run of four wins and a draw in their last six matches in all competitions the question remains, is Mancini the right man for Inter?
Mancini was appointed as Inter Coach for the second time taking over from Walter Mazzarri last season with the ex-Napoli Coach leaving the side in ninth place in the league.
At the end of that season Mancini managed to finish only one place better in eighth, missing out on Europa League qualification by just one point. There was optimism on the Curva Nord, however that ‘Mancio’ with his own players and not Mazzarri’s team could be the right man to take Inter back into European competition.
Inter needed a total rebuild in the Summer of 2015. Sporting Director Piero Ausilio did a fantastic job to bring in 10 players considering the Nerazzurri’s well publicised financial problems including Uefa’s Financial Fair Play investigation into the club’s finances.
The first half of this season surprised everyone in Italy with the Nerazzurri leading the table at Christmas whilst champions Juventus were languishing far off the pace.
Inter’s aforementioned form of the first two months of 2016 has seen the Nerazzurri plummet down the table, but there is optimism again after their recent form.
The catalyst for the Nerazzurri’s recent form has come from beating Juventus in the Coppa Italia semi-final.
Inter were 3-0 down from the first leg and seemingly out before the second leg had even been played, but the Nerazzurri produced a stunning comeback to win 3-0 on the night and took the game to penalties.
Rodrigo Palacio’s miss put Mancini’s side out, however the confidence from that performance has shone through in recent matches.
Mancini in recent games has finally, it seems settled on a 4-2-3-1 formation which has made a massive difference in the attacking/defensive balance of the team.
This change has allowed Inter to play with a double-pivot in midfield to give support to the defence. Gary Medel breaks up the attacks thus allowing his partner, usually Kondogbia or Brozovic to have more emphasis in linking the defence to attack.
This system ensures Inter aren’t outnumbered in the middle of the pitch and with three advanced midfielders, allows the Nerazzurri to hurt opposition defences when the likes of Palacio, Ljajic, and Eder start to interchange.
When on the back foot the wide players in the system are able to help their full-backs on defence.
With eight matches left in the league campaign, Roma are five points ahead of Fiorentina and Inter in fourth and fifth place respectively.
Despite drawing against the Giallorossi last time out, the Nerazzurri have arguably the better run-in to the end of the season.
Roma will have a derby against Lazio when they return to action after the international break, then matches against Bologna(H), Atalanta(A), Torino(H), Napoli(H), Genoa(A), Chievo(H) before finally travelling to the San Siro to face Milan on the last day.
Fiorentina return with a match against Sampdoria at the ‘Franchi’ before games against Empoli(A), Sassuolo(H), Udinese(A), Juventus(H), Chievo(A) and Palermo(H) before finishing the season with a trip to Lazio.
Inter will look to make up ground on Roma when they face Torino at the San Siro on their return from the break before games against Frosinone(A), Napoli(H), Genoa(A), Udinese(H), Lazio(A), Empoli(H) and Sassuolo at the Mapei Stadium on the final day.
With plenty more twists and turns to go this season, Inter fans should have faith in Mancini, who has 14 points more at this stage of the season compared to last season and all with a completely rebuilt team. It takes time to build a squad to challenge especially when players come from different leagues and countries.
One final positive is Inter’s head-to-head record against the Giallorossi, which should the teams finish on level points would see the Nerazzurri get that final Champions League place as head-to-head records count ahead of goal difference and it’s a good thing for Inter as Roma are the highest scorers in the league this season.
Before Interisti jump on the sack Mancini bandwagon, they should look at the job the tactician has done so far with a rebuilt team and under financial constraints as well as looking at recent performances.
Keep the faith Inter fans, the season isn’t over just yet, Mancini could be the right man after all.
Let us know your opinions, do you believe Mancini is the right man for Inter?
