So that’s that then. The Old Lady of Turin has a Roman Soldier breathing down her neck and giving her evils. Juventus’ lead at the top of Serie A is down to three points, with AS Roma scoring a handy victory away at rapidly stagnating Udinese in their previous outing. So, are the champions from Turin choking? Well not really judging by the looks of it, but Juve’s obstacle at the Juventus Stadium on January 6th wasn’t overcoming a sudden bout of stage fright at finding themselves top of the table after Christmas, but came in the form of a resurgent Internazionale side. The resulting one all draw suited the visiting Nerazzurri much better than Massimiliano Allegri’s Juventus.
Until November, Inter had been in free fall: attendance levels at the San Siro decreased every week and a morose depression had accompanied Walter Mazzarri’s stodgy football – the local fans simply didn’t enjoy what the team was producing on the pitch. For a team that won a historic treble under Jose Mourinho in 2010, the feeling that the Milan giants were slipping further down the table and into mediocrity, proved too much for Indonesian owner Erick Thohir, who promptly relieved Mazzarri of his duties. Prodigal son Roberto Mancini was brought back to the club where he forged his reputation and expectations are high that he will be able to lead the underperforming giants back to glory.
The current position represents an unfamiliar situation for a club of Inter’s stature. Historically, the team of the San Siro had become home to a cavalcade of expensively assembled – largely foreign – talent. Klinsmann, Crespo, Ronaldo (the original), Figo, Zanetti, Zamarano and Sneijder are just a few names from the Inter Hall of Fame. The recent arrival of Arsenal’s Lukas Podolski on a New Year loan deal, along with the arrival of Bayern Munich pocket rocket Xherdan Shaqiri must have felt like a real boost to the Inter fans and is perhaps an indication that times are indeed changing.
Since buying Inter out of its previous, successful relationship with former owner Massimo Moratti, Erick Thohir’s ownership has caused disquiet amongst fans and Calcio commentators alike. Whilst Thohir’s strongest, direct link with the Italian club’s day-to-day business would at first appear to be in form of his brother Garibaldi, the steadying hand of old Bobby Mancini combined with what now looks like a solid squad might just be the perfect start for Inter to stop the rot.
About that squad: It seems to be full of potential and with the right guidance could become a real threat over the next couple of seasons. Amongst all his other bodywork, crafty Argentine Mauro Icardi surely has ‘one for the future’ tattooed somewhere discretely on his body as well, but he’s already re-paying some of the faith shown by Inter, when they brought him in from Sampdoria, scoring half of the team’s 20 goals registered so far this season. Another one of Inter’s eye-catching stars is Croatian sensation Mateo Kovacevic. Many before him have been labelled the next Zvonimir Boban and most have failed to live up to that tag, but could Kovacic actually be the one fellow countryman who will actually live up to that hype? It’s too early to say for sure, but early signs are definitely encouraging. In the centre of Inter’s midfield, where Esteban Cambiasso once roamed majestically, Kovacevic looks set to make the Argentine’s departure to Leicester City less of a blow than some had initially feared.
Recognising that the team is in transition, Mancini has tinkered with formations and also brought in former Barcelona and Manchester City full back Sylvinho as his number two. The pair of them seem to have steadied the ship and there is a newly found sense of stability surrounding the club now. However, the team remains a hefty 18 points adrift of league leaders Juventus and a sticky run could drown their confidence just as rapidly as it had been built up. Work to do then for Mr. Mancini and with clearances like this from his defence, he’ll need to retain a sense of humour at the very least.