Global, Serie A

Season’s greetings arrive early for Moratti as Inter take a 25-point lead over rivals Milan

As the weekend drew to a close and Christmas lights lit all over Italy, Serie A entered the winter break in a position many would have predicted. Juve and Roma both win, and continue to chase. Milan stutter and Inter continue leading.

It would have been a fairytale Christmas for the Scudetto had Milan usurped Inter’s fantastic form. In the run-up to the match, media outlets, hundreds of thousands of Calcio fans, ex-players and managers had all hoped Milan would beat Inter in yesterday’s derby. Nobody has been able to stop Roberto Mancini’s team this season. Unbeaten, undeterred and unmoved, Inter are now seven points clear of second-placed Roma, and a whopping 25 points ahead city rivals Milan.

In the past 20 years, it has been Inter who have been chasing Milan’s shadow. The red of AC has been an ever-present over the Milano landscape. Massimo Moratti, Inter owner and President, has changed manager repeatedly to counter the force of Milan, but more frequently, Juventus.

They have been led by Marcello Lippi, Alberto Zaccheroni, Hector Cuper, Marco Tardelli, Roy Hodgson, and even Luis Suarez. All have failed. Not since 1989, under the Bobby Robson of Italian football, Giovanni Trappotoni, had Inter won a title. The problem was always ”patience”. Moratti never had the patience to give a manager the chance to reassess the squad, understand the problems and significantly address them. Inter have always been blessed with fantastic individuals, but not fantastic teams. A team needs balance, and more often then not, Inter never had any balance.

In the end, yesterday’s 2-1 win over rivals Milan only added to the changing formalities of Internazionale over the last three seasons. Since the appointment of ex-Lazio superstar Mancini, Inter is now that ‘team’. Over the years, despite having the likes of Zanetti, Vieri, Ronaldo, Baggio, Jugovic, Zamarano, Peruzzi, Cannavaro, Simeone, Bergkamp, Seedorf and so on, they haven’t.

Defeating Milan was a testament to not only Mancini’s craft and guile as an upcoming coach in Europe, but more systematically, Moratti’s patience in allowing a manager do his job. This season, the football world has already seen how difficult it is for managers to do their jobs properly and concentrate on team progression when their very own boardrooms get involved. Abramovich - Mourinho, Gillett/Hicks - Benitez, Laporta - Rijkaard, Levy - Jol.

With the Rossoneri pushing, they left too many gaps at the back, and instead of being on the attack, they were under a constant barrage of Inter counter-attacks

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The money in football is so vast that any defeat or poor performance is considered a mini-crisis. However, Moratti has permitted Mancini to ‘get on with the job’, and this policy is already starting to pay dividends. There is more free will in the transfer market, more control over player selection, and more time for Mancini to correct irregularities.

This week’s example of Adriano’s move to Sao Paulo demonstrated these things. A fan favourite, but more crucially, a favourite of Moratti, Mancini publicly criticized Adriano’s commitment, lifestyle and weight. Moratti always publicly supported him, nevertheless, Mancini got his wish and Adriano was shipped off to Brazil. The Brazilian even went as far to admitting that he was at fault for his numerous problems, not the coach.

So was it any surprise that Inter won? Expectations of a big Milan performance were way off the horizon as suggested by some Serie A analysts. Instead, Inter controlled the match as soon as they equalised, as it was not they who needed three points but Milan. With the Rossoneri pushing, they left too many gaps at the back, and instead of being on the attack, they were under a constant barrage of Inter counter-attacks. Milan’s defence is no longer the quickest, one might add. Throughout the season, if Milan do intend to continue chasing games, they may want to address their defensive problems.

However, it was not that AC Milan were particularly poor. In fact, Inter’s tactics were the reason for their victory. By inviting pressure and allowing Milan’s trident to control the midfield, every time they lost the ball, Inter would bring their wingers narrower, allowing the full-backs to push on. Maicon and Maxwell are like modern day equivalents of Roberto Carlos and Cafu of the Brazil team of yesterday. Funnily enough, these two Inter full-backs are not even first choice for Brazil!

The other tactical gamble was that of Christian Chivu as a holding player. A left-back or centre-back by nature, Mancini has adopted Chivu in the holding role allowing the likes of Cambiasso and Jimenez to push forward as much as they can. Chivu can then slip into any defensive position that needs covering. Another example of Mancini’s shrewdness - purchasing Chivu in the summer from Roma, a player Spalletti’s side miss so badly.

For all the fanfare that surrounded the other big fixture in Europe that weekend, El Classico - Barça v Real Madrid, credit must be given to the Milan giants. They not only provided an interesting insight into tactical finesse, but the match, much like so many Serie A fixtures this season, was a great advert for Italian football.

Milan have two weeks to reflect, as do Inter. This is the season for giving, and Don Carlo must hope Santa Silvio provides much-needed transfer funds for at least two new players.

Inter have already given us so much. Superb tactical football, a rejuvenated Zlatan, and a lesson in how other teams should do the chasing. But most importantly faith. Faith in the manager’s ability defies the shortermism of the majority of club presidents. Moratti’s ”faith” in Mancini’s methods is paying dividends, and you can bet your Christmas hamper President Moratti’s stocking is already filled with another Scudetto.

Buon Natale

Winners and losers so far

Winners

Ranieri: no expectations, and look where Juve are now.

Zlatan: his game is more complete, and he is far less selfish.

Udinese: great footballing team who entertain each week.

Losers:

AC Milan: a sad story after so much promise.

Ancelotti: his tactics have not been right the whole season. Milan are missing an ingredient he can’t cook with.

Best team to watch

Roma: despite defensive lapses, Roma still entertain to the highest level.

Surprise package

Cruz: Nine goals in nine games. How many of those goals have won matches?

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