Derby (lost), away match with only one result at Rotterdam and then Como: the Nerazzurri arrived in reserve at the moment of truth in the autumn. Physical, mental and tactical problems to be solved quickly…
The heart-breaking comeback against Fiorentina, having saved their skin not without a certain dose of new luck in Venice and the fall in the derby, fourth in a row against the Rossoneri and third out of three for Cristian Chivu, certify that Inter have entered the reserve in the most important week of the first part of the season. The problem is not the league standings, where the Nerazzurri are still traveling at a very high pace (25 points with a final projection of 95) and better than a year ago (they were 21). The theme is that the fragilities that are characterizing the Nerazzurri autumn are constantly repeated, regardless of Chivu’s attempts to shelter them, of the powerful confrontations in the locker room and of the promises that were then not kept.
It is first and foremost a physical crisis, which can only be partly explained by the injuries which affected only one starter (Lautaro Martinez), but which hit hard on Chivu’s ability to manage rotations, especially in defence. The alibi, however, does not hold up when faced with the consideration that the full infirmary is now an uncomfortable traveling companion for everyone and Inter are better equipped than others to make up for absences. Therefore, it is important to talk about those present and the feeling is that constantly living on the edge of comebacks (6 times behind in the league and 2 in the Champions League) is not the best way to measure physical and psychological energy.
The problem is that the diagnosis of the disease – the symptom is the almost always wrong approaches and the mountain of goals conceded (19 in the first 13 outings of the season) – calls into question multiple levels, not just the physical one. The words of Bastoni, someone who counts in the locker room because he is a senator, have pierced the veil and confirmed what Chivu has been saying for some time: the hunger of last year is missing, the ferocious application, the refusal to consider oneself so strong that somehow in the end a victory will emerge. “Finally” he got lost, Bastoni said; a hyperbole that clarifies how putting your feet back on the ground is only possible by taking slaps and those in the derby hurt.
The psychological side and the tactical question are intertwined. Chivu asked Inter to play higher, to go even more vertically and to move the center of gravity forward a few metres. He accepts the man-to-man comparison in defence, but the transfer market took away his best scorer and who was supposed to replace him (Stones) was nowhere to be seen. In midfield the only true balancer is the oldest of the troop and must be savored: Mkhitaryan. The goalkeeper gives no security but cannot be abandoned to his fate.
A year ago the signs at the beginning of the year had been grasped and Chivu had corrected course, at least in Italy. The feeling is that today it is more difficult to do so and that the coach needs the return of the English players (Stones, Spence and Jones) also to spice up the hierarchy and stimulate the others. Let’s be clear, trials are out of place but sitting in the belief that everything will settle down automatically is a mistake that Inter cannot afford.
The heart of the most difficult week, the one in which the Nerazzurri arrived in reserve and in crisis, was not the derby and, perhaps, Como won’t be either. Going into the break with two defeats in the championship would fuel an internal and external debate and, therefore, Fabregas will have to be approached with great attention. The heart of the week, however, is the trip to Rotterdam in which Inter will play an important part of the European season.
Just do the math: the direct qualification quota for the round of 16 is 16 points which means necessarily passing for a victory in Rotterdam. The chance to get playoffs at the top of the scoreboard (9th-16th place) is around 13 and the defeat against Bruges after Madrid made it mandatory not to slow down anymore because Liverpool and a trip to Dortmund are also on the calendar. How important is the position in view of the play-off in February? A lot. Those who don’t believe it should take note of the names of the teams that entered the playoffs as top seeds a year ago: Real Madrid, Inter, PSG, Newcastle, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen. Of course, you can also go out with the Bodo Glimt, but finishing under 13 points would greatly increase the risk of a terrible crossing.
