Inter went from strength to strength under Antonio Conte, who, in sensational fashion ended Juventus‘ reign, but his story with the Nerazzurri didn’t last long, writes Martin Monk.
Inter had been waiting for the title in Serie A since José Mourinho secured a historic treble in 2009-10 but had already shown signs of being genuine contenders under the former Bianconeri coach last term.
The only way to better a season where you end runners-up in both Serie A and the Europa League would be to secure a trophy, and it was no doubt the most significant objective for the former midfielder was to secure another league title in Italy.
Despite stumbling in the Champions League group stage, Inter produced a great domestic season and were close to securing a place in the Final of the Coppa Italia too. However, Cristiano Ronaldo’s brace in the semi-final first leg at San Siro sent the Bianconeri to Mapei Stadium Final.
Conte has continually produced winning sides wherever he has been, as he previously won League titles with both Juventus in Serie A and Chelsea in the Premier League. He pushed on for greatness after a trophyless first season in charge and the winning mentality has shone through as players and directors speak of his unique determination and drive.
Suning continued the project they had started under Conte, confirming the coach after a controversial end to the 2019-20 season. The coach from Lecce started with more or less the same side he had created in his first season with the Beneamata, with a few but significant additions to help the leap in quality.
Achraf Hakimi was probably the most important signing and proved to be a decisive addition to a squad already packed with quality. Other arrivals included experienced players like Arturo Vidal, Aleksandar Kolarov and Matteo Darmian, who have also contributed both on and off the pitch in a turbulent year due to COVID and injuries.
The 51-year-old has clearly instilled a winning mentality at the Pinetina and his infectious drive has spurred on the talented Nerazzurri players. Youngsters like Alessandro Bastoni, Nicolò Barella and Lautaro Martinez are growing with every passing month and were given leading roles by the former Italy CT, who managed to keep the dressing room focused on the target when the club struggled to make ends meet behind the scenes.
Inter only lost once at the Giuseppe Meazza in Serie A this term, and three times in total, scoring 89 goals in the process, only outscored by Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta (90).
But the season started with a leaky defence before Conte’s usual defensive rigour returned to normal in the second half of the campaign and Inter finished with the best defensive record in Serie A, conceding only 35 goals in 2020-21.
The Nerazzurri have been a pleasure to watch this campaign and Conte’s familiar 3-5-2 formation has been as efficient as ever. Inter eventually finished the season with 91 points and a gap of 12 points down to Milan at second.
As their rivals dropped points in vital moments, Conte’s machinery went on an unbeaten run of 20 games. He won the League with four games to spare and had since dismantled Sampdoria, Roma, and Udinese, scoring 15 goals in four games after winning the title.
It has been an incredible ride for Inter fans, as the spotlight has been as much on the ownership as the team. However, even with outstanding salaries and uncertainty behind the scenes, Conte managed to unite the players and secure his fourth Scudetto in total, this time in Nerazzurro.
Troubles began once Inter had the Scudetto in their pockets. The coach refused to talk to the media and only released an interview with Inter TV before the last four games of the season. When he was informed the club would need to sell one top player to keep the books in order, he decided to part ways with Inter receiving a payout of €7m.
That’s the other side of the coin when it comes to Conte. A great coach who can bring success and a winning mentality quickly but who, at the same time, expects the club to improve year by year. He had already left Juventus and Chelsea because of disagreements about transfers and player’s management. Now he agreed with Inter that he won’t coach another Serie A club for the next season. What has the future in store for the best Serie A coach of 2020-21?
Read the full 2020-21 Serie A season review here.