Coppa Italia: Semi-Finals Team rating: 9/10 Top scorer: Romelu Lukaku (30) Europe: Champions League Group Stage.
The season that ended with the Scudetto also ended Juventus’ dominance and Inter did both in style. It will be forever remembered in Milan and now it is time to build on it, writes Richard Hall…
Champions of Italy
Antonio Conte summed it up when he said it had been a difficult season but at times Inter made it look easy. The Nerazzurri had one point, limped out of the Champions League and looked to be very one dimensional with the coach taking the brunt of the criticism. However, they and he turned it around and managed to harbour a never say die attitude that stood them in good stead in the new year, allowing them to canter to a Scudetto 12 points clear of city rivals Milan.
Conte had managed to make the club all pull in one direction and it seemed that he had eventually eliminated the ‘Pazza’ from the squad. The consistency, the aggression and the determination were harnessed right through to the final game, where, with nothing to play for, Inter still demolished Udinese by five goals to one whilst resting players.
This is even more impressive when one acknowledges that the club’s future remained under a cloud in the later part of the season. Only when a loan from Oaktree was secured by Suning did things start to look a little brighter and plans could start to be made to secure the future of the project. To dislodge Juventus was no walk in the park and the club’s structure, the relationship between ex-Juve executive Beppe Marotta and Conte and the incredible array of talent assembled on the field, needed to be a legacy project and not just a temporary success.
Inter can be proud of their achievements in this campaign and the entire team has been exemplary. The relationship between Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez has blossomed. Nicolo Barella and Alessandro Bastoni have matured into elite players and all of the squad players have contributed with as much gusto as the starting players. Whether or not Conte could have gone on to create a legacy at Inter will never be known, but the coach leaves having delivered what was required of him – the Scudetto.
The coach – Antonio Conte
Antonio Conte is perhaps not the easiest coach to have at the club, but the results come if you believe in what he is trying to do. Visibly agitated halfway through the campaign when accused of being too rigid and without a plan B, he tampered with his system and proved the critics wrong. He managed to create a defensively solid team, blistering on the counter and perhaps the most impressive element was that they looked mentally strong. It felt as though every player and every club representative was motivated and heading in the same direction. At times Inter did not know when they were beaten and it was this resilience that saw him crowned a deserved champion. Whoever succeeds Conte at least has a winning team to work with.
Player of the Year – Romelu Lukaku
With 24 league goals and 30 in total, the Belgian was instrumental this campaign. There could have been so many player of the year contenders but Lukaku became more than just an elite striker this campaign, he became one of the best in the world. His proficient finishing, incredible speed, strength and his selflessness matched his leadership by example on the pitch. The relationship he has with Lautaro Martinez is telepathic and the two of them spent the campaign instilling fear into Serie A defences.
Defining moment – Milan derby
The Derby Della Madonnina was the statement win of the season. Back in February Inter had just exited the Coppa Italia to the hands of Juventus and whilst they looked to be certainly mounting a title challenge, there was no guarantee. A brace from Lautaro and a superlative strike from Lukaku topped of a blistering performance. This was the day Inter put down a marker and showed Serie A that, not only did they mean business but also they could win the important games in devastating fashion. Seven straight wins followed and the run towards the Scudetto really began here.
Did you know?
Inter scored an average of 2.34 goals per game and conceded an average of only 0.92 per match.
Read the full 2020-21 Serie A season review here.