Position: 2 (Champions League)
Points: 84
Comparison with previous season: -7 (1st)
Season overview
Many Inter fans and pundits didn’t expect the Nerazzurri to fight for the title until the very end of the campaign. The fact that the Benamata had lost Romelu Lukaku, Achraf Hakimi and their coach Antonio Conte had seen alarm bells ring. Instead, some clever moves in the market (thanks to Beppe Marotta) and the new style of Simone Inzaghi, gave the team a new life. They looked cultured and still as dangerous and the team came together in a unified stand, trying to retain the Scudetto. Victory in the Coppa Italia was a high point and the same goes for the Supercoppa Italiana conquered in January. Inzaghi’s boys lited both trophies in front of their arch-rivals Juventus, making their achievement even more remarkable.
Turning point of the season
Arguably there were two critical points of the season when Inter gained confidence and drove on to better results. One was the game against Salernitana, when they needed to come back and make a mark after some poor results. They destroyed them 5-0 at home and this lifted the mood. They beat Liverpool after this and after two draws went on to a good run of form. The second was the game when they came back from being 2-0 down to Empoli to win 4-2, this gave them confidence that they had the resilience and it showed in the Coppa Italia final soon after. However, their loss against Bologna was crucial in the title race. The Nerazzurri failed to win their game in hand at the Stadio Dall’Ara and didn’t leapfrog Milan on top of the table, remaining behind their city rivals until the end of the campaign.
The coach – Simone Inzaghi
Being fortunate enough to present the Official Inter Podcast in English allows one to get snippets of information from the talk in the dressing room. This season, Simone Inzaghi has been a massive hit with the players. While he still likes to see the energy and commitment expected from Antonio Conte, there is a feeling that they can express themselves more, which is incredibly important. There is a trust that has allowed the players to flourish and whilst he still demands a lot, the system has been less rigid and the team look more cultured.
Player of the Year – Ivan Perisic
Ivan Perisic does not only have an argument to be Inter’s player of the year, but he could also be among the contenders for the Serie A Player of The Season. The Croatian showed that age is just a number as his new diet, kickboxing regime and whatever he brought back from Bayern has seen him develop into a physical specimen that has terrorised defences. He has been offensively brilliant, defensively reliable and more than that, he has been a leader and a big game player. Out of contract in the summer, it is now down to Inter to secure his services for more seasons to come.
Disappointing player of the year – Arturo Vidal
For many reasons, this could have been answered easily, but it is not cut and dry this year. Players have had disappointing moments, but none have been consistently poor. Let’s cut the Ionut Radu moment out of this. His mistake against Bologna was heavy and perhaps decisive in the title race, but I wouldn’t call him bad because of it. Arturo Vidal has had highs and lows but what he does in the dressing room and around the players is commendable. He put in an impressive performance against Liverpool in the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals, but given his experience and salary (he is one of the highest earners), one may expect more from him in big Serie A games.
@RichardHall80
Agreed not many thought Inter would challenge for the title at the start of the season but the expectation was that Juventus, after hiring Allegri and signing Locatelli, already having Ronaldo and Chiesa. Once Ronaldo left and left the whole squad in disarray, Inter were in prime position to win the league. Hakimi and Eriksen were replaced by Dumfries and Calhanoglu, both of whom did well. Inzaghi was given the chance to get a forward worth 30m to replace Lukaku and he chose Correa, a player who has never hit double figures in his senior career. This was his first big mistake. He could have gone for Berardi, Simeone or even Belotti, all of whom have been more profilic. Then, his so-called relationship with his players was also his undoing. His approach to games and tactics were weak. Inter dropped 17pts after going ahead. This was worse than Milan, Juventus and even Lazio and Roma. Last season under Conte, they only dropped 6pts. No point in sacking him though as Inter are unlikely to challenge the league again anytime soon.
Berardi, Simeone or even Belotti?! LOL please stop with these suggestions, they have no business at top club.
Inzaghi did well to deliver 2 cups in 1 year. If Management would have properly replaced Lukaku, they would have won domestic treble.
And Correa does? Those players even if they play for mid table clubs would have hit at least double figures for Inter. You can’t tell me anyone other than Inzaghi was responsible for the club getting Correa and Caicedo. He made those choices and if you believe Inter would have won the domestic treble with a proper replacement then Inzaghi is at fault for that failure. If you say Inter is a top club then why should you be satisfied with just winning the coppa italia and supercoppa? Juventus won exactly the same 2 cups with Pirlo last season and that was seen as a failure. Clubs like Real, Barca, Bayern or PSG would never be content with winning just the two domestic cups in the season. Winning the coppa italia should be no more than a nice-to-have at that level.
Correa was very unlucky during his first season with 2 bad injuries that kept him away from the pitch. Perhaps he can contribute more next season.
His transfer does not seem the most inspired but there were restrictions imposed by the owners. Under these circumstances, Inzaghi at least won trophies (unlike Allegri for instance, highest payed coach in Serie A).
I`m not satisfied, but losing Pintus (probably best fitness coach in football, currently guiding Real Madrid), Conte, Eriksen, Hakimi and Lukaku was a huge blow to the team.