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