Board Level Cull The Only Cure For Inter?
The more things change, the more they stay the same. When looking at the Serie A table this season, that phrase has never seemed more accurate as, while perennial contenders Milan and Juventus battle for yet another Scudetto, all around them are things so familiar to long term watchers of Italian football. The old cliché is also clearly true at the side who has dominated the Calcio landscape in recent seasons as, make no mistake, normal service has most definitely been resumed at Inter, wallowing ten points from the top three and reeling after a disappointing 2-0 defeat at bitter rivals Juventus this past weekend.
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Juventus-Inter: The Hate-Filled ‘Derby Of Italy’
Recent weeks and months have seen a real deterioration in the previously cordial relationship between this seasons leading protagonists in Serie A, Milan and Juventus. What that has done however, is take attention away from a match-up this coming weekend which, at many times over the past six years, has made the Real Madrid and Barcelona games look positively friendly. The rivalry will be renewed this Sunday when, for the first time, Inter visit the brand new Juventus Stadium in Turin for the 215th Derby d’Italia, a fixture which has decided title races, changed the history of the league and even caused a fist-fight in Parliament.
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Inter Issues So Much More Than Schoolboy Errors
Now famous across Italy, young Inter fan Filippo recently held up a placard at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, begging his heroes to play well so he wasn’t made fun of at school. Sadly for the kid, whose sad fate has not only been broadcast to the nation but is now the ridicule of Milan fans, light-heartedly displaying a banner of their own urging the Rossoneri to “continue to win, so we can make fun of Filippo at school”, his side look further than ever of ending the ridicule from his classmates.
Read more at WhoScored.com
The Same But Different: What’s Behind The Inter Revival?
During the early 1960’s, New York Yankees legend Yogi Berra watched two other greats - Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris - repeatedly hit back-to-back home runs and commented; “it’s déjà vu all over again”. While Inter’s black and blue shirts could never be confused with the Bronx Bombers famous pinstripes, it is hard to ignore a similar feeling of repetition when watching the Nerazzurri during the current campaign. Much like last season when the got off to a disastrous start under Rafael Benitez only to rediscover their old resilience and quality under Leonardo, a similar resurgence has taken place since Claudio Ranieri arrived at Giuseppe Meazza.
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It’s Tricky, Ricky!
The form of both Ricky Álvarez and Inter over the past month is largely and undeniably due to the coaching influence of Claudio Ranieri. But while the displays of the Argentinian starlet must be a fantastic source of pride for the man giving him his chance, they seem set to provide the former Roma and Chelsea boss with his biggest dilemma since arriving at the Giuseppe Meazza back in September. With Wesley Sneijder fit again and in contention for the starting role his undoubted talent demands….
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The Milan Derby: Here We Go Again!
Italian football returned this past weekend, much to the delight of fans of clubs across the peninsula but, as far as two of the teams coming back from their shortened Winter Break were concerned, those fixtures were merely a warm-up for the main event this Sunday evening when Milan play cousins Inter in the 205th edition of the Derby della Madonnina. The match has written the narrative to many of Italian footballs greatest stories, from the original split of the clubs in a row over foreign players to becoming the embodiment of the Sandro Mazzola-Gianni Rivera ‘staffeta’ debate in the early 1980’s…
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Derby d’Italia: Inter Not As Bad As Advertised
It is the one fixture many Juventus fans look for before any other, particularly with Torino struggling in Serie B, the so called Derby of Italy between Inter and Juventus. The term, like most in Italian football, was coined by the great Gianni Brera to note the two teams never relegated from Serie A. Since the Calciopoli scandal of 2006 it has grown into perhaps the most intense inter-city rivalry in the peninsula - although most Tuscan’s would disagree.
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Geordie Sure? Davide Santon Joins Newcastle
A well-worn tale from Newcastle United’s 1998 Christmas party tells of players exchanging ‘novety’ presents; the bald-headed Temuri Ketsbaia was given a hairbrush while house burglar’s favourite Duncan Ferguson got a prison shirt from his no doubt nervous team-mates. The oddest gift of all was bestowed upon young Italian defender Alessandro Pistone, the then 23-year-old presented with a sheep’s heart directly from a local butcher’s, apparently because he “didn’t have one of his own”.
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Al Volo: The Solution? Davide Santon
Last season, Inter resolved their long standing left-back issue, bringing in Yuto Nagatomo on loan from Cesena. The Japanese International continued his impressive form from the Asian Cup victory, stepping in to a role that has either been covered by Javier Zanetti - who is now more comfortable in midfield - or Christian Chivu.
Read more at backpagefootball.com
Wesley Sneijder’s Iconic Status
The word idol has numerous definitions and, rightly or wrongly, is often used to describe athletes and sportsmen. Iconic status is bestowed upon players almost instantly but the more enduring come to fulfil every one of its meanings. Inter’s Wesley Sneijder is most certainly one of those and as speculation regarding a summer move continues to grows it may not be too long before another set of supporters queue up to pay homage to a player among the best in the world.
Read more at ESPN.com
