Inter should have celebrated their ten-year anniversary of 2010 Champions League triumph with the acquisition of the Europa League title in 2020. It would have been a dream start to the decade and a fitting end to the past campaign, but Julen Lopetegui and Sevilla were the better on the day.
Antonio Conte succeeded Jose Mourinho at Chelsea and won the Premier League at the first time of asking. But when he moved to Inter, the Nerazzurri lost out in the Scudetto race by a point and a European trophy proved to be too big an ask. Thus, there were question marks about this Inter side that should be answered in the 2020-21 campaign.
After all, the Milanese giants had been competitive again in Italian top-flight football after years of mediocrity. They required time. On paper, they are the best squad in the Stivale but have struggled to get their rhythm going. They should have gotten the better of Lazio and Milan but their profligacy in front of goal cost them valuable points.
Conversely, the Rossoneri are leading the Serie A points table by doing just enough. Stefano Pioli’s men are business all around, and once they get ahead, they do not allow complacency to creep in. On the other hand, Inter come into their own in the latter stages of a game. Fiorentina, Parma, and Torino caught them napping, but points were secured with late surges.
Torino, in particular, should have taken the points against them, but they have dropped 11 points from winning positions. The Nerazzurri’s comeback should be lauded, but their rival’s inability to maintain their lead cannot be discounted.
While results have been picked up in domestic outings, Inter have been woeful in the Champions League. They had numerous opportunities against Borussia Moenchengladbach but failed to make their superiority count. Shakhtar Donetsk held them to a goalless draw and it seemed they were content in sharing the spoils.
Conte’s men had their best outing in Europe against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu. They tasted a close 3-2 defeat in the Spanish capital. In the recent reverse fixture, Los Blancos ran out comfortable 0-2 winners at the Giuseppe Meazza. As it stands, the Nerazzurri are at the bottom of Group B, and for all intents and purposes, at the end of their Champions League adventures.
They require a miracle to make it to the knockout phase of the competition. Akin to last year, Europa League qualification is still on the line. But do they need the distraction? The answer to this is straightforward to say but tricky to implement.
A club of Inter’s status cannot give up. A club of Inter’s status should not give up.
Crash out, and the stakes will be out. Crash out and the lucrative UEFA outlays are out of the picture. If they crash out, they can forget about making up for the €102.4 million losses accrued until June 2020. Their sporting project will come under question.
Conte had excuses last season when Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund progressed at their expense from their Champions League group. The coach pointed at lack of depth in his squad as the Italians prepared to pit their wits in Europa League. This time around, they had Borussia Moenchengladbach and Real Madrid, but the results did not change. The tactician does not have much rope to hang on to.
Even if the Inter board are generous and excuse their Champions League failure, progress in Serie A has to be made. Steven Zhang and his board have caught a lot of flak from Conte, and they will be swift in their actions.
Standing in second place, Inter should not be entertaining such questions. Over the weekend, they beat Roberto De Zerbi’s impressive Sassuolo and climbed to second place. However, they have looked shaky in their performances, and only in their outing against the Neroverdi showed they can handle business at both ends of the pitch. But there are question marks about their ability to make a sustained run in Serie A.
Despite all his talk, Conte has failed to convince he has everything in control. In the last week alone, Inter slipped to a two-goal deficit against Torino. Arturo Vidal lost his cool as Real Madrid trounced them on home soil. The comfortable win over Sassuolo on the road was impressive but should be considered an anomaly.
After only nine matchdays, Milan are five points ahead of them. They cannot allow this to continue, or the fans who are making the #ConteOut hashtag trend on Twitter will be out with their pitchforks. It is not even about the job of the manager but achieving this season’s objectives. Whatever roadmap that was laid down for Inter at the start of the season should be reconsidered.
Performances like the one delivered at the Mapei Stadium have to become the norm. Not just in Serie A but also the Europa League, where they will be ending up in if everything goes to their plans.
Usually, it is performances in March where the fate of a season is decided. But last week’s results have had a similar impact on Inter ’s 2020-21 campaign. It has sealed their fate on the European front and set them on the only trajectory they can follow.