Chapter 59 Who will carry the flag of Serie A?

Chapter 59 Who will carry the flag of Serie A?

Fiorentina won an away game. In the other game of this group, AC Milan also defeated Benfica at home in San Siro. Inzaghi and Pirlo scored a goal and Kaka sent two assists after returning from injury. , Benfica only scored a consolation goal near the end of the game.

The two Serie A teams fighting in the same room have won respectively, and the other three Serie A teams participating in the Champions League have different fates.

Lazio, considered to be the weakest, tied the Greek giants Olympiacos 1:1 in an away game and scored a point. The strongest, Inter Milan, which claims to have the most luxurious lineup in Europe, was defeated by Fenerbahce in the away game.

Including the three consecutive draws against Bayern and Valencia last season, Inter Milan has won four Champions League games. This obviously should not be the result of the Serie A champions and the most complete giants in Europe.

This season, Inter Milan's start in the European arena is very similar to last year, losing 0:1 in the first round, losing to Sporting Lisbon last year, and this year it became Fenerbahce.

The difference from last year is that Inter Milan's situation last year was not as bad as this year's. Last year's goals conceded only came from the opponent's long-range world wave. It can be said that the mistakes are more individual. But this year, the overall disadvantage belongs to the whole team, and conceding a goal is considered very lucky.

After the game, Mancini attributed the reason for the failure to the lack of team personnel, but the absence of many people and the patchwork of defense cannot be used as ugly excuses.

As Inter Milan captain Zanetti said after the game: "Don't complain about the absence of someone, we also have a combative lineup. The absence of players can't explain our failures and performances. We didn't play well. That's all. Enough explanation. I don't want to use any ugly words. I can only say that we played without ideas and purpose. Maybe the players are also affected by the combination of the team's disorganization and the defense line that has never been used. To be honest, I I think the first half was even

Heng, Fenerbahce was even better in the second half, faster and more determined, making full use of the space on both sides. We left too many spaces and gave our opponents too many opportunities. "

After the game, the media also pointed out that Mancini's pre-match arrangements and on-the-spot command made big mistakes.

Mancini has repeatedly said before that he wants to use a more balanced midfielder and protect the backcourt more. He would rather choose to be passive throughout the game and win the game with a counter-attack goal. The first responsibility is that Inter Milan was suppressed by Fenerbahce in the first half and could not breathe. They were attacked more than a dozen times by their opponents, which exposed too many problems, but Mancini replaced Figo and Crespo wanted to play. The decision to attack was too late.

Mancini is still stubborn: "Now I only think about the future. If we play at a normal level in the next game, there will still be no problem qualifying."

In addition to losing the game, Inter Milan's two quarrels increased internal friction. Of course, this is Inter Milan's tradition.

Moratti criticized Chivu fiercely after the game: "He gave up voluntarily. He should have played this game. He knows our suspension. His appearance is not a question of whether it is important or not, but a must. It's a question of respect for the club."

But in this case, as the chairman of a club, perhaps he should say it to the national team, not to the players, let alone in front of the media.

Another discordant factor is Figo. After being replaced, Figo seemed very dissatisfied and kicked the billboard angrily. Mancini was obviously annoyed by Figo's excessive behavior: "If you are replaced every time That's his fault. We talked about it, a few months ago, and the new season. He knows what I think. I don't need to explain. I'm so fucked I don't understand, does he understand?"

Inter Milan lost 0:1 to Fenerbahce in the away game. Although the game has passed, the story about this game is still going on.

At the beginning of the season, Moratti, who had expressed the hope that the team could make a breakthrough in the European arena, seemed extremely disappointed in this defeat.

Inter Milan chairman Moratti, who watched the game, accepted an interview after the game and admitted his disappointment: "Yes, I am very disappointed."

Moratti spoke bluntly, and then, the president of Inter Milan analyzed the reasons for the team's poor play: "We can't blame the loss on the absence of a few players. Every time people talk about individuals, talk about tactics. , In fact, these players who played today can also do a good job. They are not incapable. The important thing is that we should be more confident and concentrate. Of course, this is only the first game of the Champions League. We don't need to panic, but we We have to get back on track quickly, otherwise things will become more and more difficult. The lack of players is not the key, on the pitch, we still have a strong team, we have five games to make up for it, we need to change our own Attitude and style. We have to change and improve, and as soon as possible, if it goes on like this, we have no chance at all, and in Europe you can't have a little bit of inattention."

After losing the game, Mancini went back to the locker room and was furious. Obviously, this defeat made him feel the pressure. Although in the league, Inter Milan did a good job. Three games, two wins and one tie, this The results are completely acceptable, but there is still no way to achieve satisfactory results in the Champions League, and his coaching position will still be shaken.

At the post-match press conference, Mancini's face was ashen. He was under a lot of pressure in the new season. Before the season, everyone praised Inter Milan's lineup to the sky, and the club also clearly proposed the goal of a double crown. , and after the start of the season, due to injuries and fatigue, the team did not play well. When Moratti was interviewed last night, some reporters had already started to ask Mourinho's questions. Now, Mancini really Feel the pressure.

Mancini was under a lot of pressure. As the head coach of his opponent Fenerbahce, the Brazilian Zico was very proud after the game. It was originally a game with 0 points or 1 point, but now it has become 3 points: "We passed our special Way to defeat Inter Milan, we don't give Inter Milan stars a little space, if you give Ibrahimovic, Suazo and Stankovic a little space, they will immediately give you a fatal blow, fortunately, We controlled the opponent, people are expecting Inter Milan to do something in 90 minutes, so we are very careful, although they have several main players suspended, but their quality can cause problems for any team, we have to do The most important thing is to continue to put pressure on Inter Milan, the players performed very well on the field, we also created a lot of opportunities, I am very satisfied with the results!"

Zico's pride made Inter Milan even more embarrassed. This unexpected failure made the whole team very crazy. At the last moment of the second half, the TV cameras captured such scenes.

Mancini got up and stood on the coach's bench to watch the game. He didn't know what happened on the field, and he slapped angrily on the aluminum board of the coach's bench.

Cambiasso was whistled for a foul on an offense, and he grabbed the ball angrily, opened his mouth and bit it.

This is indeed a true portrayal of the mood of the Inter Milan general at the time. He wanted to win, but he was powerless. Although they were stronger than their opponents, in this game, they really lost because of their inferior skills.

Although the score was 0:1 in this game, the disparity in chances was astonishing. According to the technical statistics after the game, the shot ratio between Inter Milan and Inter Milan was 17:4. Inter Milan has only 1 time, and the opponent has 6 times. Inter Milan's possession time is also far behind the opponent.

This game can't help but remind people of the 1:2 loss to Valencia in Mestalla where Cooper led Inter Milan. The away goal scored in the middle eliminated the opponent, and this time it was in the group stage, Inter Milan had to watch the opponent take 3 points.

Why is Inter Milan, which is so glorious in the league, so unbearable in the European war? The absence of several main players has a certain impact, but it will not be so big. According to the odds of William Hill Gambling Company before the game, Inter Milan won the group. The odds of one are the lowest among the eight seeded teams, which shows that in William Hill's view, Inter Milan's group is the least difficult, but among the eight seeded teams, Inter Milan is the only one to lose.

Is the level of Serie A dropped?

Not necessarily, after all last season's Serie A fifth place AC Milan was last season's European Champions Cup champion, it can only be said that Inter Milan is indeed a "foreign war layman".

In the past, it could be said that Inter Milan placed too much emphasis on the league, but this season has no such excuse. Both Moratti and Mancini have made it clear that the focus of this year is the European Champions Cup, but many things are still missing Change.

After careful calculation, Inter Milan and European giants, even quasi-strong teams, have a poor record in official and informal matches. Last season, the Champions League had a draw and a loss against Bayern, and a draw and a loss against Valencia. Villarreal was eliminated with one win and one loss.

Inter Milan's "foreign war phobia" has psychological reasons. The self-confidence shown in the European arena is obviously different from that in the domestic arena.

In addition, the weakness of the European war in the Mancini era may not have nothing to do with his style of play.

Mancini's defense relies on numbers, and his offense relies on the personal ability of a super striker. In the past, Adriano is now Ibrahimovic. The scoring is too rare in Inter Milan. Mancini's team relies more on the individual ability of the players to break through a space, and then simply solve the problem with one pass and one shot, or rely on Adriano's long-distance performance. , Ibrahimovic's flying legs in the air, Recoba's full moon scimitar and other personal abilities to solve problems.

Facing the average team in Serie A, this may work, but in the European arena, the opponents' grades are generally improved, and relying on the ability of one or two players may not be able to open up the offensive.

In terms of defense, Inter Milan has always given opponents a lot of opportunities. This is the case in the league. The offensive against Udinese was 50-50. The victory against Empoli benefited from the magical save of "Santoldo". In such a disparity against Catania, Cesar also made two key saves.

Opportunities that opponents cannot grasp in the Serie A arena can be grasped in the European arena. Fenerbahçe's ability to grasp opportunities is already considered poor.

How to improve Inter Milan's combat effectiveness in the European arena?

I am afraid that a kind of spirit is needed, a kind of potential that belongs to Inter Milan that can only be stimulated on the edge of the cliff. When they lost two consecutive Champions League group matches last season, Inter Milan officially relied on this spirit to come back to life and enter the knockout round. Under this spirit , Players will concentrate more on the game and rely on more running to make up for offensive and defensive problems.

When qualifying against Valencia, Inter Milan lost this spirit because of blind optimism, which eventually led to nothing. How to make Inter Milan maintain this spirit in the European arena at all times is Mancini's real goal. issues that need resolving.

In this game, regardless of the scene, data or result, Inter Milan suffered a complete failure. Maicon, Cordoba, and Burdisso are suspended, Materazzi and Chivu are injured, and Vieira is missing in the midfield, so can the disorganized lineup be the biggest reason for Inter Milan's loss?

In addition to goalkeeper Toldo on the bench, Mancini only has three first-team players, Figo, Crespo and Jimenez, but the starting XI is not shabby.

The four starting players in the back line, Maxwell, Samuel and Zanetti are all well-known stars, and only the Colombian Rivas is a rookie who made his debut in the Champions League.

Although the midfielder lacks Vieira, Dacourt and Cambiasso have good defensive capabilities, and Solari and Stankovic have also worked as midfielders in the past. From a purely defensive point of view, this This set of lineup can completely withstand Fenerbahce's offensive.

But the actual scene was very ugly. Ibrahimovic missed a long shot in the first four minutes. Since then, Inter Milan has been completely suppressed by the home team. It was not until the end of the first half that Suazo After completing the second shot, the game almost became Fenerbahce's half-time offensive drill. In all fairness, in the first 40 minutes of disadvantage, Inter Milan's defensive performance was considered stable. Samuel's marking of Kežman was relatively in place. Rivas also quickly adapted to the rhythm of the game, but just before the end of the first half, Inter Milan's defense suddenly collapsed.

In the 43rd minute, the former Inter Milan player Carlos, who had frequent assists, went to the frontcourt again. He chose to cut into the middle and break through. To fill the position, Carlos just seized the gap on Inter Milan's left wing and passed the ball. Alex threw off Solari who returned to the defense, forming a single-handed situation with Maxwell. With only a simple feint, Alex easily won the dialogue between the two Brazilians. He passed the ball from the baseline to the back point, and David, who was unmarked, scored a beautiful volley.

The cooperation of the three Brazilians shredded Inter Milan's defense, and the most critical part was of course Alex's break through Maxwell.

Being swayed so embarrassingly in the penalty area, Maxwell's personal defensive ability is really unflattering. When he joined Atlanta in the winter, he immediately showed excellent ability. However, after Atlanta's success, the Brazilian full-back's The magic disappeared all of a sudden.

Except for this conceded goal, Fenerbahce launched many attacks from his side. Carlos and Alex's several threatening free kicks all came from Maxwell's defense area. If Cesar hadn't helped , Inter Milan will lose even more ugly. At the last moment, Maxwell was overwhelmed by Alex in the header defense and almost scored with a header. Facing his compatriots, he lost completely.

The flaws of Maxwell's defensive ability have long been exposed. Last season's Coppa Italia final defeated Rome 2:6 in the first leg, and his defense zone was overthrown by the Roma wolves.

Therefore, it is not difficult to understand why Mancini insisted on joining Chivu and positioned him as a left back, rather than a center back that the Romanians are used to playing in Serie A.

Regardless of whether Chivu's ability is suitable for left-backs, in Mancini's view, Chivu's defensive role is at least more effective than Maxwell.

But we can't blame Mancini for Maxwell to play left back in this game. With Chivu injured and many people suspended, it is true that there is no other candidate. If there is Andreoli, maybe Zanetti can Move to the left. If Cesar is included in the Champions League list, he may be a slightly better candidate. If Moratti follows Mancini's advice and buys the Czech defense all-rounder Kovac, if there are too many, but the reality is cruel.

In addition to the weakness in individual abilities, the absence of Materazzi made Inter Milan's defense less spiritual. The characteristics of the newcomer Rivas are similar to those of Cordoba. He has excellent judgment on the ball on the ground, but is still insufficient in the air. He has been rushed to the goal by Fenerbahce many times. The group stage is full of dangers.

In addition to the unexpected loss of Inter Milan, there is another detail that attracts attention in this game. Roberto Carlos met Inter Milan again. In the 1995/1996 season, Roberto Carlos once played for Inter Milan in a blue and black player , Now in Istanbul, Carlos and his current club Fenerbach, in the first game of the UEFA Champions League group stage, defeated the visiting old club Inter Milan 1:0.

Carlos performed very well in the game, and it is completely impossible to see that he is a veteran who has entered the twilight of his career. For Inter Milan, this is obviously not the joy of meeting an old friend in a foreign land.

The decision to let Carlos go did not diminish Inter Milan's regret, not only because they sold the Brazilian so easily at the time, but also because, in the eleven years since then, they have not been able to return. Find a substitute who can reach the same height as Carlos. In this game, it was precisely the clumsy mistake of left back Maxwell that caused Fenerbahce's goal.

It all started at the end of November 1994. The chairman of Inter Milan at the time was Pellegrini, the head coach was Bianchi, and the sports director was Mario Dini.

At that time, Inter Milan's young left-back Paolo Tramezzani was injured and needed someone to fill the vacancy on the left. It was approaching Christmas, and Pellegrini called reporters he knew well and asked them for recommendations.

So someone recommended to Peregrini: "I have seen a young man from the Pamelas Club, Roberto Carlos. In my opinion, he is very strong. If you want, I can give you a videotape." have a look."

The videotape shocked the Inter Milan executives, and they found that this young man was indeed promising. And then began to negotiate with the transfer.

Roberto Carlos was 21 at the time, and his contract with Pamelas had expired. Inter Milan offered him a three-year contract with an annual net income of 1 billion lire, which he readily accepted.

Everything just had to wait for the end of that season, and at that time Inter Milan didn't need to pay Pamelas even a single lira. But after Christmas, Pellegrini suddenly felt that, after 11 years, he was tired of Inter Milan and football, and decided to sell the club to Massimo Moratti: transfer negotiations began immediately, and after the transfer On February 19th, the club officially changed hands.

After taking over the club, the next thing Moratti should do is to sign with this young Brazilian lad. But in the spring, Moratti's people said: We will find the new players for the new Inter Milan.

Therefore, Carlos can only renew his contract with Pamelas and wait for other news from across the ocean. Then came the Copa America that summer. In the Copa America, Roberto Carlos let the world see his talent.

Inter Milan, who still remember Carlos, began to introduce him to Milan. The transaction was successful, but they paid 11.5 billion lire to the Pamelas club. tuition fees.

Subsequently, Robert Carlos's season at Inter Milan was not satisfactory. In the 1995/19/96 season, Inter Milan's head coach changed from Bianchi to Suarez and then Hodgson.

In the following season, Real Madrid, which had just hired Capello, proposed to Inter Milan to buy Carlos. The quotation given was 13 billion lire, and Inter Milan sold it for the next ten years. Carlos, one of the world's most powerful left-backs, received only 1.5 billion lire.

Time flies, 11 years have passed, and Inter Milan, who reunited with Carlos again, still regrets it, and it is still the same as it was 11 years ago.

In short, Inter Milan lost, okay! No longer entangled in this problem, the loss made Inter Milan ashamed, but what made them feel even more ashamed was that Roma won.

Perhaps the two teams have nothing to do with each other, but because of one person, in an interview before the game, seemingly unintentional words, there is a relationship. This relationship that was barely implicated made Inter Milan already The face that was lost was almost the same, and there was not much left that was picked off.

The person who made Inter Milan ashamed was still Mancini. When Mancini was interviewed once before, when talking about his colleague Spalletti, he was very sad about his several times leading Roma to the league championship. As a result, Mancini said quickly: "I have to bring a handkerchief when I talk to Spalletti, because he is always crying."

Although Mancini later stated that he did not intend to offend each other, it still triggered a war of words between the two coaches.

Spalletti said: "Among us coaches, it's best to keep all the remarks in the technical range and not to involve others, otherwise the conversation may develop in a completely different direction. From a technical and tactical point of view, Roma and Inter are on two different paths, but both are great teams, Roma is ready to win, Inter has to win, there is no other option, in the summer they bought from us Took away a player we wanted to keep, and Suazo, we wanted him too, but they got him. If Mancini was talking about the handkerchief, maybe he was referring to himself in the last game. The one he used in the game he lost when he said he lacked players on the left."

Facts are the best answer. In the European Champions Cup, Spalletti's Roma defeated Dynamo Kiev 2-0 cleanly, while Inter Milan lost 0-1 to Fene in an ugly scene. Bache, who should use the handkerchief knows better.

Mancini coached Inter Milan for four years, Spalletti coached Roma for three years, and both men put their stamps on their respective teams.

Mancini won a Coppa Italia for Inter Milan in the first year, the Coppa Italia plus the league title awarded to Inter Milan by the Football Association in the second year, and a real competitive league title in the third year.

The Roma team won the Coppa Italia last season, and at the beginning of this season they defeated Inter Milan and won the UEFA Super Cup.

Both coaches have accomplished something historic respectively. Spalletti's Roma set a Serie A record with 11 consecutive victories in the 05/06 season, and his record was immediately overtaken by Mancini with 17 in the second season. Streak broken.

However, as Spalletti said, the two teams are taking different paths. Mancini has far more resources than Spalletti. In the two direct confrontations in the transfer market, Inter Milan from Roma Chivu was taken away, and Suazo, whom Roma wanted, was also taken away. It is for this reason that the requirements of the two clubs are different. Roma reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League last season, which is the club's best European war in 23 years. Even in the two seasons of 2004/05 and 05/06, Mancini brought Inter Milan to the quarter-finals.

Mancini's goal this season can only be to win the championship, the league championship or the European Champions Cup, while in Rome, as long as the Champions League enters the semi-finals and the league enters the top three, Spalletti has already succeeded.

What's more, now the Roma team is ahead of Inter Milan in the league and the Champions League. Although the season is still very long, Roma has the capital to challenge Inter Milan in terms of spirit and strength. Now we are talking about who will cry It's too early for who laughs and who uses the handkerchief, but the pressure is on Mancini's side. At least for now, Spalletti is living more comfortably than Mancini.

If Inter Milan in the Champions League opener was an ugly team, Roma was an exceptionally beautiful team. In 90 minutes, Roma basically controlled the game, Perotta and Totti each scored a goal, Juan and Cassetti also hit the post once, and Giuly also had a one-handed chance. As for Dynamo Kiev, it was not until the second half that the team had the only threatening shot in the game.

This is Roma's 5th victory this season. From the Italian Super Cup to this Champions Cup, Roma has won 5 of 5 games, scoring 10 goals and 1 goal without conceding.

Last season, Inter Milan's strength in the league has almost become synonymous with Serie A. Moratti and Mancini have also stated several times that they will carry the banner of Italian football.

"The era of the past has passed, and it is the turn of Inter Milan in Serie A. We will become synonymous with Serie A, there is no doubt about it."

Moratti was so arrogant that he almost swore to God and called him a brother.

But this season, the situation seems to be different. In the league, Inter Milan is two points behind the top two Fiorentina and Roma. In the Champions League, Fenerbahce counterattacked and lost the victory.

Can they still carry this banner?

In the league, it lags behind Fiorentina and Roma. In the Champions League, Inter Milan is the only one among the five Italian teams that has not won.

No wonder Degan sarcastically said in an interview with reporters after returning to Florence: "If Chairman Moratti and Coach Mancini still feel that Inter Milan is qualified to carry the flag of Italian football, we have no objections, we just hope for greatness. Inter Milan don't take this flag into the abyss, but now it seems that this is entirely possible, maybe it's time to hand over this big flag, this responsibility, Inter Milan can't afford it, I don't think anyone will Disprove my point!"

Degan's ridicule attracted countless Italian media to criticize Inter Milan's weak performance in the European competition.

Although Moratti and Mancini were aggrieved, they couldn't refute it. They dug the hole themselves. Now someone kicked them down, and it was their own fault.

The media is like this. When you are proud, they never hesitate to compliment you. When you are unlucky, it is simply delusional to ask them to give you a hand. What they will always do is step on a hundred feet.

Inter Milan has become a negative example because of a defeat, but the media cannot completely deny Italian football. typical.

Now which team can compare with Fiorentina, known as the Young Guard?