I Like the Motta/Milito Signing. Am I alone in this?
By: MAD |
31 Comments
We say goodbye to a beloved Inter player in Julio Cruz this week, but also we say goodbye to an Inter Philosophy this week too.
First, I have a few thoughts about Cruz. Cruz has something, a certainty maybe that the goal would happen when he needed it too. Cruz always had that goal somewhere in a big game (ahemJuventusahem) that was the difference between winning or drawing and losing… between living and dying that week.
Like Johonna said, it’ll be hard to say goodbye to him, I am used to seeing him on the bench, or on the field in the best looking shirt in the world, but at the same time I am excited at what seems to be a new departure for the club from the Mancini era – who for the record, I didn’t have any problems with as the manager of The Beloved. On the contrary, I was happy that we found a manager that we could keep for a few years and actually implement his ideas.
But that time is now officially over. Mourinho and Moratti are saying goodbye to that era and bringing in a newer one. Again, I am happy that we are giving a manager multiple years – so far – to implement his plan.
Buena Suerte y Gracias por Todo, El Jardinero
By: Johonna | 29 Comments
Well, it is official, today was the last day of Julio Ricardo Cruz’s contract. As of July 1, he will no longer be an Inter player. Read the rest of this entry »
Category: Julio CruzNo News is Good News, Right?
By: Johonna | 53 Comments
It has been a relatively quiet, yet paradoxically stressful, week for Inter and us fans. The sword of Damocles still hangs over our heads as Maicon is courted by loathsome English clubs, though “As the Ibra Turns” seems to be winding down (whew). Still, the rumor mill turns merrily along, grinding out all sorts of odds and ends for our mercato amusement. Remember, all transfer speculation here is just gossip and probably flat-out wrong. That said, lets dig in… Read the rest of this entry »
Category: Amanitino Mancini, Douglas Maicon, Julio Cesar, Nicolas Burdisso, Patrick Vieira, Team News, Transfer Speculation, Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Tags: Amanitino Mancini, Carvalho, Chelsea, co-ownership deals, Deco, Douglas Maicon, Everton, FC Internazionale Milano, Frank Ribery, Inter Milan, Julio Cesar, Luca Toni, Manchester City, Marko Arnautovic, Nicolas Burdisso, Patrick Vieira, Team News, Tottenham hottspurs, Transfer Speculation, Twente, Zlatan IbrahimovicWhat if… A Tale of the Silly Season
By: MAD | 47 Comments
Okay, thinking outside the box a minute, I am trying to understand some rumors I read lately. Basically they boil down to Inter officials going to Spain and talking to the Big Two clubs there – Real Madrid and Barcelona. The only thing that either of the parties involved is saying is that there are no new developments.
Keeping in mind that Inter travel to the U.S. in early July, they really need to get this mess taken care of now. Mourinho strikes me as the type who wants all his players in camp and ready to go with no interruptions regarding comings and goings. So, all deals need to be made in the here and now.
Common - and popular - sense is that Inter want to keep the players in question, Maicon and Ibra. But if this were the case, why would our guys go to Spain to actually have discussions? So, assuming that the grain of truth in this report is that there are Inter officials in Spain, what deal are they trying to broker?
Category: Amanitino Mancini, Christian Chivu, Davide Santon, Dejan Stankovic, Douglas Maicon, Esteban Cambiasso, Figo, Hernan Crespo, Ivan Cordoba, Javier Zanetti, Jose Mourniho, Julio Cruz, Marco Materazzi, Mario Balotelli, Maxwell, Nicolas Burdisso, Patrick Vieira, Ricardo Quaresma, Sulley Muntari, Team News, Transfer Speculation, Victor Obinna, Walter Samuel, Zlatan Ibrahimovic Tags: Aleksandar Kolarov, Amanitino Mancini, Barcelona, Branca, Carvalho, Christian Chivu, Cristian Ledesma, Davide Santon, Deco, Dejan Stankovic, Destro, Douglas Maicon, Drogba, Esteban Cambiasso, Fernando Gago, Figo, Hernan Crespo, Ivan Cordoba, Javier Zanetti, Jose Mourniho, Julio Cruz, Krhin, Luis Jimenez, Marco Materazzi, Mario Balotelli, Marko Arnautovic, Maxwell, Mei, Milito, Motta, Nicolas Burdisso, Obi, Patrick Vieira, Quaresma, Real Madrid, Ricardo Quaresma, Rivas, Suazo, Sulley Muntari, Team News, Transfer Speculation, Victor Obinna, Viviano, Walter Samuel, Zlatan IbrahimovicI Hate This Time of Year
By: Johonna | 53 Comments
Market openings always make me nervous. First, there is the prospect of losing a player that I really like to another team - or worse yet, a direct rival. Then, there is the fear that my team is falling hopelessly behind in this mad game of hungry-hungry hippos. Before we know it, the other teams will have gobbled up all the best options leaving Inter with the sad mercato dregs. I hate that emotional will-he-wont-he seesaw that I cant seem to get off of (all that drama is just so darn addictive), and I hate that I allow myself to be suckered in by the sports press. But there is nothing I can do. Like all calcio fans, I am swept along with the tide of half rumors and quasi promises that roar through every single media outlet this time of year. I giddily start rearranging formations when I read that Player X is mere moments from signing with the club only to have my hopes dashed 10 minutes later when I read that Player X said he will never leave Club X and has no idea what anyone is talking about. The worst part is, no matter how much I want to look away, how much I want to turn off the computer and go do something productive, I find myself back, just checking one more time before I hit the off switch. It is sick and wrong, but what can I do? Read the rest of this entry »
Young Guns
By: MAD | 15 Comments
Cue Emilio Estevez and the Brat Pack…
With the rise in player prices and club spending, a couple of years ago Inter decided to invest heavily in youth players during the ensuing transfer windows to stock the youth teams in the hopes of developing enough talent for the senior team years down the road to help relieve the club of some of the rising costs of fielding a competitive team.
This youth policy kicked into overdrive with Mourinho’s hiring. Taking a quick look at the players he requested from the club only Lampard would have been around 30. And taking another look at who he actually brought in, only Mancini was over 25 (he was 28).
Then there are the Primavera players that were promoted: Bolzoni, Balotelli, Mei and Santon. Bozoni and Balotelli made appearances for us last season, but this season they trained with the top squad the whole season.
And from the words of Mourinho, we are going to add 3 more primavera players to the squad, and he also named a goalkeeper. We can’t forget that before the transfer season even started, Inter may have come to terms with a 20 year old forward, but not the club, already. I purposefully left that player off this preview as he isn’t actually part of the team yet. When he gets here, I got a lot of stuff on him.
This year, having caught up with Milan in the Scudetto race, is the first season that Mourinho will be expected to go deep into the Champions League, in my opinion. That means that our top veteran players might need to take more league games off to train and rest for Champions League games.
Finally, the Forwards
By: Johonna | 43 Comments
Alright. Here we are, at the end of our journey. This post tackles the forwards and our illustrious coach. In addition, I take a quick look at what I think our best and worst games were. I know it is hard to think about this with all the mercato shenanigans going on, but there will be plenty of time for that later. First things first. Read the rest of this entry »
Moving on to Midfielders
By: Johonna | 58 Comments
This is a hard category as, under Mou, the midfield is a nebulous place. There are players that we think of as defenders or forwards, but seem to find themselves lurking in the midfield. MAD and I have included Javier Zanetti in the midfield section as that is where he has spent most of the season (at least until Maicon got hurt). Once again, please feel free to correct me should you feel my ratings are wrong. Note: I have added the level 3 to the scale (thank you PatCook), and no, the picture has nothing to do with the post, I just love it so. Read the rest of this entry »
Year End Player Review: Defenders
By: Johonna | 27 Comments
It is that time of year again, when we look back and try to assess. As Inter has such a large squad, I am breaking the review into three parts: Defenders, Midfielders, and Forwards. In addition, I have some help for this post. MAD has been toying with the idea of helping out around here - maybe with a weekly column - so, as sort of a test run, he has co-written this post with me. Or, more accurately, I have horned in on his player review. I would love to hear what you all think of our defensive players, so be sure to rate them in the comments. Read the rest of this entry »
Mark Your Calendars
By: Johonna | 53 Comments
Busy busy BUSY week but I wanted to get a quick post up. Inter has a full dance card this summer, including a trip to the US and China. To help us all follow along, I thought I would put up this nice schedule so we can all keep track. Read the rest of this entry »
Category: Team News
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