This isn’t true, of course. There are several Italians contributing to Inter’s success. There’s over 100 years of history that is filled with Italians who were the building blocks of what the team has currently achieved, the thousands of Italians who owe their livelihood to the club, the owner and his family, the front office, the Board, the bureaucracy of the organization, the coaches and several players. What they really mean, of course, is that there aren’t many Italians football players directly contributing to the success of the current Champions of the Italian League and that we should be ashamed of this. Some of us, through the comments section, have said that we don’t really care what the nationality of the player is, as long as they put in effort and have positive results.

After reading several books lately, two on watered down popular global economics commentary, two the “business” of football, several commentaries on Italian football (from English writers) and an infinite number of discussions with opponents of globalization of Italian football, I have come to understand a notion that I, and apparently others here, have had all along. Namely that many foreigners on a football team isn’t an evil thing. Additionally, I have come to the conclusion that if Serie A is going to survive then foreign players are going to be essential to its lively hood.

First, a small comment on the “business” of football, it isn’t really a business. If it was, then we wouldn’t have an Oil Man in charge of our team, Juventus wouldn’t have a Car Man in charge of theirs and Milan wouldn’t have the Cable Guy in charge of theirs. Keeping this in mind is pretty important. There is a notion that the Super Teams of Europe will be self-sustaining, profit making machines in a couple of years. I, personally, have a good laugh when I hear people talking about this. I would like my team to be as close as possible to the black, not because it’s a source of pride that my team can make a buck, but because that means that we can afford more. We can afford more quality facilities, more quality equipment, more quality talent and everything that comes with “more” – like titles.

It also denotes a certain cunning in the transfer market that has recently been a pleasant surprise. We are getting more for our money than we had previously, and while it isn’t my money, it lends a certain confidence to think that the caretakers of my team are getting better at their jobs. But, as I said, I don’t expect too many miracles. Moratti, last summer said something to the effect that you can either be a good team or a profitable one, not both and I think that he was very close to the truth.

The Talent Pool

One of the first things that people who support leagues from other countries ask me when they find out I support a team from Italy is, “Who is any good there?”

It’s a simple question and an understandable one. The English speaking media hasn’t really discovered several players that most of us think are good. But there is an underlying problem, namely that if I had to name a top starting 11 in Serie A based on the last 14 months alone, I don’t think that I would name many Italians to that squad. I might name Buffon in front of Cesar but it would be close, especially considering the injuries of last season. Chiellini would be one of the defenders. D’Agostino might be discussed as a midfielder. Cassano would be a forward. One of Pirlo, De Rossi or Camoranesi might be in the conversation, but honestly, none of those midfielders were really great last season.

But, that would be it, 2 players definitely and maybe 2 others. Italy has a lot of football talent in a country with the limited space and population that it has, but the big picture is that population might not be able to produce such a high level talent year in and year out. There are going to be some gaps and a country that has 4 professional leagues with about 20 teams per league needs to supplement those gaps with outside talent. However, at the highest levels, TV rights and stadium seating need to be bought, therefore, big teams need to be big enough to convince enough people to purchase these things. In Italy there are 3 big teams at the top. Is there enough domestic talent to fit into 81 (3 teams of about 27) roster spots to maintain Champions League money coming into the country and generate enough interest for people – domestically and internationally – to continue to buy cable/satellite TV football packages? Personally, and objectively, I don’t think so.

Finances

Most Italian players are over-priced. So are most Brazilians over the age of 20, the majority of English players, French players and Argentine players over the age of 20. Part of the reason they are overpriced is because those countries have had some success in the past proving themselves powerhouses.

If you want a bargain, real bang for the buck, buy the contract of a player from Scandinavia, Croatia, Slovakia, Bosnia, the Ukraine, Russia or any country in Africa. The bargain isn’t because those players aren’t talented, it’s because they aren’t on TV all the time, no one has hyped them – or their paycheck – up and there aren’t preconceived notions on how great a Croatian player is, for example. A Slovakian player would be happy to be paid a lot of money in England, Spain, Germany or Italy. It’s safe to assume that an Italian player would probably expect to be paid a lot of money to play in Italy.

If you are a football team that is leaking money, and to be honest they almost all are, those are the countries to buy from. Here’s an example, Goran Pandev’s transfer to an Italian team (assuming he was brought in from Lazio and not through the current ugliness) at 26 years old is going to be less expensive than G. Rossi’s transfer to an Italian team, even though Pandev plays the same position, will have more experience in Serie A than Rossi and has more International experience than Rossi. Is Rossi better than Pandev? To be honest, I don’t think so, not right now.

Does this matter to a team like Inter, who have the money to pay for overpriced Italian talent? Yes and no. Young players like Arnautovic, Rene Krhin, Vid Belec, Obi Mikel can be kept on the team training with the first team because they don’t cost very much to sit the bench. There is money, however to pay for Brazilians, Argentines and Materazzi to be a dressing room leader, or Toldo to be a backup even though these are expensive former Italian National teamers. But the well isn’t endless; even we need to cut costs where we can.

Of the 27 players on the official roster on Inter.it, 15 of those players come from overpriced powerhouse nations and 12 of them are regular contributors – including the backup goalkeeper. 12 players come from underpriced countries and only 6 contribute regularly. The verdict? Inter are paying premium price for most of their contributors and are paying bargain prices for the most of their backups.

So to summarize, many of the youth players on the first team and the backups are from countries that one would expect bargain pricing. Most of the contributors are from countries that one would expect to pay top prices for. There are exceptions. Quaresma is getting premium wages and not contributing at all, and Lucio and Motta were fairly inexpensive signings considering that Brazilians – especially a national teamer – are usually considered big money transfers.

That’s good for us, but actually very good for other teams who aren’t as lucky to have the deep pockets that we have. Teams like Napoli and Lazio for example, are definitely moving in the same direction. They want the talent to compete but it’s obvious that they are looking at alternatives to high priced Italian and Brazilian talent. Udinese is also joining the party. Taking a quick glance at the incoming transfers’ nationality there is a marked increase in talent arriving into the peninsula from Eastern Europe, just as at one time there was an increase in talent arriving from Brazil, or Argentina. Untapped potential and 2nd or 3rd world economy equals cheap labor – any financial advisor will tell you that cutting employee costs is step one to increasing profits.

Conclusion

Although I have never understood why it was so important to have only Italians on the team, or a majority of Italians on the team, I can understand that it’s important to some people. In my personal view, I think that view is overly nostalgic and really smacks of an ethnocentric regionalism. I really think that kind of limited scope is in the past forever. There is no way, in my opinion, that a team can be both successful competitively and financially by imposing boundaries on themselves. I think it would have been hard to do 30 years ago, let alone today.

There is a chestnut that increasing the amount of international players is somehow hurting the National Team. Someone should tell Spain, who won the 2008 Euros, who’s domestic League has more internationals than the Italian League, that all those quality internationals that all those Spanish players tested themselves against every weekend should have hurt them. By the way, most of the Brazil national team play abroad outside their own hemisphere, and have for years. How is it they enjoy so much success with none of their best players even in their own domestic league?

The cold hard truth is that the game is globalizing and teams have to follow suit to survive. It’s not going to get easier. UEFA will never be able to limit the big teams on spending. The first time it tries to penalize a team for spending, the biggest teams will break away from UEFA and form a Premier League for European Super Clubs – UEFA’s own private TV deal up in smoke nightmare. There is only the fear of bankruptcy and collapse into Lega Pro that makes anybody in Italy think about the bottom line anymore.

And if you are worried at all about the bottom line, then there isn’t a place for sentimentality about nation of origin or what color the players skin is or what kind of blood he has. Do you want to win, or do you want to be homogenous? It’s an easy question to answer, check out the season ticket sales for Inter’s home games and the bump that away teams get when Inter comes to town. People might complain on Tuesday about foreigners, but no one is protesting with their wallets on Sunday.

FORZA INTER

What: Inter v Roma, Matchday 12
Where: San Siro, Milan
When: Sunday, November 8th, 8:45 local time (11:45 pacific, 2:45 eastern)
How to Watch: Live on FSC (hooray) or find a stream (MyP2P, Rojadirecta, Ustream, and ATDHE.net).

For the last couple of years, this tie has ended in draws. Last year’s 3-all was epic. Twice, Inter went down 2 goals, and, in the end, we managed to claw our way back. I tell you, a draw never felt so much like a win. Well, that is except the for the same tie two years ago. That game saw our fearless captain snatch a point with a rare but wonderful goal that helped seal our scudetto.

Last year’s game:

And the year before:

As you can see, it is always a heart-stopping nail-biter. In fact, we haven’t really put one over on Roma at the San Siro in the Serie A since a 2-0 win in 2005 (both goals were from Mihajlovic). Overall, though, Inter have a pretty decent home record against Roma: of the 78 Serie A games, Inter have won 42, drawn 24, and only lost 12. Not bad.

Another bit of interest is all the business the two clubs have done over the years. Moratti and Sensi were friends, and players have moved between Inter and Roma without much fuss. Right now, our good friend Nico Burdisso is on loan to the Giallorossi (and they seem to like him just fine), while Pizarro also was a Nerrazzuri not all that long ago. Andreolli is an Inter youth product, and until last year, was co-owned by the clubs*. In our ranks, Chivu and Mancini came directly from i Lupi, while Samuel took a brief detour to Real Madrid before finding his way from Rome to Milan. In other words, we are almost family. Almost.

*Rumor is that Andreolli will come back to Inter this winter in exchange for Burdisso. Go figure.

THEM

Our four-legged friends have not gotten off to the best of starts this season – between money woes and the never ending injuries, they haven’t had a whole lot to work with. Still, they have won their last two games and may just be starting to figure out what Ranieri wants from them. Unfortunately, they have dug themselves into a bit of a hole and have a lot of work to do if they want to see the sun again.

Roma sit at 14 points (exactly half Inter’s points), and have lost more games than they have won. They dont seem to have any trouble scoring goals – Roma’s 18 goals puts them in the top four offensively – but have real difficulty stopping the other team from scoring. With 19 goals conceded, they have the second worst defensive record in the league (Genoa is the worst with 20). Clearly, they have strengths to respect and weaknesses to exploit.

Right now, probably their greatest weakness is their medical staff. For some reason, Roma always seem to have half their starters out with some injury of another. Today is no different: Totti, Doni, Juan, and Burdisso are all out. Taddei will also be sitting one this out due to suspension. It could be (and has been) worse, though. At least today when I look at their projected line-up I know who everyone is. They have not had to dip into their youth team for this match.

Happy is good, focused is better.

US

We are finally starting to clear out our injury ward – and none too soon, either. Everyone is fit (although Eto’o is not quite 100%) and we have no suspensions. There has been some talk of a bit of a rotation squad, and for the first time in a couple years that doesn’t immediately make my stomach start to churn. It sure is nice to have options! Cambiasso may start from the bench as he is still nursing his knee. He has finally won his first call-up to the Argentine National team and everyone wants him to do well and earn a returning role. Every player worth his boots is dreaming of the World Cup – I am sure Cuchu is no different.

Mourinho has called-up 19 players:
Portieri: Toldo, Julio Cesar, Orlandoni;
Difensori: Cordoba, Zanetti, Lucio, Maicon, Samuel, Chivu;
Centrocampisti: Stankovic, Thiago Motta, Sneijder, Muntari, Vieira, Cambiasso, Mancini;
Attaccanti: Eto’o, Milito, Balotelli.

Mourinho was all humble and wary during his press conference today. He didn’t drop any hints about line-ups or formations or anything.

I repeat what I said before the last two games: if I have no idea how to play my opponent, it doesn’t make life easy. It is not easy to prepare a game where no one knows how to play the adversary: Claudio Ranieri is a coach who usually uses a 4-4-2, but in these days has spoken of the possibility to deploy the diamond in midfield and I also thought that he uses the 4-4-1-1. I’m thinking and working hard in this sense, then I will not say which team I will play with now. There are no injured players at this time, I believe that it is not news to those who are part of our environment, Rui Faria is a phenomenon, however, we are all working well to build the best team possible to meet Roma, a team that right now does not find the justice of its quality in its current position in the standings.

The 14-point difference between Inter and Roma are not a true testament of the situation of these two teams: we have done very well since the beginning of the season, they have had some problems and lost some points unnecessarily, but what counts in a team is the quality and level of quality, I always said that I like Roma and there are some Roma players I like very much. For these reasons, I see the game tomorrow night as a big game, a game between two teams fighting for the Scudetto. They are quite far behind, it’s true, but the reality of the situation is that they too are a team that can fight for the Scudetto.

Mourinho is also worried about the team’s mentality after the euphoria of the win in Kiev.

Character is very important and this team has already shown theirs many times, but it is also character to win and stay calm after an important win. History is full of bad games after a great battle and that of Inter against Dynamo was truly a great match on every level: psychologically, physically, tactically and the level of risk. … Right now, for for me it is … important that players understand that we have not done anything, or at least, that we have done something that has an ephemeral significance. We need to stay calm, the race tomorrow will be served to the team who understands that there is a need to begin every future match with the same mentality and the same concentration. This is the mentality of the big teams, teams that never tire of doing good to win, who do not need to recover psychologically and physically after a great game. A great team is always prepared to play a great match after great match, this is the mentality that I want.

Tomorrow I dont want to have a disappointment and a team that takes the field playing with the victory of Kiev in its pocket. I do not want to have in our pocket the victory won in the Champions League, that is the past. The only difference is that we are in a better position and, now, instead of the press writing that Inter has not won in 7 games they will write that inter has not lost in 4, but there is nothing more.

Then, when asked if Mourinho was confident of winning tomorrow, he said no and that “it depends on us.”

And really, what more can be said? More than anything, tomorrow “Dipende da noi“.

We have a great squad who are determined and used to playing under this sort of pressure. We have the tranquility of knowing that no matter how terribly Juventus beats Atalanta, we will still be top of the table. Couple that with the drive for success and I think we have a pretty good shot of coming out of this with three points. That is, if we can concentrate on the task at hand. In many ways, a win is far more important for Roma than it is for Inter and that is a dangerous situation. I dont think that Roma has it in them to beat us, but I think we can most certainly beat ourselves. Inter must be focused and hungry – anything less just will not do.

FORZA INTER

What: Inter v Dynamo Kiev (Group F – Matchday 3; Uefa Champions League)
When: Tuesday, October 20, 8:45pm local time (11:45am pacific; 2:45pm eastern)
Where: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, San Siro, Milan
How to Watch: Fox is showing it live (what a shock!), you can find a stream (MyP2P, Rojadirecta, Ustream, and ATDHE.net), or for $9.99 you can watch it live through UEFA (it is only $1.99 to watch it after the fact).

Bobo got the winner last time – who will it be tomorrow?

This is actually the third meeting between these two teams in Champions League. Inter met Dynamo in the group stages of the CL during the 2003/4 season. We drew the away game while a late goal from Bobo Vieri allowed us to take all three points at home. For those interested in trivia, UEFA has kindly assembled a whole list of interesting Inter v Dynamo fun facts (for instance: did you know that Dynamo’s coach Gazzaev was the coach of CSKA when Inter beat them both at home and away in the 2007/08 group stage? I didn’t!). Anyway, there are too many for me to go into here so follow the link if you are interested.

Shevchenko scored 14 times in all competitions for Milan against Inter. I hate him.

THEM

First, let me say it is really difficult to find info on the Ukrainian League. ESPN doesn’t have any coverage so I have really had to dig for what little tidbits I could find. In other words, dont expect much here.

Valeri Gazzaev has brought 19 players I have never heard of and Sheva to Milan:

Goalkeepers: Bogush, Rybka;
Defenders: Betão, Yussuf, Almeida, Khacheridi, Magrão;
Midfielders: Vukojević, Aliyev, Eremenko, Mykhalyk, Husyev, Ninković, Kravchenko, Harmash;
Forwards: Shevchenko, Milevskyy, Kravets, Yarmolenko, Zozulya;

They left two starters home with injury: goalkeeper Shovkovskiy and defender Ghioane.

FC Dynamo Kyiv are currently at the top of the Ukrainian table with 28 points after 10 games. They are unbeaten, having won all but one of their games. In fact, a quick look at the results table on their web page shows the only loss they have suffered this season in all competitions is the game they played against Barcelona. It is also the only game they failed to score in. As for goals, Dynamo have scored 28 goals and only conceded 6 (in 10 games) so they definitely know how to hit the back of the net (interestingly, the Kiev fans have predicted the game will end 1-2 in their favor).

[insert theme from Rocky here]

US

Mourinho has called up 22 players:

Portieri: Toldo, Julio Cesar, Orlandoni;
Difensori: Cordoba, Zanetti, Lucio, Maicon, Materazzi, Samuel, Chivu, Santon;
Centrocampisti: Stankovic, Quaresma, Sneijder, Muntari, Vieira, Krhin, Cambiasso, Mancini;
Attaccanti: Eto’o, Suazo, Milito.

Saturday Mourinho said that both Milito and Motta would be unavailable for this game. Today Mou said that there is a “small chance” that Milito will be available – Motta is still a no (although he will be back for Catania). As for Eto’o, he is on the list and he trained with the team – I think he is more likely to start over Milito. Plus, there is always Suazo.

He looks ok to me.

Both Samuel and Cambiasso came off during the Genoa game as a precaution. Both are on the list (and in the training photos) which makes me super happy. Marco is also on the list, and although I highly doubt he will see the pitch, the thought of him against Sheva makes me all kinds of nostalgic for those derbies days of old. Well not the losing, but… well, I am sure you all know what I mean.

For the record, MAD has predicted we will play the same line-up as on Saturday with Eto’o playing in place of Balotelli (it is official now!). For those of you who did not see the game, that means the lineup will be:

Julio Cesar
Maicon Lucio Samuel (Cordoba) Chivu
Zanetti Cambiasso (Vieira) Muntari
Stankovic Sneijder
Eto’o (Suazo?)

Mou gave very little away at the press conference today. When asked if Inter’s approach would change at all from the last CL game, he said no: [my translation]

“I will leave things to go naturally, the victory will come. I think it will come tomorrow, if it doesn’t come tomorrow, it will come in Kiev, if it doesn’t come with Kiev, it will come in Barcelona, if not in Barcelona, it will arrive at the house of Kazan, if it still doesn’t arrive with Kazan, we will go to the Europa League and win there, if we don’t go to the Europa League, we will all come home. [smiling] But joking aside, we will go forward with ease: the team has a great mentality, they are aware that tomorrow’s game will not be decisive, but it is important to me. With peace we can do anything, anything is possible, with the understanding that in football, it takes two minutes to go from paradise to hell and from hell to heaven. Like I tell my players, don’t read the papers too much when they write negative things about Inter, similarly, I advise them not to read the papers when they describe Inter as the best team in the world.”

As for if Inter’s 0-5 thumping of Genoa will inform on the coming game, he also said no: [my translation]

“It’s the same thing I said to the players Saturday night before going out and that is that the best way to prepare for the Champions was not resting, playing at 50 percent or to leave the important players on the bench, but to exit the stadium in Genoa with joy. The joy comes when you win and play well, obviously after that race the team was very happy and confident, every player did his job very well and I think that in these hours before the game against Dynamo the team is happy and, I repeat, in my opinion the best way to prepare for an important match is to be happy.”

Still, he thinks that Inter can give Dynamo problems and vice-versa, saying: “The match tomorrow will be difficult for us but not easy for Dynamo.”

“I came on the pitch against Udinese with a strange face? That is my face.”

Muntari (strange face and all) was much more decisive saying:

“We’re in good condition. We will play a good game and we will win,” he told journalists in the pre-match press conference. It’s true that Inter have had more difficulties in Europe than in league games, but we want to win at all costs tomorrow. These are three important points for us. We have the potential to do well. We haven’t won in Europe in seven games but we will start winning from tomorrow.”

So, where does that leave us? Well, I think in a much better position that against Kazan. We have recovered Sneijder and will be playing at home (always easier). Plus, I can’t believe the Ukrainian League is that much more difficult than the Russian one, so I suspect that Dynamo is about at the same level talent-wise as Kazan. Both are at the top of their respective leagues with a bit of a cushion. I think with Sneijder and without Balotelli sending off, we could have beaten Kazan and therefore I am cautiously optimistic about tomorrow. I know we are in a bit of a crunch up front, but I swear I read somewhere that Eto’o said he is feeling much better and will be ready to play (I just can’t remember where). Of course, that could be my subconscious planting false memories to stop me from worrying, but right about now, I will take any little hint of good news and run with it.

And since it had such a great result last time: Everyone think positive thoughts.

FORZA INTER

No nekid Samu this time, but how about fun with Matrix and Deki?

And here we are, back home and raring to go. Sure, we had a bit of a hiccup in Russia, but we are back on home ground and looking to make up some points. That said, we are still in the midst of a mini injury crisis, and Udinese is not a pushover. We come to the game in third place, while they are just 2 points behind us at fifth. They are an organized team with some real talent; luckily, so are we. This will be a great game and the perfect opportunity for Inter to leap to the top of the table (a girl can dream, cant she).

What: Inter v Udinese
Where: San Siro, Milan
When: Saturday, October 3, 8:45pm local time (11:45am pacific, 2:45 eastern)
How to Watch: This time, we’re live, baby! Yep, FSC is showing the match live on Saturday. Still, if want, here are some links for streams: MyP2P, Justin.tv, Rojadirecta, Ustream, and ATDHE.net.

Udinese actually has a pretty good record against Inter, even when playing at the San Siro. Of the 37 times that Inter and Udinese have met in the Serie A in Milan, Inter has only won 21 games while they have held us to a draw 10 times (for those of you doing the math, the last 6 we lost). In fact, for the last few years Inter and Udinese have been pretty evenly matched. Last year, we both won at home 1-0; the previous two seasons, we drew all four games (either 0-0 or 1-1). Basically, if history has any bearing on tomorrow, the game will be tight.

Last year’s 1-0 win came in injury time with one of Julio Cruz’s patented last-minute game-winning goals (I sure miss him):


THEM

Well, for a few months last year there was an active Udinese blog. But I think the rigors of graduate school finally killed it off. Anyway, that means I will have to cobble something together.

Marino has called up 22 players:

PORTIERI: Belardi, Cobrea, Handanovic
DIFENSORI: Basta, Coda, Cuadrado, Domizzi, Felipe, Lukovic, Pasquale, Zapata
CENTROCAMPISTI: D’Agostino, Kitoko, Inler, Lodi, Sammarco, Zimling.
ATTACCANTI: Corradi, Di Natale, Floro Flores, Pepe, Sanchez.

After a bit of a slow start, Udinese have really come out swinging. They have won their last two games (against Milan and Genoa), and would have beaten Napoli but for a faulty line ref. In any event, they seem to have found their stride… plus, they had a whole week off (what a luxury). The only hitch in their record is that they have only picked up 1 point away from home (thanks partly to that line ref). Of course, they have only played two away games so I think it is a little early to start looking for patterns. One thing is for sure, they will come to Milan looking to win.

Toto Di Natale could put a serious crimp in our style.

Marino has promised an open, attacking game against Inter, saying:

“The two performances we put in against Inter last year give us confidence and also for this reason I say that if we think about defending for 90 minutes we’ll almost certainly concede a goal. Moreover, if we never attack, we’ll allow them to become more lucid and reactive in our half of the pitch. Sure, the moves will have to be more fluid and quicker, but we have already limited very offensive teams like Milan and Genoa, and that’s a good sign.”

Udinese have scored 10 goals in 6 games, almost all of them from Mr. Christmas himself, Antonio Di Natale. They tend to score throughout the game, but their most prolific period is the last 15 minutes. In terms of conceding, they are most vulnerable in the first 15 minutes of a game or the last 15 of the first half. I guess that means they take a little time to get into the game, but once they do, look out!

Sneijder is back. Yipee

US

Mourinho has called up 20 players:

Goalkeepers: Toldo, Julio Cesar, Orlandoni.
Defenders: Cordoba, Zanetti, Lucio, Samuel, Chivu, Santon.
Midfielders: Stankovic, Sneijder, Muntari, Krhin, Cambiasso, Obi, Mancini.
Strikers: Eto’o, Suazo, Milito, Balotelli.

As we can see, both Milito and Sneijder have recovered enough that they are back on the call up list, although Milito will have to pass a fitness test tomorrow before he takes the field. Interestingly, Mourinho said today that if Milito cannot play against Udinese then he “cannot go to play on his National team and will remain here with us to recuperate.” (as an aside, Milito is our only Argie Maradona has called up)

Maicon is suspended due to yellow card accumulation. Mourinho has said that either Zanetti or Santon will fill in (duh).

That leaves us with:

Julio Cesar
Santon Lucio Samuel Chivu
Zanetti Cambiasso Stankovic/Muntari
Sneijder
Milito/Balotelli Eto’o

I can live with that.

In today’s press conference, Mourinho was quick to point out that Thiago Motta and Sneijder were brought in this season not because the club likes to spend money, but because they were necessary for the team (go figure). Further, the times we have played well, both or either have been on the pitch. Therefore, it is only natural that the squad will not play as well without them as it does with them. I have to agree, and it makes me feel more confident to see Sneijder and Milito on the call-up list.

Vieira, is that a threat or a promise?

In other news, some bench-warmers are beginning to get a little antsy. With the World Cup coming up, players are beginning to fret over their places on their national teams. As such, they want more pitch time. Both Vieira and Suazo are saying they will be entertaining offers this winter.

In the case of Suazo, it is difficult to miss what you dont know. It has been so long since he has played for us that I cannot really say whether I want him to go or stay. If he does go, though, most certainly we will need another striker. Vieira, on the other hand, is being a whiny little child. In my opinion he has seen far too much of the pitch (239 minutes by Mou’s reckoning) and if he wants to go, I will personally fly to Milan and hold the door for him (to keep it from hitting him in the ass, of course).

Ok. So where are we. As always, our next game is a “must win.” Udinese is an organized team that, for one reason or another, Inter has had a tough time beating these last few years. I think it will be tough, but I also think we will be up for it. We have had an extra day off, and I think the boys are ready to give their all.

FORZA INTER

And since we all need a little fun after that Kazan game, I give you: Inter Manlove Flash Puzzle! Enjoy.

provided by flash-gear.com

What: FC Rubin Kazan v FC Internazionale Milano, UEFA Champions League Matchday 2
Where: Central Stadium, Kazan, Russia (see below)
When:Tuesday, September 29, 6:30pm local time (9:30am pacific, 12:30pm eastern)
How to Watch: FSC is broadcasting this game Wednesday at 8am pacific, 11am eastern. If you want to watch it live, you can try for a stream (MyP2P, Justin.tv, Rojadirecta, Ustream, and ATDHE.net) or watch it pay-per-view at UEFA.com. I have an annual pack (have for years) and I love it.

If, like me, you have never even heard of Kazan, let alone the Republic of Tatarstan, here is a little map to help orient yourself. Basically, it is out in the middle of nowhere, north of the Caspian Sea and east of Moscow:

View Larger Map

The city of Kazan is on the Volga River, in the far north of Tatarstan, and, if you zoom all the way in on the map above, you should be able to see the stadium Inter will be playing in tomorrow. It looks cold (scroll east). Luckily, though, the weather for the game tomorrow should be a relatively balmy 61°F.

THEM

As I said above, Rubin Kazan won the Russian Premier League last year. According to their Wiki, they won 18 of the 30 games played, scoring 44 goals and allowing 26. This year, they are near the end of their season (the Russian league plays from March to November) and are leading the league again.

Recently there have been some bumps in the road: they lost to Dynamo Kiev on Matchday 1, lost their last league game (at home against Amkar Perm), drew 0-0 the game before that (away to Tom Tomsk), and lost 0-1 in the Russian Cup Final (to CSKA Moscow). Before that, though, they were doing pretty well, having won 14 out of 21 games (drawing an additional 4) and scoring 20 goals in 8 games.

Cuchu’s old friend Alejandro Dominguez scored against Kiev on Matchday 1.

Kazan has two strikers responsible for most of those goals: Aleksandr Bukharov, a Russian who has scored 11 goals in 15 games and Alejandro Dominguez, an Argentinian who has 12 goals from 16 games. Although nearly all of Dominguez’s league goals have been scored from the penalty spot, he did manage to score against Kiev in Matchday 1 with a free kick. Kazan also has a couple of dangerous midfielders: Semak (Russia) who has 6 goals and Gökdeniz (Turkey), 4. And, for our “fun fact” file, turns out Dominques and Cambiasso are old teammates. Yep, they played together at River Plate way back in 2001/2. It truly is a small world after all.

Kurban Berdyev, Rubin Kazan’s coach is a little nervous but ready, saying:

This match is really important for us and the fans; having the Champions League in town is like a public holiday for Kazan. People here have dreamed about it. A few years ago we never thought great clubs would come to Kazan, not even for friendly games. Of course, I’m a bit nervous as it is also a new experience for me. However, I think we are ready to face Inter. I don’t think our opponents will underestimate us, especially considering what José Mourinho said about wanting to be safe before their trip to Barcelona.

There, I have just exhausted my knowledge on Rubin Kazan. So far, I have not been able to find a call-up list, but, according to Mou: “They use a 4-4-2 system and strikers Aleksandr Bukharov and Alejandro Domínguez link up very well.” Also, Macbeth Sibaya will not be there as he is suspended.

(The S.O. wants me to make some joke about tartar sauce but I am fresh out of ideas so I invite you, the reader, to give it your best shot).

I cant tell if Maicon is going to kiss Mario or crush him.

US

Historically, Inter have done pretty well against Russian opposition in the Champions League. We beat Spartek Moscow both at home and away in 2006 and did the same with CSKA Moscow in 2007 (who could forget that thrilling 4-2 win when Ibra and Cuchu both got a brace). Our only loss to a Russian team in the UCL was in 2003 when Lokomotic Moscow thumped us 3-0 (I blame Recoba). Still, Kazan is a total unknown for me (and you, I suspect).

Luckily, though, Mourinho has been doing his homework. He said:

I think it will be a very difficult match. We have studied Rubin very carefully and we won’t let ourselves be affected by their recent performances in the championship. What is important is the team’s display in Kiev, where they dominated the match for 75 minutes, losing only because football is a sport that sometimes reserves surprises through details.

Our tactical attitude won’t change and I’m expecting Rubin to play a very dynamic, fast and very well organized game. Our first objective is obviously to win. Objective number two is not to lose. The strategy of the group is in our hands. We have three matches – this one against Rubin and two against Dynamo Kiev, from which we have to get the maximum points to go to Barcelona and be in a good position to qualify without having to win the last game to go through.

If Inter play in the same way, with the same attitude and concentration shown in the games against Manchester United and Barcelona, we can certainly win this encounter with Rubin. But I repeat, we respect them a lot and we know they won’t be an easy opponent.

He has called up 20 players:

Goalkeepers: Toldo, Julio Cesar, Orlandoni.
Defenders: Cordoba, Zanetti, Lucio, Maicon, Samuel, Chivu, Santon.
Midfielders: Stankovic, Quaresma, Muntari, Vieira, Krhin, Cambiasso, Mancini.
Strikers: Eto’o, Milito, Balotelli.

Boy, our midfield sure looks skimpy and the inclusion of Vieira scares the crap out of me. Plus, only three strikers… I definitely think Ricky will make an appearance. I guess that means:

Julio Cesar
Maicon Samuel Lucio Chivu
Zanetti Cambiasso Muntari
Stankovic
Eto’o Milito

Hopefully, Balotelli will play – hell, maybe he will even start – and maybe we will see Quaresma. We are desperately short on creativity (what was the point of buying all that supposed midfield creativity when they spend all their time on the treatment table – sooo frustrating) and Balotelli and Ricky may well be our best bets. Scary, I know.

That doesn’t look healthy – this isn’t rugby, boys.

I wish I had some words of wisdom, but, well, I have absolutely no clue how Inter matches up to the Russian Champions. The stereotype is that they will be a bunch of thugs, but, having watched their national team, I can also say that Russia plays some pretty good football. Both teams will be motivated, I just hope that our star power intimidates them just a smidge. I know we can win, the question is, does Inter know it too. We need everyone focused and on task, plus a little dash of “I think I can” to pull this off. One thing is for sure, I dont want to have to pull out that chicken fish again.

Das vi danya and FORZA INTER

You better cheer hard, Walter has his eye on you!

Our breakneck schedule next takes us to Genoa to take on the in-form Sampdoria. They have had a great start to the season and sit just one point behind us in the table. True, they had a bit of a setback against Fiorentina last week, but I bet that will just make them that much more motivated for a win at home. Last season, Sampdoria had great home form, only losing three games. This season, they will look to continue their dominance of the Stadio Ferraris by taking a point off us, if not 3. I am sure we will but up a fight, but looking at the call up list, it seems we may be fielding a bit of an experimental squad. This game has “nail biter” written all over it.

What: Sampdoria v Inter
Where: Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa
When: Saturday, September 26, 6pm local time (9am pacific, noon eastern)
How to Watch: Fox Soccer Channel is showing the game delayed at 2pm pacific, 5pm eastern. If you want to watch it live, find a stream (MyP2P, Justin.tv, Rojadirecta, Ustream, and ATDHE.net).

Inter have a pretty good record against Sampdoria, even when playing in Genoa. Of the 53 matches played, Inter have only lost 9 (W: 24, D: 20). We have even managed to outscore them 88 to 54. Still, there have been some thrashings – on both sides. Inter have managed to put five goals past Samp on four occasions and scored four goals an additional four times. For the Blucerchiati, they have put four past Inter three times in Genoa. Lately, though, things have settled down, and for our last six Serie A meetings, neither team has scored more than two goals. (We wont go into that Coppa Italia mess from last year just yet.) Not that any of this has any bearing on Saturday’s game, but I just cant help myself – l just love the numbers.

Last season, Inter opened their campaign with a trip to Genoa. That game ended in a one-all draw and the recriminations against Mourinho (it was his first Serie A game with Inter) began. Here are the highlights:

Somehow, we managed to get past that draw and take the title. Somehow…
THEM

Unfortunately, the Sampdoria board here on the offside seems to be dead. Too bad, because as Francesco pointed out over on the Italy main board, Sampdoria have a pretty good squad this season and 2009/10 may see them end in Europe. For me, I have always liked their team crest. I know it is supposed to be some sailor named Baciccia, but to me, it just looks like a sort of pointy ink blot… with a pipe. I like that the sailor is in the eye of the beholder, because as near as I can tell, it could just as easily be a scotty dog in a graduation cap… smoking a pipe.

Del Neri has called up 19 players:

Portieri. Castellazzi, Guardalben.
Difensori. Cacciatore, Gastaldello, Lucchini, Rossi, Stankevicius, Zauri, Ziegler.
Centrocampisti. Franceschini, Mannini, Padalino, Palombo, Poli, Tissone.
Attaccanti. Bellucci, Cassano, Pazzini, Pozzi.

I am at a bit of a disadvantage for this section as I haven’t seen a single Sampdoria game this season. I know they have a strong record, but I have no idea how they are playing. Looking at the teams they have played already, really only the win against Udinese stands out as being against a “top team.” The other three (Catania, Atalanta, and Siena) were all against teams that are already struggling this season. Interestingly, that win over Udinese came at the Stadio Ferraris – we could be in for a fight.

La Gazzetta feels Samp will play a classic 4-4-2:

This is also the squad they started against Fiorentina last week.

Mannini, Pazzini, and Padalino are Samp’s big scorers so far, with seven goals between them (3, 2, and 2). Cassano only has one goal as yet, but with four assists, he is clearly a deadly part of their attack.

I am sure we all remember what Pazzini and Cassano can do against us – well, against a cobbled-together back line which included Nelson Rivas plus Maxwell in midfield. I will admit, they beat us good and proper, but this year’s second team I feel is potentially much better than the one they creamed 3-0 last year. I know, famous last words.

As a side note, Sampdoria will be wearing black armbands in honor of Enzo Garufi, club President from 2000 to 2002. He died on Friday at the age of 89.

Good Lord, Vieira looks so old…

US

Mourinho has convened 21 players:

Portieri: Toldo, Julio Cesar, Orlandoni;
Difensori: Cordoba, Zanetti, Lucio, Maicon, Samuel, Chivu, Santon;
Centrocampisti: Stankovic, Quaresma, Vieira, Krhin, Cambiasso, Obi, Mancini;
Attaccanti: Eto’o, Suazo, Milito, Balotelli.

Wow. Take a look at that midfield call-up. I guess now will be the true test of whether or not we actually have depth. The boys are tired, no doubt about it. Many of them have not had a day off since the Thursday after the Barcelona game. Even worse, they wont see another until after the Rubin Kazan CL game. I know, all the teams competing in Europe have these sorts of schedules, and this is the true test of champions… forged in the cauldron of adversity… bla bla bla. All I know is that when schedules get tight like this, people get hurt and that makes me cranky. Now is the time for some of these players to show us all why we should buy a jersey with their name on it (Balotelli, Quaresma, Mancini – I am looking at you!). We need options and I fully expect them to step up!

Come on boys, lets look alive out there tomorrow!

Alright, clearly there will be some changes from our last game, but I dont see Mou completely shaking things up. I think Samuel may be rested ahead of the CL game so how about:

Julio Cesar
Maicon Cordoba Lucio Santon (he really needs the play time)
Zanetti Cambiasso Vieira/Quaresma?/Mancini?
Stankovic
Milito/Balotelli Eto’o

I know that Mourinho is loath to mess with a good thing up front, but Milito looked exhausted after Napoli. Maybe, just maybe, we will see a little variety in attack. Hell, there may even be an elusive Suazo sighting.

He likes Jesus and winning… and boring press conferences, apparently

Mourinho is still giving the press the silent treatment so sent Lucio out to the conference today. From what I could tell, it was very short – apparently he doesn’t really speak Italian (but he said he will be starting lessons soon). This time, no one even bothered to ask questions about tactics and formations. Consequently, this conference was even puffier than Cambiasso’s.

The Main Points:

• The Italian League plays differently than the German one and he is still learning how to adapt, tactically speaking.
• He likes to score goals – winning is good [shocking!]
• Bayern Munich was then, Inter is now and he doesn’t “waste time thinking about the past.”
• Italians are outgoing and chatty; Germans, not so much.
• The championship is long, and while Juve are a great team with great players, it is too early to make any sort of prediction about how it will end… [snore...what, is he done?]
• He loves Jesus and God, but if FIFA says he cant pray on the pitch, then he wont (although he thinks that “when the game ends, everyone should be free to speak about what he feels and thinks”). [finally, something a least a little juicy]

See, what did I say, worse than Cuchu. The good news is, I think UEFA will require Mourinho to participate in a press conference before the CL game. Which is a good thing because I dont think I can stand it much longer – I am totally having Mou withdrawals. Come to think of it, that is probably his real motivation for this press silence – after all, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Tomorrow is when we really see what Inter is made of. There is simply no way we can play the same 14 players for 38 league games plus CL games plus Coppa games. If we dont have some options we will never be able to achieve the goals we have set for ourselves. I know it is a bit of a catch 22: players need pitch-time to excel but not everyone can play every game. Now we see just how complete Inter’s training really is. I am lighting a special candle (maybe even scented) to the Calcio Gods tonight in hopes that Quaresma will finally begin to show at least a hint of the spark he had at Porto. It is his birthday today, after all. Maybe he is just a late bloomer.

Do you think the Calcio Gods would prefer vanilla or cinnamon?

FORZA INTER

Happy thoughts, everyone. Nothing but positive energy and good vibes.

First, a huge “thank you” to MAD for picking up my slack last week. I really appreciate it. Unfortunately, though, I am back so all you readers who got used to quality last week will have to make do with me now.

Inter will entertain a slightly down-on-their-heals Napoli this Wednesday. They are coming off a lucky 0-0 draw with Udinese and a 4-1 thumping from Genoa so are sure to be looking to get back to winning ways. We, on the other hand, won our last fixture – although by all accounts it was not pretty – but will be without Thiago Motta or a fully fit Cambiasso. Oh, that’s right, and no Mourinho either. In other words, this may be tricky for both teams.

What: Inter v Napoli
Where: San Siro, Milan
When: Wednesday, September 23, 8:45 pm local time (11:45 am pacific, 2:45pm eastern)
How to Watch: The game is being shown on FSC at 2pm pacific, 5pm eastern. If you want to watch it live, find a stream (My P2P, Justin.tv, Rojadirecta, Ustream, and ATDHE.net).

Inter and Napoli have a long history together. The two teams have played 66 Serie A games in Milan, with Inter winning more often than not (w: 45; D: 14; L:7). In fact, you have to go way back to December of 1994 to find a win for Napoli in Milan so history and statistics are definitely on our side. Last year, a rare Cordoba goal and a beautiful back heal from Muntari were enough to secure all three points:

THEM

For the real poop from the Napoli-fan’s perspective, go check out Christopher’s preview over on the Napoli blog.

As I said above, Napoli has not had the best start to the season. After four games, they sit at 14th place with only one win. They have scored five goals, which is not too shabby, but also have allowed seven, which is actually pretty stinky (the worst is nine goals allowed by both Siena and Catania). For me, this statistic demonstrates quite a bit about Napoli: they have some talented attacking players (Quagliarella, Lavezzi, Denis, Hamsik) but a woefully leaky defense.

Not that they dont have some good players, but it seems that their 3-man back line has trouble containing the more aggressive forwards. I admit, though, the only Napoli game I have seen this season is the Genoa game where they were soundly thrashed so my viewpoint may be a bit skewed. Still, if that game is any indication of what we may be up against (and it very well may not be), then they will have a heck of a time with Inter’s attack – even with Vieira on the pitch.

Lets hope Fabs continues to be stymied by the goal.

Donadoni has called up 20 players:

Portieri: De Sanctis, Iezzo.
Difensori: Aronica, Cannavaro, Contini, Grava, Rullo, Santacroce, Zuniga.
Centrocampisti: Bogliacino, Cigarini, Datolo, Gargano, Hamsik, Maggio, Pazienza.
Attaccanti: Denis, Hoffer, Lavezzi, Quagliarella.

La Gazzetta believes that Napoli will field their usual 3-5-2 with:

DeSanctis
Santacroce Cannavaro Contini
Maggio Gargano Cigarini Hamsik Datolo
Quagliarella Lavezzi

By all accounts, De Laurentiis is not happy with the state of SSC Napoli. He is making subtle threats and starting a “watch list” in the hopes of motivating the players towards his goal of a top-four finish.

He certainly has enough talent on the team to realize at least a European spot this year (did you see Datolo’s goal against Brazil last month?) if only the squad can get over whatever it is that is holding them back. Maybe they just need to chew more Napoli-branded gum or something.

Mmmm, minty fresh Napoli.

US

Mourinho has call up 20 of his own:

Portieri: Toldo, Julio Cesar, Orlandoni;
Difensori: Cordoba, Zanetti, Lucio, Maicon, Samuel, Chivu, Santon;
Centrocampisti: Stankovic, Sneijder, Muntari, Vieira, Cambiasso, Mancini;
Attaccanti: Eto’o, Suazo, Milito, Balotelli.

Hmm, who will show up, the good Vieira or the stinky one?

As we all know, Mourinho will not be joining us the team at the touchline for this game. In a fit of pique (presumably), he didn’t even attend today’s presser sending who I like to think of as Inter’s vice captain, Esteban Cambiasso, in his place. He did very well, and, after approximately 20 or so questions, he managed to say just about nothing. As near as I can tell, Cuchu was the next best thing to completely canceling the conference entirely.

The main points:

• Napoli are better than their position on the table shows
• In cases of fan racism, the authorities that oversee such matters should take action. The players should play
• Inter beat Cagliari and Parma with pretty goals from Milio and Eto’o which is all that matters
• If you want to know about formations or tactics, ask the coach
• We will see at the end of the season who the best team is
• All us Argentinians would like our national team to qualify for the world cup.

See now, dont you all feel informed? Yep…So, back to talking about the game, someone has to, right?

Hands up, who thinks a shirt number change will really make a difference?

This game is important. Inter has a grueling schedule ahead of us and we need every ounce of confidence we can get. Unfortunately, that is easier said than done. Our midfield is… well… in a state of flux. Cambiasso is on the mend but really not all there yet while Motta is out for at least a month. Sneijder has potential, but has yet to really find his form with the team. We all know Muntari has “it” in him, but recently he has been having trouble finding that spark. Mancini is apparently back from injury, although I dont know if that will really provide much of a boost to the team. And then there is Vieira… the least said about him the better. We have a quality defense and a top-notch attack but I think it will be our midfield who will decide the game. If they are clicking, the rest will fall into place (everyone cross your fingers!).

Ok, so were does that leave us in terms of a line up…. How about

Julio Cesar
Maicon Cordoba Lucio Chivu/Santon
Zanetti Vieira/Cambiasso Stankovic/Muntari
Sneijder/Balotelli
Milito Eto’o

I suppose Samuel could get a start, but he may also be rested ahead of Udinese. I think the large numbers of slashes above shows that we may have slightly more depth than I thought. I suspect that Sniejder will start, only because the only way he will find his form is to play. Likewise, I think Muntari will get a run out.

Here is the deal, this is only the fifth game in and the team is already looking a little ragged. We really need to pull our stuff together because this next month will eat us alive otherwise. Russia and Ukraine scare the beejeesus out of me. We need to use these challenging Serie A ties to hone our game. Our Champions League aspirations will be made or broken against Rubin Kazan and Dynamo Kyiv.

But oh ya, Napoli… Lets totally kick their behinds tomorrow!

FORZA INTER

If things really get bad we can always unleash GIANT TOLDONE to crush them all (’cause see how small the ball is in relation… he must be a giant, right?)

More after the jump –

Who, What, Where and When to Watch
Cagliari v Inter
Matchday 4
9am EST on Sunday, September 20, 2009

This game is not going to be broadcast on FSC this Sunday

So it’s time to dust off your Sopcast or tune into Justintv for this one.
Myp2p.eu
Atdhe.net

Match Background

In case you needed reminding why we needed to get rid of Burdisso and why we need to get rid of Vieira

Inter and Cagliari have met 37 times and we have a 9-16-5 record against them in Serie A. The last meeting took place the week after we locked up the league title and Cagliari won 2-1 at home. The score line read: 8’ Ibrahimovic, 34’ Cossu, 71’ Aquafresca. Both teams have undergone some changes for, as far as I know, only Cossu will be on the field tomorrow from that scoreline. Our best result against Cagliari in the Championship was 0-3 in 1990 thanks to a hat trick from Klinsmann.

Inter

Mourinho named his squad of 19 for this game today:
Goalkeepers: 1 Francesco Toldo, 12 Julio Cesar, 21 Paolo Orlandoni.
Defenders: 2 Ivan Ramiro Cordoba, 4 Javier Zanetti, 6 Lucio, 13 Maicon, 25 Walter Samuel, 26 Cristian Chivu, 39 Davide Santon.
Midfielders: 5 Dejan Stankovic, 7 Ricardo Quaresma, 8 Thiago Motta, 10 Wesley Sneijder, 14 Patrick Vieira, 19 Esteban Cambiasso.
Strikers: 9 Samuel Eto’o, 22 Diego Milito, 45 Mario Balotelli.

I would anticipate the 4312 formation. Cambiasso is called up, but I would think that he’s going to be held out of this game. Also, none of the youth players were called up. If were up to me the team would look like this:
12 Julio Cesar
13 J. Zanetti 2 Cordoba 6 Lucio 4 Santon
7 Quaresma 5 Deki 8 Motta
10 Schmujcko
22 Milito 45 Balotelli

But I think that the team will end up looking like this:
12 Julio Cesar
13 Maicon 6 Lucio 25 Samuel 39 Santon
4 J. Zanetti 5 Stankovic 8 Thiago Motta
10 Schmujcko
22 Milito 9 Eto’o

Team Quotes:

Mourinho
After three consecutive league matches at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Inter fly to Cagliari this afternoon ahead of Sunday’s Serie A Week 4 meeting with Massimiliano Allegri’s Cagliari at the Stadio Sant’Elia – the first of three matches in seven days.

“Until now we have played three championship matches in a month, and now we will play the same number in just one week,” said José Mourinho, whose Inter side entertain Napoli in midweek before their away match against Sampdoria next weekend.

“We are at the start so we still don’t need to rotate many players but I will have to manage the situation of those who played with their national teams, in the Champions League, and who now face three games with a two-day break in between.

“I think every team involved in European competitions should be protected so they can be in the best possible condition. Unfortunately, we are a bit unlucky. The calendar is not in our favour. On Wednesday we face Napoli, who play today in Serie A Week 4 while we play tomorrow. In the same way, a team like Juve that is playing for our same objectives, play on Saturday and Thursday while our games are on Sunday and Wednesday.”

“I think that every club playing in the Champions League needs protection. In the other countries they all play early games, whether they are playing in Europe on Tuesday or Wednesday.”
Esteban Cambiasso has made a lightning quick recovery from injury and is an option for the midfield against Cagliari. “I don’t know if he will be on the pitch from the first minute; for now I can just say that Esteban and the entire medical sector, including the two fitness coaches who followed his recovery, have done a spectacular job,” said Mourinho, who added with a smile: “I’m not sure if Julio Cesar can play tomorrow. He had a lot to do during the game against Barcelona and I think he needs to rest. He touched the ball three times on Wednesday…”

The Inter coach also spoke about Mario Balotelli during his pre-match meeting with the press: “I have to point out that he is a weapon that you use as you like. After the match he played with the Under-21s he was criticised by the press and Casiraghi had to intervene to defend him. A few days ago you said he should be a starter against Barcelona. Luckily, I laugh about it, continue on my path and remember that in their last two Champions League matches Inter have played against the last two European champions. Balotelli and Santon in the starting lineup tomorrow? Both of them or neither of them.”

José Mourinho ended today’s press conference by revealing his plans for the evening: “I don’t know if I will watch the Juventus match. It depends on the chef…”

Cagliari

According to La Gazetta dello Sport Allegri has called up 18 players:
Goalkeepers: 22 Marchetti, 24 Lupatelli,

Defenders: 15 Marzoratti, 13 Astori, 21 Canini, 31 Agostini,

Midfielders: 5 Conti, 4 Dessena, 8 Biondini, 7 Cossu, 20 Barone, 10 Lazzari, 18 Parola, 16 Sivakov

Forwards: 23 Larrivey, 27 Jeda, 32 Matri, 9 Nené

Their probable formation:

22 Marchetti
15 Marzoratti 21 Canini 13 Astori 31 Agustini
4 Dessena 5 Conti 8 Biondini
7 Cossu
23 Larrivey 27 Jeda

Team Quotes:

Allegri

“We’re up against one of the strongest squads in Italy and in Europe,” Allegri told the club’s official website cagliaricalcio.net.

“We’ll have to make the most of the opportunities that we create, but above all give a good performance.”

After a phenomenal season last year in which the Sardinian side finished 9th, their coach knows that a difficult encounter lies ahead. However, he also knows what it takes to beat the Nerazzurri, as the Rossoblu ran out 2-1 winners in this fixture last term.

“We must ensure that we keep them away from our goal, otherwise they will be trouble. We have conceded lots of headed goals in these three games,” he added, before announcing his team.

“[Federico] Marchetti in goal, then [Lino] Marzoratti, [Michele] Canini, [Davide] Astori and [Alessandro] Agostini as the four defenders. In the midfield are [Daniele] Dessena, [Daniele] Conti and [Davide] Biondini. [Andrea] Cossu plays as trequartista, with Jeda and [Alessandro] Matri up front.

“We know that the whole of Sardinia wants a great game, but the fans must also give us a hand – particularly in the difficult moments,” he concluded.

Conclusion

Despite their decent showing last season in Serie A, Cagliari probably has the talent of a lower half of the table team which means that this is a must win game for us. However, this is one of those teams that usually gives us some problems (see also, Atalanta) – consider the high number of draws in this series – and it’s one that we need to win to keep pace with Genoa, who look like they honestly believe in themselves this season, and Juventus.

But there are dangers ahead. We wore ourselves out on Wednesday against Barcelona and we had a very important game against Parma the Sunday before. These upcoming 2 weeks is going to test our depth as we have 4 League games and 1 Champions League game in 14 days. We might still be able to bounce back for this game, but I am very skeptical that we will be able to hold this pace for 2 more long weeks… and incorporate a long trip to Russia as well. Stay posted.

FORZA INTER

Roster rotation.

No matter what anyone says or how down Milan look, The Derby is a big game. Barcelona, even in a group stage game, is a big game. Sandwiched in between is Parma… not really a big game – all due respect to Parma. They aren’t a rival and a newly promoted team just might provide us the opportunity we need to rest and recuperate.

Let’s face it; one could almost understand the big stars to take a break on this one. And with a big game right after and in some cases long flights just before, the “B” team could get a run out.

So first I want to talk about the advantages and the disadvantages to rotating the roster and then I want to talk about whom goes where in the rotated squad.

There are some advantages to rotating the roster. We get to rest some guys from long flights and 2 games in a week international break. Granted we are only talking about resting those that might actually see action against Barcelona, so some guys who played 2 games this week are going to add a 3rd.

There is also a quantity of focus. A weeks worth of concentrating and studying up on Barca against 3 or 4 days may matter in the final equation. Plus there is a question of motivation. Milito may be focused for any game, any time, but can we say the same thing about others? How about guys like Santon, Quaresma or Mancini, who are desperate to prove that they deserve first team spots. Think that they might be motivated more than someone who sees Parma as an annoyance before the real game midweek?

The downside to roster rotation is that the “B” team is the “B” team for a reason. They aren’t as good as the “A” team – but then who is, especially when you have a leader named Hannibal, the goofball from Star Trek and Mr. T around. A team like Parma isn’t a pushover, even though they are just promoted. It may also be extra motivation for them since we were the ones that sent them down 2 seasons ago. Like Bari two weeks ago, this is their Champions League final. This is about as big as it gets for them for the whole season and they are going to be up for it. Even if they don’t think that they are going to win, they are definitely going to make sure that they aren’t embarrassed.

This isn’t England or Spain. Teams ranked 10-20 aren’t pushovers. Unlike teams in those leagues, Parma will have a good solid strategy and tactics to try and exploit mistakes – the best teams make them – or to help stay alive for as long as possible.

Like Bari did.

Personally, I see squad rotation as a relatively good thing, if one can say something good about fielding a lower talent squad on purpose. If we can pull it off, we need to get some playing time to the young guys sometime and I personally would like us to compete for the Coppa Italia, no matter how insignificant a trophy it is. Plus, look at what some self serving scum is already trying to put in our young players’ heads – and it’s only the second game of the season that has just gone. Players have to play, even Vieira. Well, sometimes, for very small amounts of time, anyway.

If we decide that squad rotation is a good idea, the next thing we have to do is figure out who the “A” team is (Okay, no more ‘80s jokes, this one is too easy to put forth much effort).

In my mind this is the best team we can field (right to left):

Goalkeepr: Julio Cesar

Center Backs: Lucio, Samuel

Fullbacks: Maicon, Chivu

Center Midfielders: Zanetti, Cambiasso, Motta

Attacking Midfielder: Schmujcko

Forwards: Eto’o, Milito

That leaves Toldo, Cordoba, Materazzi, Santon, Deki, Quaresma, Mancini, Muntari, Vieira, Krhin, Obi, Suazo and Balotelli on the second team. Orlandoni, as the 3rd team goal keeper, is an emergency player.

Before we continue let’s discuss the “B” squad for a moment. Many of these players are not exactly “B”. Muntari, Santon, (god help me) Vieira, Deki and Balotelli are really more “B+” or “A-“squad. They play significant minutes with the “A” squad and in many cases they will start.

On a personal note, I pray that we can get rid of Vieira next summer because the thought of another season after this one with him playing significant minutes will just make my hair turn grey, fall out and grow funky eyebrows. Jeez, he bothers me.

Now just to be clear, I don’t expect there to be 100% turnover from the Parma game to the Barcelona game if we rotate the squad. Let’s be realistic, here. Some players are just going to have to play more than others. Having said that, I think that there might be significant changes between the two games.

Here’s how I think the “B” squad might look if we keep the same formation (right to left):

Goalkeeper: Julio Cesar

Center Back: Cordoba, Chivu

Fullback: Maicon, Santon

Center Midfield: Zanetti, Vieira, Muntari

Attacking Midfield: Deki

Forwards: Balotelli, Milito

According to my complete speculation and assumption regarding the rotation of the squad, six different players may come in and play significant roles. Cambiasso and Motta, assuming they’re healthy, will need rest for the same reasons: they are both proven to be injury prone. We know from last season that Mourinho likes to rotate his Center Backs from game to game depending on importance – if he didn’t we wouldn’t have had those wonderful games against Sampdoria or Werder Bremen.

If we were to change the formation, into something more in accordance to what we saw (or didn’t see, but read about) with our friendly this past weekend, like the 433, I think that we might see a personnel shift this way (right to left):

Goalkeeper: Julio Cesar

Center Backs: Cordoba, Chivu

Fullbacks: Maicon, Santon

Center Midfielders: Zanetti, Vieira, Muntari

Forwards: Quaresma, Milito, Balotelli

We still see a shift of 6 players but the formation change is significant. I don’t see any way that Julio Cesar isn’t the goalkeeper, nor do I see any chance that Zanetti or Maicon don’t see the field. Everyone else is negotiable, as I see it.

I would love to see a discussion regarding whether rotation is a good idea here, or who would be rotated in/out or what formation we might use. Would this be the same against all the teams that we would consider in the bottom half of the table?

I think that we are missing the forest for the trees at the moment. Yes, these individual trees are fabulous as I have said, but Inter Forest isn’t made up of only one tree, no matter what tripe the Juve, Roma and Milan idiots try to salve their own wounded egos with.

So, I wanted to take a moment in all the preseason prediction hysteria to focus on the players that will actually have a say in how many spaces we fill in our trophy cabinets next spring. I don’t think that I am out of line in expecting at least 1 piece of silverware.

This past Saturday, my wife and I watched Inter and Milan practice. Ibra wasn’t there of course, which highlighted how many gifted players there are for this team. It also gave a lot of insight on what people mean when they say that Mourinho trains differently than other coaches. It also showed me how hard some players work and how hard some don’t.

A quick overview and then a quick look at whom I noticed working hard.

First of all, the only part of practice when the players weren’t using the ball was the stretching. In complete contrast to the Milan practice, the stretching was organized, supervised and at the coaches command. This means that the single most important part of the practice was treated as such by the training staff, and I can’t tell people how happy that made me. As a former coach – at a much lower level – stretching properly and with the correct technique is the best way to keep players on the pitch. There’s nothing you can really do about knee ligaments or broken bones or freak accidents, but pulls, sprains, tears and overall fitness can be improved.

The second part of practice was a game of foot and hand passing with 4 teams in a confined area. It was a warm up and it looked like the players were all having a good time. More importantly, whatever the goal of the game was, they were working intensely at it. The coaches hovered around giving directions and restarting play whenever the ball crossed a line. Again, in contrast to the Milan practice where the players just ran back and forth a bunch of times. They did it on their own and without a whole lot of direction. Btw, after the game was over on Sunday, the young players on Milan had to run extra too, a lot. Even those who played had to run. It looked like it sucked big time – and it also looked like they weren’t too happy with it.

The goalkeepers were on the other side of the pitch than I was on so I couldn’t see really great but it was easy to see how they were training and who the best keeper was. The goalkeepers were using short bursts of activity to build explosiveness while slowly gearing up the difficulty. For example, the first goalkeeper up in the first drill had to move across the goal mouth while catching underhand throws. He had to move quickly in a short area but although intense, it was over quick for him. After the other 3 keepers had gone through the same drill he was up again, this time the ball is volleyed instead of thrown but it’s still right to him. The next time it’s volleyed harder. The next time it’s thrown to the side. Eventually, he has to stretch out in a full dive just to get a hand on it – all while moving across the line quickly getting up quickly in time to dive again.

When the senior goalkeepers rejoined the squad Belec and who I can only guess was Orlandoni moved to the other end of the pitch and continued training. I got a much better look at Belec. The kid is young by player standards, but by goalkeeping standards, he’s a fetus. He also lacks a lot of explosiveness at this point and he has poor technique. His feet rarely make it off the ground on the full out diving saves and he has a short range of effectiveness. He didn’t look incredibly instinctive or crazy either. A little crazy goes a long way for a keeper. I should also point out that both keepers got rounds of applause by the fans after their drills. It was obvious how hard they were working and they had the attention of everyone sitting behind the endzone and on that half of the field where we were sitting.

While the keepers were going at it, the team had some Monkey in the Middle drills right in front of the stands. It was obviously placed so that the fans that paid the extra fee for the tickets could get long extended looks at the team. There was some heckling and calling out that happened but it wasn’t real bad. There were a lot of Milan supporters but they weren’t the ones making remarks, I’m sad to say. Zanetti, Cambiasso, Chivu, Lucio, Santon, and Cordoba were amongst those who were right in front of me. The other two or three other groups were all to my right down the endline. The group immediately to my right looked like it had a lot of the younger guys. I remember seeing Obi Wan and Quaresma over there, I think.

The last part of practice was a scrimmage. I remember four things about this part of practice: 1. Quaresma was working his ass off 2. Mancini hit the ground about 4 times – once he needed the medicos 3. Marco left practice early – like really early 4. It was short but pretty intense. Practice ended about a half hour earlier than it was supposed to and then Mourinho and some players came to there stands area to sign stuff. I’m not really into that stuff so I hung back to try and get some photos. But the press of bodies to get stuff signed was like a horror movie doing a piranha scene. People had begun to line up on the fences way before practice ended to get good signing spots. I couldn’t get any photos of players or coaches – I tried to get Baresi but he was swarmed too – really super close up. But I had a good time regardless.

Okay, players who caught my attention:

Zanetti – Practiced hard and was always in the thick of things. He just looked like he was in control of things. Confident and in control – like during a game – that’s just how he is, I guess. And he just didn’t stop working…

Cesar – All the goalkeepers looked good in drills but there is just a quality that Cesar has that is hard to define. He has more range, more explosion and less extra movement. Physically, I don’t think that there is a better goalkeeper in the world. He needs to work on decision making, such as when to leave his line, and catching. Otherwise he’s great. But he could be better… and that’s a little scary.

Cambiasso – Three words describe Cambiasso: tireless, tireless and tireless. It was a minor miracle that he wasn’t injured last season, as he has been in every other year since he came to the team. If he goes down… we lose a lot.

Maicon – Maicon was notable for his appearance and lack of response that I heard for him. People went crazy when Cesar did anything. I heard people talking about him, but it wasn’t really happy talk. It was more of, “Oh, he bothered to show up?” I am happy he is on the team- and as a player he’s the best in the world at what he does – but at this point do I say that he’s a legend in the making? Or am I just marking time until he’s “no longer happy”?

Balotelli – I don’t think I can express how poorly I thought he trained. I think he walked through most of it, and I think he was just there until he was able to leave. Like several others, he was spotted watching Milan practice. I am now going on record and saying that as much native ability as he has, I can see Mario turning into Adriano in 5 years. I don’t think it was possible for him to look less interested in playing.

Quaresma – He worked hard, I have to give him that. I think he also wiped out Mancini once during the scrimmage. Quaresma has talent, confidence, ability, quickness and a certain amount of speed… he just lacks… something… I can’t even put it into words. A certain strength of will to dominate, perhaps?

The Coaches – I wouldn’t have thought that the coaches would spend so much time actually coaching. At this point you have to figure that they know the game, but the coaches were there instructing and talking to players about the game/stretching/warm down everything, including Mourinho.

Contrast this to the Milan practice, and the coaches mostly talked to each other. Leonardo spent the first part of the practice talking with Ronaldinho, who just came out for a half assed stretch and Maicon, who was finished practicing. The coached talked to each other and there were long stretches when the players where done with an activity and the coaches looked like they were still talking to each other.

Inter went from activity to activity. The only breaks were for water and then it was off to the next thing – which is what I expected from a professional team. I was, frankly, shocked at the Milan practice.

More Photos!

There was a lot of speculation on who these shadowy figures were. Some thought it was Moratti and crew. Some thought it was the Krafts. Some thought it was Uncle Fester.

Someone got a good line off on Mourinho and he acknowledges the touche with a wave

Chivu, Cambiasso, Santon, Belec and the guy who is cropped a bit to the right is Lucio

Got to love this group that was in front of me for a good 20 – 30 minutes.

I keep reading about how Juve are getting closer to us and I look at these guys and I just don’t see it…

The next group over to the right from where we were sitting. Obi Wan, Toldo, Cesar and Deki

The reason I don’t have more Zanetti photos? It wasn’t for lacking of trying, but the bastard just won’t sit still!

A rare moment…

The captain at work

Last one I’ll post, hopefully these weren’t too boring. The first thing that flew into my mind when I saw this picture was, “My god, they look like they could be brothers!” The second thing that came into my mind was, “NOOOOOOOO!”