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INTERNATIONAL CALL-UPS

We are moving into an international break and Inter have twelve players going out to play for their countries:

Davide Santon to Basel for Switzerland v Italy

Mario Balotelli to St. Petersburg for Russia v Italy (U21)

Ivan Cordoba to New York for Columbia v Venezuela

Cristian Chivu to Budapest for Hungary v Romania

Sulley Muntari to London for Ghana v Zambia

Nicolas Burdisso, Diego Milito and Javier Zanetti to Moscow for Russia v Argentina (poor Samuel, he never gets calle up)

Samuel Eto’o to Klagenfurt for Austria v Cameroon;

Julio Cesar, Maicon, and Lucio to Tallinn for Estonia v Brazil.

Most of them left directly from China to join their teams. In addition, Mourinho has given a few days off to Patrick Vieira, Francesco Toldo, David Suazo, Dejan Stankovic and Rene Krhin.

YET MORE FRIENDLIES

Yep, just when you thought we were finally finished with summer friendlies, two more pop up.

First, there is the Trofeo Tim on August 14 in Pescara. For those of you who dont know, the Trofeo Tim is a wacky three-way game between Milan, Juve, and Inter comprised of three 45-minute periods that Juve have never won (this could be their year, though). Considering the grueling travel schedule most of our starters have, this could be one that gets away from us.

Then, Inter play the Bahrain National team on August 16 in Kapfenberg, Austria. After that, all we have to do is buckle down and prepare to beat Bari on opening day.

Oh, and find a &*$&%#* TREQUARTISTA! Van der Vaart seems to be the favorite now.

FORZA INTER

What: Inter v Lazio, Supercoppa Italiana
Where: Bird’s nest stadium, Beijing, China
When: Saturday, August 8, 5am pacific (ouch), 8am eastern
How to Watch: If you are in Britian, apparently it will be broadcast on ESPN. If you are in the US, find a stream (“MyP2P, Justin.tv, Rojadirecta, Ustream, and ATDHE.net).

Here we are, already at our first “real” game of the season. The game has been moved to China, and, while I know Inter have been courting that market for some time, it means the squad is bound to be a bit jet lagged. Add that to all the recent personnel changes and developing tactics, and it makes what should feel like a shoe-in seem a bit more like a nail biter. Even worse, Lazio are now sporting our good friend Julio Cruz on their bench and you know he wants some payback. This game is going to be a corker – too bad they are making it so hard for us fans to watch.

Overall, Inter have a pretty good record against Lazio. Of the 151 times the teams have met (in all competitions), Inter have won 61, drawn 56, and only lost 34. Our Supercoppa record against them, on the other hand, is dismal. Inter and Lazio contested this cup in August 2000. After seven goals, including ones from Deki and Mihajlovic (for Lazio!), Lazio beat Inter 4 to 3. I am sure they would be overjoyed were this to happen again. I, on the other hand, am looking for some payback!

Last season, Inter won both ties against Lazio (2-0 at the San Siro, and 0-3 at the Olimpico):

Looking at the line-ups for that game, though, five of the Inter squad who took part are no longer with the club (Ibra, Figo, Cruz, Crespo, and Jimi). That is a whole lot of turnover. Even Mou is slightly worried about this, saying:

“Compared to last season we are a new team with new men and a new style of play. We have changed four players who are considered starters, four out of ten means 40% of the team. In this situation, the more time we have to work, the better, because the players get used to playing with each other and everything is more natural when you repeat exercises. But we do not have time so we have to take advantage of all our qualities to win this match and also the next ones. I am expecting a difficult game because Lazio have showed great qualities in recent years, and they have a new coach so we do not know how they will play. But it is no problem for us how they play or who plays for Lazio. We have two solutions with the same principles of play and we have tried them and we are ready to play.”

One of these things is not like the other, one of these things is not the same…

THEM

This section will be short, I have not really been following their preseason. Lazio have only played a few friendlies against some lowly opposition, but, for the most part, they trashed them (13-0, 1-1, and 0-10). In addition, they are keen to win this cup, Matuzalem even went so far as to say:
“I consider this match to be very important, I hold it dear. It’s a final. We’re playing for a trophy. It’s surely one of the most important matches of my career.”

Of his career! That is a lot. I had no idea we were so important. They also now have Julio Cruz. This time, when he scores that winning goal in overtime, it will not be for us. Ouch, that huts a little.

As for formation, La Gazzetta thinks it may go a little something like:

Muslera (who sounds like the genus of a rodent)
Lichtsteiner Siviglia Diakite Kolarov
Eliseu Brocchi Ledesma Foggia
Cruz Zarate

Aside from preparing for the game, there has been some real madness around the club. Players are not happy plus, apparently four people just got busted for helping the Camorra in a failed take-over bid. I tell you, it is pure pandemonium. In the end, though, they have a new coach, a new-to-them Cruz, and all the motivation in the world. This one is going to be tough.

Mou at least looks confident.

US

Well, we all know already who Mou has called up:

Goalkeepers: Julio Cesar, Paolo Orlandoni, Francesco Toldo.
Defenders: Nicolas Burdisso, Ivan Ramiro Cordoba, Cristian Chivu, Lucio, Maicon, Marco Materazzi, Walter Samuel, Davide Santon, Javier Zanetti.
Midfielders: Esteban Cambiasso, René Krhin, Amantino Mancini, Thiago Motta, Sulley Muntari, Ricardo Quaresma, Dejan Stankovic, Patrick Vieira.
Strikers: Mario Balotelli, Samuel Eto’o, Diego Milito, David Suazo.

Note: No Obinna and no Belec. Apparently, Mou is a mite angry that Obinna scuppered the Napoli deal. I think he will make Obinna live to regret not leaving when he had the chance. As for the rest, it is pretty much what we all expected.

While in Beijing, Mou has been messing around with a 4-3-1-2 employing Stankovic behind Eto’o and Milito and a 4-3-3 that also includes Balotelli. What do you be that we see a little of both tomorrow? Whatever the final formation (which I will read about after the game – no 5am for me!), lets all cross our fingers that Eto’o begins his long, illustrious stay with Inter by bagging a goal (or two). Milito could use one as well.

FORZA INTER

Our keepers have formed a gang! Look at how they take on the rest of the coaching staff:

Supercoppa d’Italia: Inter 2 – 2 Roma at the end of the game, Inter 8 – 7 Roma after penalties.

Serie A: Roma 0 – 4 Inter

Coppa Italia: Inter 2 – 1 Roma

FORZA INTER

Ok, so last year this tournament did not go so well for us. Inter lost to Roma 1-0 (goal by DeRossi). Still, since its inception in 1988, Inter has played for this tournament 5 times, winning 3 of them, which is not so bad (Milan have played 8, won 5; Juve 7, won 4; Roma 4, won 2).
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{photo shows the coreografia at last year’s game}
.
Officially, this is the first game of the 2008/2009 season, and I am sure Mourinho and the gang would like to start with a bang. As we all know by now, Mourinho likes to win.

Francesco was kind enough to put up the highlights from last year’s game. I thought, instead, I would put up the highlights from the 2006 game. Same players, MUCH better outcome for Inter (Inter 4 – 3 Roma).

See, wasn’t that nicer than that poopy old game last year (although a bit long)? Alright, now that we are all sufficiently pumped, lets look at the teams.

ROMA

I wont spend too much time here, as I am sure Chris will cover this on the Roma page. Lets just say that Roma will want to win this every bit as much as Inter do. They want to show that although they did not win the Scudetto last year, they are are prime contenders this season. Also, Roma’s recent bereavement may give them that little extra oomph as they want to “win it for Sensi.” Roma have a new Brazilian forward Julio “the beast” Baptista who I am sure is looking to prove himself in the Serie A (last season he had 10 goals in 35 appearances for Arsenal) (how stupid can I be? last season he had 4 goals in 31 appearances for REAL MADRID). Like Inter, Roma have their fair share of injuries, and while it is thought that Totti will see some play time, Doni and Taddei are maybes.

INTER

Probably the biggest hurtle for Mou coming in to this game is our ongoing injury “crises.” As far as I can tell, Vieira, Chivu, Cordoba, Adriano, and Samuel are still on the injured list. Cruz and Rivas are maybes. Ibrahimovic will probably see some play time on Sunday, although I highly doubt it will be for a whole game. As for who will take his place in attack, I have not the first clue. Hopefully Mourinho’s press conference tomorrow will answer all questions.

Without a doubt, Burdisso will start. Who will pair with him is the question. Il Corriere dello Sport thinks that Rivas is a strong possibility, although Mou may decide to play Cambiasso in central defense and give the others one more week of recuperation.

The Line-Up

Assuming Cambiasso in defense and Mourinho will play 4-3-3.

JC
Maicon Cambiasso Burdisso Maxwell
Muntari Stankovic Zanetti
Mancini Ibrahimovic Figo

with the possibilities of Balotelli, Jimenez, and Pelé.

Lets hope nothing goes wrong at the back, because we are almost out of options there. I had hoped that Samuel would have made an appearance before now, but if he is not ready, so be it. Materazzi wanted to be ready for this game, but it does not look like that will happen, either.

What to Watch For

Ibra is looking to score. You could tell by his body language (and muttering) at his missed opportunities during the Benfica game, Ibra is not happy with his past performance. He needs to score. Also, although Mancini has said he will not celebrate a goal he scores against Roma (out of respect), I am sure he would like to put one in the back of the net. Jimenez and Balotelli are both looking for a starting place and will be itching to prove their worth if they take the field.

With the return of Totti and the death of Sensi this may well be an emotional game for Roma. It is clear that they will play all-out for the win. I, on the other hand, am much more concerned with player well being and the upcoming Serie A and Champions League games. We would all like Inter to make a good showing, and, if possible, kick Roma’s ass all the way back to the capital, but not at the expense of players’ health. First and foremost, I want everyone HEALTHY for the start of the season, and if to do that Roma must win, so be it. Still, I think we can totally take them. Who is up for another clean sheet?

OTHER NEWS

As part of the recovery process for those players coming off of injury, Mou has scheduled a friendly for Friday, Sept 5 against FC Locarno, a second-division team in Switzerland (obviously from Locarno).

Il Corriere dello Sport is reporting that Joãozinho (Joao Bueno de Camargo, born December 16, 1990), yet another new Brazilian wonder kid, is trying out for a few days with the Primavera team. The trial will last until August 27th when Inter will decide whether or not to pick him up, presumably for the Primavera squad.

Quaresma is still up in the air. I am starting to get a bit peeved over this and don’t want to talk about it. Suazo is still almost at Roma. Crespo is either moving to Sampdoria or Lazio. Whatever. I am so tired of “almost” this and “any day” that. August 31st will be a welcome relief.

Finalmente, la nuova stagione comincia. Prima la Supercoppa e poi il mondo…. vinceremo tutti.

FORZA INTER

When a last ditch effort by Burdisso on Del Piero in the 9th minute earned him a red card, I sunk in my chair. (As I was following it on inter.it via their “match centre. And if you want to know, yes, it did suck.) The Bianconeri barrage had begun. For a majority of the first half, Juventus tested Toldo with corner and free kicks. However, the 36 year-old held his own between the pipes. Juve’s best chance came on a Iaquinta free kick, but Toldo made a terrific diving save. Despite Juve’s offensive dominance in the first half, they had nothing to show for it and went into the locker room in a 0-0 deadlock.

The second half didn’t belong to Juventus or Inter, it belonged to Vitor Hugo Gomes Passos (His nickname is Pele. That name would be a bitch for the person who puts the names on the backs of the jerseys. Damn.) Time and time again, he showed sparks of brilliance and the San Siro erupted. Then in the 8th minute, his perfectly placed pass (actually more of a chip) found Cruz’s head, and he put it in the back of the old onion bag. Pele continued to dazzle, as Inter’s play continued to get better, even with a man down.

Inter seemed to seal the win when a perfectly placed cross by César Aparecido Rodrigues (again, I feel very bad for the shirt man) found Cruz, who poked it home in the 29th minute for a 2-0 Nerazzuri lead. (FYI- That was Cruz’s 14th goal of the season and 67th in 154 appearances for Inter.) However, this is the Derby d’ Italia, so we needed some drama.

In the 34th minute the Juve surge began. A Trezeguet cross was volleyed in beautifully by Del Piero. Then disaster struck on a Palladino corner, as Boumsong towered over the Nerazzuri defense and planted one into the top corner of the net. Then in the final moments of the game Cruz’s late bid for a hat trick grazed the upright.

Goal Scorers

Inter:
Julio Ricardo Cruz (54)
Julio Ricardo Cruz (74)

Juventus:
Alessandro Del Piero (79)
Jean Alain Boumsong (85)

Cards

Inter:
Julio Ricardo Cruz(54)(Y)
Nicolás Burdisso(9)(R)

Juventus:
Zdeněk Grygera(58)(Y)
Alessandro Birindelli(63)(Y)

Substitutions

Inter:
Javier Zanetti for Santiago Solari(57)
Esteban Cambiasso for Hernán Crespo(68)
Patrick Vieirafor Marco Materazzi(85)

Juventus:
David Trezeguet for Marco Marchionni(52)
Jean Alain Boumsong for Alessandro Birindelli(68)

Analysis

We had the game right in our hands, but we let it slip away. It would of been great to get a win with a man down for most of the match. Maybe it was fatigue, or just loss of focus, but we let this one get away. I’m not saying it’s a terrible result, I did predict a tie, but we should of won.

As predicted Inter came out with a “mixed” lineup of youngsters and the usuals. However I feel Mancini put out a bit of a weak midfield, with Solari, Maniche, Pelé, and Cesar lined up against Marchionni, Nocerino, C.Zanetti, and Palladino.

Cruz’s continued terrific form is certainly a positive. With Ibra getting back on the score sheet the past few games, these two can be very deadly when their both “on”. I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get to see Balotelli, but Pele made up for that. He showed terrific poise in a relatively big match, and the San Siro loved him.

So, overall it wasn’t a terrible performance, but it could of been better. Not being able to close out the game sort of scares me, especially with some big Champions League games coming up. Juventus now has the slight advantage, as the Nerazzuri will have to win in Turin. (Sorry about that. What can I say? I have flow.)

Since most people didn’t get to see them, here are the goals.

Inter Milan stroll into this Coppa Italia battle having won a remarkable 13 games in a row. Their past fixture, a 3-2 win against Parma, had all of Italy, and much of theoffside, talking. Those talks will stop today, when Juventus come into the San Siro looking to stop the Nerazzuri winning streak. In week 19 Juventus were held 0-0 to a “Cassano-less” Sampdoria. With Claudio Ranieri already saying he will field his strongest team, we can expect a terrific battle. Usually, the Coppa Italia for these two huge clubs are a second or third (if you include the Champions League) priority. However with Juventus struggling in Serie A, and not qualifying for the Champions League due to their regulation penalty, this is has become their main target. And only chance at a trophy.

It’s too bad we will be missing the intriguing match up of Ibrahimovic/Chiellini. Chiellini will be out in this one due to a knee injury he picked up during Juventus’ Coppa Italia win over Empoli. Ibrahimovic is also not on the roster for this fixture. In their last meeting, November 4th, which ended in a 1-1 tie, these two battled it out all game. From the start Chiellini was extremely physical with Ibra, and seemed to “knock” his concentration a bit.

Positional Standings:

Inter are in 1st with 49 points, 7 points clear of second place Roma.
Juventus are in 3rd with 37 points, 5 points behind second place Roma.

Injuries:

Inter: Luis Figo, Olivier Dacourt, Walter Samuel, Douglas Maicon, and Dejan Stankovic will all be watching this one. And, accroding to inter.it Julio Cesar and Ibra will be absent for this game as well. (Most likley not a injury. Maybe just fatigue.)

Juventus: Jorge Andrade, Jonathan Zebina, Giorgio Chiellini, Mauro Camoranesi, Gianluigi Buffon, Pavel Nedved and Hasan Salihamidzicand are all sidelined.

Probable Lineups:

Inter: I’m not sure how to call this one. (Here’s the roster.) Mancini may counter Ranieri’s bid for his strongest lineup with a top notch 11 of his own. However, I feel he’ll let his youth run wild in this one. But, also put in a mix of the usuals.

Toldo

Nelson Rivas Cordoba Materazzi Maxwell

Maniche Vieira Cambiasso Cesar

Jimenez

Cruz

Juventus:

Belardi

Birindelli Grygera Legrottaglie Molinaro

Marchionni Zanetti Nocerino Palladino

Del Piero Trezeguet

Prediction

Obviously, this is a bigger game for Juventus than for Inter. (Just look at the lineups.) It’s too bad we’re not going to be able to see that great Ibrahimovic/Chiellini battle. However we may get to see some on Inter’s talented youngsters. Mancini has called up Mario Balotelli, Ivan Fatic, and Saverio Macrì, this should at some interest for the Nerazzuri fans.

Inter is at home, Juventus is fielding the stronger lineup. Things will balance out, I’m calling a tie in this one, 1-1.

I do have a bit of a problem. Where can I watch this game?!?!? I know Rai Uno bought the rights to it, but I only have Rai International and FSC. Any suggestions?

Team for tonight should look a little something like this: Julio Cesar; Zanetti, Materazzi, Cordoba, Chivu; Vieira, Cambiasso, Figo; Stankovic; Ibrahimovic, Suazo or Crespo.

Corriere dello Sport suggested today that Inter are starting to chase Deco, with 15 million Euros a possible figure for his services. Oooooh, now where would we fit him in? I suppose it means we could lose Dacourt or something…

In response to our friends on the Roma blog: Have a look at the team above: hardly South American All-Stars! Granted, there are five from the continent, but neither are they totally South American nor are they the crop of the continent. So there.

Possible match feeds tonight can be found here.

Should we give a damn?: Hmm, yes, on the balance of things. As already stated elsewhere on this blog, priorities are elsewhere but Mancini is expecting his team to win this match. It would set up the season nicely if we do, but it will also enable the coach to firm up his strongest starting eleven. Of primary importance will be a sound defensive display, especially after the recent shocker against AZ Alkmaar.

Sidelines:
* Some fat bloke called Adriano will not be anywhere near the pitch, as Mancini has not selected him in the squad. Elsewhere on here you will no doubt have read he has been training long and hard, but his absence points to one of two things: a. He is on his way out of Inter; or b. He is nowhere near fit/good enough for the nerazzurri right now. Clearly Mancini is not keen on him and with Suazo looking sexy in pre-season, the Brazilian is finding himself low down in the pecking order.
* Cristian Chivu will start his first match in anger against his former club. It will be interesting to see how the opposition take to him in a blue and black shirt. Chances are that the Romanian will begin in central defence.

Who’s Hot?: David Suazo has been sharp in pre-season. A good show in this match will cement a first-team place until any squad rotation system gets in the way. Zlatan Ibrahimovic hasn’t looked too bad either in the friendlies.

Who’s Not?: Maicon is suspended for this match, opening up the right-back berth for Javier Zanetti. Alvaro Recoba is nowhere to be seen either in the squad.

What to look out for: An improved defensive display should be the order of the evening, with a healthy side dish of a strong performance from Suazo and the odd wonder-goal from Stankovic.

Prediction: 2-0 Inter.

Mancini has been quoted as saying that he wants revenge against Roma for the 6-2 pummeling metered out to us in the Coppa Italia final last season. REALLY? I mean, that loss came off the back of celebrating the superb Scudetto victory and in comparison, the Coppa was the equivalent of taking part in the local 6-a-side league Plate final. The Coppa was important in 2005/06, before the Scudetto was prised out of the hands of the fiddling bianconeri down the A4*. Priorities are higher now and although it would be sweet to win everything on a national scale over the next twelve months, the focus has to be completing a hat-trick of titles and the Champions League.

If Inter win tomorrow, fine. Well done and all that. If we lose, do we really care? So long as well play well, I suspect not.

* Disclaimer: Of course it wasn’t Juventus who benefitted from the wicked ways of Moggi and Co. The club have moved on now, etc. No damage was done to Italian football in the period 2004-06.