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WE WON! INTER MAKE ITALIAN HISTORY

By: Johonna | May 22nd, 2010
   

We did it! We really did it

I cant believe it. I am still a little rattled. Inter has won the Champions League – for the first time in 45 years. In addition to this historic achievement, Inter has completed the treble – something no other Italian team has managed to do… EVER.

Was it worth the wait? I think so

Was it worth the wait? I think so

There were definitely some hairy moments – Julio Cesar earned his pay today – but I think the result speaks for itself. Bayern 0-2 Inter. It was a team effort, but this man proved today that he is no longer a prince, he is a king:

Diego Milito - King of Europe

Diego Milito - King of Europe

I was worried when Marco came on, but after all those years he deserves this as much as any one.

I love them both so much

I love them both so much

And Lucio, he had some issues, but good to see he still loves Jesus (and note the color scheme – he thinks of everything!)

Lucio loves Jesus, with a nerazzuri feel.

Lucio loves Jesus, with a nerazzuri feel.

But most of all, for me, this was about Zanetti. After 700 games, 15 years, blood, sweat, tears; the ups and downs; the terrible years and the last-minute heartbreak. For me, this is for Javier Zanetti. Pupi, you deserve this.

This is for you, Pupi

This is for you, Pupi

Moratti has had his share of ups and downs but he has always believed in the team, believed in the dream. He has poured his heart and soul (and a considerable amount of his own money) into this team, and I thank him for it. Of all the Italian presidents, I like him the best (but he really should fix those teeth).

See what happens when you get a good coach then let him do his job?

See what happens when you get a good coach then let him do his job?

Maicon did not get a goal, but he played a good game. Clearly, he loves this trophy.

Dont worry, no one can take this night away from you

Dont worry, no one can take this night away from you

And, by request, a little Argie Manlove:

Milito and Cambiasso - gotta love the love

Milito and Cambiasso - gotta love the love

And the obligatory Toldo/Zanetti celebration – although they have certainly taken it to the next level for the big game. Just dont drop him!

New moves for the Big Game

New moves for the Big Game

Ok, I will post highlights and such when they are available. If anyone has any good links, please post them below. This has been an enormously satisfying season and I thank you all for coming here and sharing it with me.

Grazie Tante a Tutti

FORZA INTER


Some Related Inter Posts:


Category Category: Champions League, Manlove, Team News
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  • Adam

    Another Bayern fan here joining in late as I just finally got to watch the match. All I can say is congrats and (as much as I hate to admit it) the better team definitely won the match. We couldn't defend at all and couldn't put away any chances we had. Your team did both and at times made my teams back line look almost amateur.

    Again, congrats on an amazing season!

  • victor

    congratulations Inter, from a Bayern supporter. your defense made the difference, and our two incompetent comedian-centerbacks were our greatest weakness. Inexperience for Muller also showed, as he missed two good chances. Overall, it was a good season for BOTH teams, who the media never expected to be in the final. we have a team of youngsters from our youth system, and a couple of stars, and luck and fortune did help us along the way. It was form on the day and your tactics that beat us. As Van Bommel said: the most effective team won. without Ribery, we were forced to play Altintop, who was supported by Badstuber (not a real LB), and so we lacked offense on the left side, especially when Altintop went off.

    I hope this loss for us signals more improvement for Bayern, as we need to learn how to defend, much like you did. I think it was our mistake to sell Lucio off, (for me it was baffling, given that Van Buyten and Demichelis are error-prone), but hats off to you guys.

    I'm looking forward to the transfer window, as we bayern fans know we have to get new defenders, and hopefully, meet you again in next year's CL. our rookies in Muller, Badstuber, Contento etc will only improve and we hope to build on our team in the future. Enjoy the win!

  • Saed

    Could anyone give me a link to full game download? I want to watch it over n over again.

  • Moon Knight

    Being a Juventus fan I hate the fact that you guys won the 3rd UCl/EC & the treble before us. But having said that it was a thoroughly deserved title & really well played. Beating the English, German & Spanish champs on their way is commendable. Milito finally getting much deserved acclaim.

  • I am not here to troll

    best direttastadio ever

    MITICO TRAMONTANA MITICO CORNO:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

  • I am not here to troll

    ahhhh this almost made me cry, we will miss you jose:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

  • I am not here to troll

    best sky sport italia vid ever, LA GRANDE INTER E TORNATA:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

  • marcutio

    Hey do any of you guys know where i could find a full team photo from this season?

  • KJ

    Congrats on the win... Milito signing paid off

  • From ESPN's rundown of the game:

    Inter somehow managed to save the day there, and the fact Robben saw a lot of the ball but whirred and whizzed and ultimately produced little, might have reminded some of that movie scene where the bad guy shows off move after move including, in this case, a curled shot that Julio Cesar did very well to turn away, until Indiana Jones sends him to showboat heaven with a single, direct shot.

  • MAD

    http://www.football-italia.net...

    HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE HEE

  • aj

    yes i agree with those rankings 100%

  • grandeMou

    i would be very happy if we sign capello or pellegrini. i would be OK with benitez or hdogson. miha is too unproven and has very high risk of failure.

    my rankings would be

    1) capello
    2) pellegrini
    3) hodgson
    4) benitez
    5) miha

  • Saed

    @bdeol the odds of Capello joining us is much higher then for any other manager.I think its already decided.

  • aj

    why is nobody talking about roy hodson coming back to inter, he took unfancied fulham to the europa cup final, he is a much better manager now than when he last coached inter

  • Kazaan

    Mou is leaving and we hate it, Mou is coming and they hate it(RM fans) wtf?
    I find it easy to let him go, but only with some kind of assurance that they won't hire Mihajlovic or someone like that.

    Capello has a new deal with England. Is that something you can break and sign for somebody else? Pellegrini is also ok, players love him (he wanted Sneijder to stay) and he is successful (at least in rational merits). He can also be a long term solution.

  • bdeol4

    if Mou goes(i hope and pray he does not!) the only man that can even come close to being a replacement is Capello....why hasnt there been talk of getting him like there is of getting Sinsa?

  • E

    Kirby that was a beautiful Video my friend
    seeing Mou and Zanetti cry like that brought tears to my eye , this makes it even harder to let the man go

  • Piccola

    To those of you that say there are no Italians on the Inter squad, you are WRONG! Materazzi and Balotelli are both Italian. GRANDE INTER!!

  • aj

    grandemou: nothings been signed yet, hopefully mourinho will have a sudden change of heart when he realises he wont get full control at RM. oh no i hope he wakes up soon, RM need him but he doest need RM, hes already best coach in the world and could ruin his reputation if things dont go well

  • knowing that jose is leaving us makes me feel like shit. i feel like my girlfriend just broke up with me... :(
    this is upsetting to say the least. must i go through some sort of heart break every season? first Ibra, now this? and milito may leave too... i think this is just horrible

  • I am not here to troll

    and alessio if you're in the CL next year just remember its not because of you, its because of us

  • I am not here to troll

    grande mou just ignore that prick alessio, he's just pissed off cuz he knows that his team wont be able to play in the CL again until at least 2011

  • grandeMou

    aj: very good post. but you should post that on real board since he didnt even come back to milan. the guy is gone and dont think we care any more.

    ---> real.theoffside.com

  • ajay

    great video kirby.
    really want him to stay.

    he wants to be considered the best ever, so he wants to achieve success everywhere. what moratti needs to do is to convince mou that there is still a challenge at inter.

    1)he hasn’t won the club world cup yet.

    2)nobody has won back to back european titles yet

    3)our team is getting old so he can invest in youngsters and create a team in his own image. i know mou prefers to buy experienced players but moratti needs to persuade mou to think of that as a flaw. it is often said that mou wins ’cause of the money at his disposal, he can rid that by creating an entirely new team, and start the cycle again, sir alex does it all the time.

    4)convince mou that he can create a legacy here instead of anywhere else. (we all know mou wants to eventually take over from sir alex).

    5)mou is young(for a manager) and has time on his side. he can coach both RM and ManU a few yrs from now. why does mou have to leave THIS season?

    6)mou's biggest problem is with the italian media. not always the case it should be mentioned. when he first joined inter for the first 5-6 months the media were eating out of his hand. then mou kinda became a bit rude and the media did not like it. with his european triumph i am sure mou will have the media wrapped around his finger in no time. and even if he doesn't moratti needs to convince mou to see it as a challenge.

  • I am not here to troll

    alessio doing his usual routine, so by your logic juventus fans who chant racist songs and assault the very players they support and chuck eggs at their bus represent juventus, AHA!!!!!

  • aj

    hello all interestas out there

    first of all i like to show my appreciation for this blog. I have followed it all year and it is the best blog ive read, and feel so proud to be part of this amazing season.

    firrst of all let me introduce myself. names aj and im a chelsea supporter.

    why am i here? I have been following mourinho since he left chelsea, im so happy he has won the treble and prove to italy as well as chelsea what a great manager he is.

    and yes he is the greatest manager at the moment.

    when he was at chelsea all the fans loved him, but he was forced to leave because we have a stupid owner who kept interfering and buying players mourinho didnt want ( aka real madrid and perez) he was getting jealous of mourinhos success and wanted to prove it was his money that bought success and NOT the mananger, so explains why chelsea appointed avram grant ( a nobody) to prove that any manager can win if they had the money and players, How wrong were they as the experiment failed misrably. chelsea went 3 years without a trophy since morinho left

    now angelotti is taking over and had a good season but they are all mourinhos players but mosta re now over 30, so he has a major job of rebuilding. all chelsea supporters are convinced if mourinho stayed then he would have won the euro cup with us.

    i must admit, since ive been following mourinho i have realised how much he loves inter and how much inter fans love him. more than chelsea infact.

    thats what brings me to this point:

    why leave?

    i have given 3 main reasons but none make any sense...

    1. he hates italian football and doesnt like the comments made by other presidents and players and papers.

    -my answer to that is he has given them all a "two finger" salute and what better way to silence them that that? anyway everywhere inc england and spain, if yo do well, you become a target and everrybody will try and bring you down. it doesnt just happen in italy.

    2. he wants a new challenge

    firstly he has a new challenge at inter, to win 6 titles next year, euro super cup, intercontinental and world club as well as defending the treble. he has a chance to emulate barcelona, no other team has won the 6 titles and no other team has won back to back champions leagues.

    3. he wants to win titles in spain

    the real madrid job is around every year, why cant he give inter just one more year at least and add the above trophies to his cv.

    finally i have to add going to madrid would be a huge mistake for him for 2 reasons:

    1. 60% fans are opposed to him joining, one mistake and they will be marching to perez's house to get him to sack mourinho.
    2. RM and perez are interferring (just like roman at chelsea) he will get the same problems as chelsea, they will never be happy even if he wins league. Moratti is a great president (the best there is)
    3. barceona are probably the greatest team in history and will be stronger next year with villa and fabregas. it would be a huge task to beat them, i know its a challenge but also a huge risk to his reputation that he built and also to leave behind the team that he spent 2 years to build.

    if he stayed behind, why not build on this inter team and make it play more attractive?

    i must say inter are one of the strongest teams but 3-4 more players then they will go down as the best italian team in history. even better than the great juve and milan teams. They have 100m to spend now now that they have won the euro cup ad could get 50-60m getting rid of some fringe players.

    so heres my suggestions:

    sell muntari 15m, arnovic 5m, burdisso 10m(hes still inters) pandev (10m) and balotelli (30m)

    1. replace tevez with balotelli +pay 10m
    2. buy fabregas from under noses of barcelona for 40m, barcelona will not pay more than 30m but hes worth 40m, if not then second choice is steven gerrard (liverpool) also leaving this year + 25m
    3. buy ashley cole from chelsea for javier zanetti (and use javier as a squad member next season as i think he may not do 2 more seasons at the top), would be 25m and yes chelsea will let him go this year
    4. kolakov ( lazio) -for backup
    that would make inter the strongest ever and fabregas and gerrard and ashley cole and tevez would give inter a different dimension and will play out of this world next year.

    and next years lineup would be:

    ceasar, maicon, lucio, samuel, cole (janetti/chivu role)
    cambiasso, fabregas/gerrard (motta/stanko role), sneider
    tevez(pandev role),milito, eto

    how could mourinho leave this behind? I wouldnt if i was him and im afraid he is making a the biggest mistake of his career (thats coming from a chelsea supporter)

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

    this just brought tears to my eyes... i dont want him to go...

  • bdeol4

    Mihajlovic as inter's next coach???? please no!!!!

  • Kazaan

    Too bad for the old guy...and his family.

    I was at the Inter website and the opening page was just to incredible I had to click Open Link in New Tab just to leave it there. In this situation (transfer rumors, Mou's future, Mihajlovic - for this last one, as a militant atheist, I plead for a divine intervention here :), because as Johonna said Moratti is too emotional right now, and always ) you can find some comfort in that picture which shows continuity and history.

  • grandeMou

    btw looking forward to your exper tactical analysis of juve red bulls game. cant wait to read about how the pride of italy performed

  • grandeMou

    seriously alessio f off. some scumbag's action doesnt represent inter or if it was in reverse juve either. stop being so annoying

  • Alessio - one person does something horrible and reprehensible. Hundreds of thousands of Inter fans did not. I think that to paint all Inter fans with that one person's crime is over the top and, frankly, beneath you.

    And, just to be clear what we are talking about. Reports are that last night, in Turin, a 63-year old man, Edmondo Bellan, was stabbed to death outside a bar by Rocco Acri, a 60-year old man, after a fight over Materazzi's shirt (the one that said "do you want this back also."). Acri has been caught and has confessed. It was a horrible thing to have done and my condolences go out to Mr. Bellan's family.

  • No way, Juve lost?!? Oh how the mighty have fallen.

    But wait, isn't half their team on international duty? Who did the scare up for this game, anyway? And who was coaching?

    (Moratti, take note of what an inexperienced coach can do to a team)

  • http://www.tuttosport.com/calc...

    Yes, best weekend ever. Interistas show their class by stabbing a 63-year old Juventino to death.

  • I am not here to troll

    make that NY 3 Rubentus 0 HA THIS IS OFFICIALLY THE BEST WEEKEND EVER

  • MAD

    So, in one weekend we win the Champions League and Juventus lose to an MLS team... *snort*

  • I am not here to troll

    NY Red Bulls 2 Juve Merda 0

    It just keeps getting better and better

  • AngelOfDeth: The only reason Santon didn't play this season is because he was constantly injured (2! knee surgeries). There is no telling what his fitness level will be next year and I think it would be a mistake to count on him too heavily. He will need at least 1 injury-free season to get up to speed. Next season he will be cover, not a starter.

  • MAD

    Well, I am not always talking about it but Real Madrid likes to imagine itself as a class above the "rabble" in all of football - kind of like the contempable way that Juventus likes to act in Italy.

    But the reality is that the team is a shambles and has been for decades. It's not even the trophy situation, which I think is a little overblown, it's the atmosphere around the club. They don't like change, they claim to be a football club but they act more like a political party, they don't like common sense and they are scared to death of appearances.

    I watch that team operate every summer with amazement that it's still standing.

    The sad part is that as time goes on, Barca starts to look more and more like it.

    So when they make a colossal mistake like letting Walter Samuel go for whatever was paid, or a Cambiasso for free... it's worth mentioning.

    As for the practice sessions - if you want to get stuff signed then it's really worth it. It was almost exclusive access with the whole team - although I don't know who's going to be in Baltimore. The practice itself was not much to look at, unless you're like me and you coach or you would pay to watch the team tie it's shoes.

    I saw them practice at about 6ish in the evening for about an hour and then it was signing time. I am not big on the signing thing, but the people next to us in the stands got about 6 things signed including shirts, magazines and a ball, I think.

    By the way, the last person on the field by a long sight (about an extra 1/2 hour to forty minutes)... Diego Milito.

    What a shock.

  • AngelOfDeth

    With all the transfer buzz going around: I believe that the selling of Milito now is for the benefit of Inter's future. Don't get me wrong, he's a world class player, but he's in his 30's ... make some cash by selling him now, bring back Eto'o to his original position (striker) and Balo will easily slot in Eto's right wing position.

    By selling Milito at his prime, Inter can invest in a young striker with a potential.

    Zanetti can fill Maicon's position in the 2010/2011 season until a replacement is acquired. Santon starts getting some game experience.

    And we have a proper team that i believe is stronger than this season's incredible team.

    just my 2 cents

  • I went to the chelsea game in LA - the practice session was not an option. Still, I am a huge geek and would have bought them on the spot.

    It is so strange to know I should be happy but the thought of Coach Mihaijlovic just leaves me bereft. Remember how Mancini just mindless threw players at game if we were down, with no rhyme or reason? Well now we get his assistant. The guy that wasn't good enough for Bologna. Once again, our president thinks with his heart (Miha is still family after all), and not his head.

    And Maicon saying he would go to Madrid with Mou but only if Moratti releases him... Since when does Moratti not release players if they want to go. That has always been Inter's policy - if you want to go, they will work something out to make it happen.

  • brian

    hey mad, johonna, i was looking to buy tickets for the baltimore game and was wondering about the practice sessions. i think i remember you guys going last year? how was it and is it worth the extra money? what time of the day were they and how long did they last?

  • NYLee

    Congrats to Inter! But how weird that an Italian team wins the Champions with virtually not italian players!

  • Kabir

    I just realized Eto'o has won back-to-back trebles! CRAZY!

  • Kabir

    I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!! CHAMPIONS OF EVERYTHING!!!!!

    What an incredible journey.

  • kev9inter

    Italian Super Cup - 22-8-2010
    European Super Cup - 27-8-2010

  • Ink

    ishaq96 - I invite you over to ZonalMarking.net

  • Chainsaw

    Inter team is not old as some people say here. In 2,3 times yes, but not now. Among the current team Quaresma's departure is very likely, as same as Muntari. Inter is not desperate for a starter, but if they can catch a player like Gerrard it will be great. Just some back up midfielders is needed. Someone like Jonas Guttierez is fine IMO. Krhin, Mariga, Stankovic can be the other back ups. For other positions we have enough players, so no need to shake up the team like the way some people here suggest.

  • ajay2

    Is Orlandoni's daughter handicapped? If she is then it absolutely broke my heart to see that face and know that behind its beauty is so much difficulty. Children should never have this sort of thing happen to them.

  • Sal M

    hey guys congrats on the win

  • A deserved win

    Not an Inter fan but congrats. That was an excellent display. Mourinho's decision to put Zanetti in the middle was classic.

    I have to laugh at people like Sal and Maharaja. They seem completely incapable of looking at what's going on behind the game. It's almost as if fans who squawk about this sort of stuff have no clue what tactics are all about. They get mesmorized by simple ball possession. Anti-football? That was brilliant football. Taking away spaces like that and making the perfect runs and passes showed they were the more clinical team. Bayern did very little with all that possession.

    Of course, people will cry about Maicon's hand ball. It wasn't intentional. The truth is guys like Sal have the balls to come here and squirt out BS when Bayern was equally if not MORE lucky to get past Fiorentina on their on off side goal and a sublime strike by Robben in Florence.

    And Inter's performance against Barca was perfect. They popped THREE goals against them in Italy and defended a two goal lead in Spain. Only a complete idiot would go to the Nou Camp and challenge Barca to an open game!

    Bayern is a good team but utterly average. The better team won. End of story.

  • brian

    hey MAD you might enjoy this since you are always talking about it. bs.com has a list of top ten real madrid castoffs. 40% now play for inter.

    http://tinyurl.com/38dkxp3

  • ishaq96

    With Mourinho's departure Italian football, in my view, is the biggest loser. With all the stars that left last year and Mourinho leaving this year what will become of Serie A? With the likes of Berlusconi refusing to invest in their clubs and poor(er) infrastructure the Italian football will be further outpaced by the the English and Spanish. And, sadly, soon it will be outpaced by German football.

  • ishaq96

    Mourinho seems to have perfected the art, if you can call it that,(I empathisize with all of Steve’s comments above) of defending with 8 men and attacking with 2 or at the most 3 players at a time.

    The first goal was the perfect example of the old 1-2-3. The breakdown of the passing statistics is interesting. I am quite interested to know exactly how many passes Sneijder made or even attempted to make to Zanetti, Cambiasso or to any of the defenders. I am guessing the figure will be less than 3. What Inter do effectively is cut out the opposition midfield from the game. One wonders how they will survive against a team which scores first against them, i.e a team which is not Barça and is content to sit back and defend after a goal. The 2 midfielders Zanetti and Cambiasso never move high up the pitch except for the one Zanetti jinking run (that I look out for) in every game.

    Bayern showed that their formation was too flat and had no structural capacity for the creation of passing triangles. I have felt this before in the earlier games too although in those the effect was slightly offset by the frequency with which Ribery and Robben passed to each other thus switching flanks and changing the focus of attack. Bayern had only Muller making runs to creat any disturbance in the Inter defense and the Inter defense seemed to ignore those after a certain point. What Bayern seemed to lack was an attacking midfielder who can occupy a position in front of the Inter defense. Van Gaal took off one of his best players in Altentop to further compound his lack of attacking options.

    If Barça’s treble last year illustrated the capacity of attacking football and possession of the ball, Inter’s success this year has been achieved largely by relinquishing the ball and controlling space.

  • ishaq96

    That seems to be that. Certainly, for this season's edition of the Champions League and more than likely, for Jose Mourinho's time in Italy. The Portuguese coach of Inter did not have to outwit his erstwhile colleague, Louis van Gaal, on the night; his tried system worked like a dream from the start.

    Mourinho is the great protagonist in his own narratives. When he started out this season, he seemed to do so with a fatalistic assuredness that his time would soon be at an end. And he swept the board. The Coppa Italia, the Scudetto and now the grand daddy of them all, the UEFA Champions League, all bent to his will. They were all won by a disciplined band of players who facilitated their besieged coach to thumb his nose at his detractors.

    The media, the referees, rival coaches and rival players have all tried and failed to knock the belligerent Mourinho from his perch. They all hoped for him and his players to fail. But they did not. Instead, as he did at Chelsea, he created the siege mentality, the cocksure, us-versus-them standpoint that has proven to hold the recipe for success.

    It will not be lost on Mourinho that he has delivered Italy's first Champions League since 2007, Inter's first in 45 years, with a brand of distinctly Italian football. The sweet pay-off for him is that he has stood on the outside and showed the inward looking Italians how to do it. And he can leave the peninsula with two justifiably upright middle fingers.

    He maintained Inter's domestic dominance and gave president Massimo Moratti that which he has longed for since taking over at San Siro. The owner backed his coach in the transfer market and Mourinho's men, the likes of Lucio, Wesley Sneijder, Samuel Eto'o and Diego Milito can stand proudly beside their trainer.

    Shaking The Shackles Of The Peninsula| Jose Mourinho
    The loyalty Mourinho has commanded from the group was as evident at the Bernabeu as it has been all season. Samuel Eto'o, once the great striker, has been converted into a diligent right-sided midfield player. Christian Chivu has scarcely played centre-back since he left Roma. The individual need for glory is foresaken for the benefit of the collective. It is left to the Special One to pick up the media glare.

    Diego Milito was the outstanding individual on display for Inter throughout a classic counter-attacking performance. The Italian team were not afforded the lion's share of the ball but made the most use of it when they had it. Il Principe's passes for Sneijder and Goran Pandev deserved to be converted and his two goals were illustrative examples of the devastating strike power the Argentinian possesses. And it was the tactics of Mourinho that has allowed him to flourish instead of Eto'o.

    His gameplan was the perfect remedy for Bayern's front-foot attacking style of play. The Germans managed to work some decent openings but more often than not found themselves 40 yards from goal looking at 10 Nerazzurri shirts. Van Gaal admitted before the game that his team are not among Europe's elite and so it proved. FC Hollywoodwere patently lacking a 'plan b'; the introductions of Miroslav Klose and Mario Gomez served a reminder that the Bavarians are still some way short of assembling a genuinely class team the like of which has been moulded by Mourinho.

    Inter will win no plaudits from the Barcelona-fancying aesthetes but it is they and not the Catalans who have claimed the treble. Whether or not the Bernabeu would stand in unison and salute the pragmatism seen in the Champions League final for the sake of wins and titles remains to be seen... but not for much longer.

    Well done Inter and well done Jose. Serie A has spent the past two seasons ridding itself of its best players. It is about to lose its best coach.

  • ishaq96

    ) Diego Milito

    It’s not hard to figure out that the 30-year-old was an important factor, simply by looking at the scoreboard. You’ll see the Argentine’s name not once, but twice as he continued his penchant of scoring in big matches. His goals clinched all three of Inter’s titles this season – the Coppa Italia, Serie A and now the Champions League. President Massimo Moratti’s dream has been realised in no small part due to his efforts. At Real Zaragoza and Genoa he proved to be a capable scorer, but at Inter he displayed a world-class pedigree at the top level and will hope to carry that into the World Cup.

    2) Bayern’s Weak Defense

    Milito clincially took both his chances with great aplomb, but also exposed FC Hollywood’s centre-backs, a weakness that had been highlighted throughout the season in Europe’s top competition, even against Manchester United and Fiorentina, and an Achilles heel that Goal.com’s Ewan Macdonald pinpointed before the match. In the first instance, he beat Martin Demichelis in the air before playing a give-and-go with Wesley Sneijder and completed his brace when he left Daniel van Buyten for dead.

    3) Motivation

    Of course both sides had their motivations, but in reality it may have propelled the Beneamata further than the Bavarians on the day. As Goal.com’s Peter Staunton reports, Mourinho was motivated to defeat former mentor Louis van Gaal and win ‘the war’ with Italy. The players were motivated by history – an Italian club’s first-ever treble season and patron Massimo Moratti motivated to replicate his father’s success. Eto’o determined to succeed somewhere other than Barcelona, Lucio resolute in overcoming the side that let him go, Sneijder unwavering in his goal to succeed at the Santiago Bernabeu, the list goes on...

    4) Selfless Style Of Play

    It may not be the most pretty football to watch – Arsenal or Barcelona will offer you more of a spectacle – but the Nerazzurri proved they are the most effective in 2009-10 by working hard and diligently for one another. Samuel Eto’o is a true example, having given up his goalscoring instincts for a spot on the wing, Lucio and Walter Samuel threw their bodies on the line time and time again, Javier Zanetti dug deep to find the energy reserves to cover men and ground, and even Maicon curbed his attacking enthusiasm on Saturday evening.

    5) Jose Mourinho

    Yes, you all knew this list would end with ‘The Special One’. Tactically he was spot on once again – denying Bayern space in the attacking third, keeping their opportunities to a minimum, and of course ending their hopes – as he did to Chelsea, CSKA Moscow and former champions Barcelona. Now on his way to Real Madrid, he leaves a legacy in Milan having won a historic treble that the fans will remember for years to come. His time in Serie A was anything but smooth, but in the end it was a boost for himself, the club and the country.

  • ajay

    for our next manager his ability to bring up youth players is very important.

    we are reaching a phase in our club, our older more experienced players have just 1-2 yrs left in them to be able to play at a top level consistently(stank, chivu, samuel, lucio, cordoba, eto, milito, JZ, maicon).

    while we have many youngsters coming up from the youth team - balo, santon, coutinho, destro, krin, cristeg, Stevanovic and it seems we are gonna buy a young CB.

  • george

    No team can ever top what this team did this year.........In Italy the triple...In Europe the true champion taking out all of the top European Champions
    (England, Spain, Germany etc)........congrats truely a ride for all of us of a lifetime....gs

  • Kazaan

    Still amazed. Thank you Mou! Thank you all!

    Sinisa Mihajlovic said that Moratti invited him to a meeting on Monday. I don't have any links for this news, just heard it on tv, he had this interview from Madrid bla, bla, bla it's nothing official, but they will talk, I just hope it's about free-kicks or about arranging a party for our players. He is not a coach, still. Remain at Catania or coach Lazio, and stay away from Inter.

    I don't think we will have any problems replacing anyone if we have a great coach. Higuain would be great for us. With Santon, Balo, Mariga, and JC, Samuel, Maicon, Sneijder, Cambi and JZ (to provide CL experiance hehe) and a world class CM we are more than competitive. Forza Inter!

  • MarcoL

    I'd be ok with Maicon leaving, only for forty million euros though. The important thing to remember though is that no matter who takes over they'll need time with the squad. As everyone already knows the squad is getting older so retooling will happen a lot sooner rather than later. I'd be nice to see the kids (Santon, khrin etc) show their potential but only when every accepts we might not win again for a couple of seasons.

  • Ink

    So, I'm hereby putting in my bid now to be the next Inter manager. Mourinho has left, and you need somebody as special as him, at least to win the SuperCup/SuperCoppa/ClubWorldCup and complete The Best Club In The World Sextet...

    That being said, this season is critical. It's against the odds you could win another scudetti (not impossible, just - difficult), especially with all of the above nonsense going on. But you definitely need to rebuild. Your squad is going the way of Milan - nobody really looks likes slowing down yet, but age is catching up and a rebuild is in order (Toldo - yikes. That man looks older than Moratti!)

    Milito leaving? Don't forget you still have The Indomitable Lion Samuel Eto'o. Maicon is irreplaceable, but he's not performed to his best lately anyway. Mourinho leaving will be tough, but let's not forget what Chelsea has accomplished with The Team That Mourinho Built even so long after he's left.

    La Special Inter!

  • Nomad

    @Maharaja - watch the game in full again mate, then process thoughtfully about strategy and tactics. Perhaps then you won't sound like such an uneducated "knob jockey" the next time you choose to comment..

  • vignesh

    view extended highlights of the match

    Milito comments after the match

    and final moments before lifiting the cup

    at

    http://sports4ready.blogspot.c...

  • Avinesh

    It's a shame that teams who are supposedly better got their asses handed to them by an average team.

  • Dumitru

    Outsmarted? He took Villareal to semifinals and only missed the final because Riquelme missed a penalty.

  • thatdude

    Pellegrini is a great coach. I don't know if he could get us to another CL final though. I think as soon as we met Jose, Ferguson, Ancelotti or Pep we would get out smarted. Let's remember that he's working with a little more talent then the usual.

  • maharaja

    Inter is a joke. They played like coward! Bayern was 100 times better. It is shame that such average team can wins CL...

  • Chainsaw

    Check out the uefa.com Maryam. I recorded the match from a ghanaian channel called ORTM and I'm keep watching the celebrations. :D

  • Maryam

    Oh and does anyone have video links of the team's celebration in Milan?

  • Maryam

    I can watch the celebration video all day long and not get bored. I love, love, love how Cambiasso becomes so emotionally invested in the celebrations. LOVE the guy.
    Cesar with his family- TOO FREAKING ADORABLE.
    Milito and Leandro- omg seriously, how adorable where these two?

    gahhh, I love ballers and baby celebrations! :D

  • Chainsaw

    Yes Pellegrini is a good choice. I'm on it. 96 points with Real and they are sacking him!!! In sucha drought of reliable coaches now he is a good possibility as well.

  • romabaha

    Bravo, Inter!

    It is nice to see a great team achieving/deserving great success. Enjoy the moment!

  • WOOOOOW I cant believe it. Seeing Zanetti lift the trophy last night was an incredible feeling! Finally after all these years of suffering with this team we get the most incredible of seasons.
    Forza Inter forever!!!!

  • Drew

    ajay2 -- Mourinho leaving sucks, but I've been expecting it. Maicon leaving would suck but I've been preparing for it. Milito leaving would be utterly devastating, I haven't ben preparing for it at all, and it better not fucking happen!!!!

    Dumitru -- If Capello isn't in the cards, Pellegrini would certainly be a-okay by me for our next coach.

  • Interesting point MAD. Madrid has been good to us-- not only when it comes to players but as a winning ground as well :)

  • MAD

    Look at it this way.

    Mourinho at Real Madrid will evacuate a bunch of players - like Real Madrid always do.

    Then we sweep one or two Samuels, Sneijders, Cuchus, Figos, etc and go our merry way.

    That and a historic treble? I'll take it.

  • Maryam

    ajay2- Apparently Milito is not leaving, he is quoted to have said "HO 3 ANNI DI CONTRATTO. SONO FELICISSIMO ALL'INTER. RESTO SICURAMENTE" which roughly translates to "I have 3 years of contract. I am very happy at Inter."

    I am holding onto this fact as strong as I can! I have not mentally prepared myself for anyone leaving us AT ALL!!!

    Vinod- I am feeling the exact same way. I am at work right now and it all feels surreal. I can't seem to think anything is worth doing today cause it feels like it should be a national holiday! I need time to truly understand the achievement we have done last night!

  • Dumitru

    Why don't you guys swap coaches with Real? Pellegrini is a great coach.

  • Vinod

    Don't want to sound like a killjoy, but it STILL hasn't sunk in. Champions of Europe? Treble winners? Us?

    I'm still a little numb from everything. Maybe its just because too much excitement was packed into one day.

  • ajay2

    I don't know whether to feel happy or sad. Happy that Inter has won the 'Big Ears' or sad that Mourinho is leaving and that Maicon and Milito might as well. I have prepared myself mentally for Jose's departure so its not that shocking to me but Maicon and Milito leaving as well? My heart is just beating faster than it ever has at that prospect. I hope they stay.

  • thatdude

    We should be called The Special Inter!

  • MAD

    La Grande Inter II!!!!!

  • Chainsaw

    I just hope Inter bring in a good replacement for Mourinho. Too bad Rijkard is a Rossonero unless he could be a good possiblity. And pleae people stop talking about Milito going. No one has said he's leaving. So stick to some reality.

  • thatdude

    Well said Drew, as excited as I am about this treble I can not stop thinking about next year. As Mourinho said himself, Inter will never be the same. He has changed the mentality of the club. We have a lot of older players in our squad and we are coming towards the end of an era. Some of our squad (Stankovic, Materazzi, Cordoba, Toldo etc.) are waiting out their contracts and can only contribute for one more year. Who's to say how long Zanetti and Cambiasso have left in the tank, two years? I'm sure they will contribute for longer but I'm talking champions league final contribute.

    On top of the older generation we have some dead weight we will be cutting loose this summer. Quaresma, Mancini, Muntari (hopefully), Burdisso, Suazo, and Obinna. This means this summers transfer window is going to be very important. A bad year like Mancini and Quaresma and we could be hurting in a couple years.

    However, our squad does have promising youth. With Santon, Balotelli, Mariga, Krhin, and I'm sure we'll pull up one more youth player this coming season. It's important this summer that we find the right home for players like Khrin, Destro and Stevanovic so that they can get some playing time to grow. Perhaps Serie B would be best for Destro/Stevanovic.

    I figure we need at least three signings, not including Castelazzi and Coutinho. A young centerback in Rannochia. Another shouldn't be out of the question, either Mario Fernandes or Bonucci. A young midfielder, it doesn't look like there's any world class midfielders to choose from. I'd advise someone like Veloso, he would be perfect for taking Muntari's spot and could fight with Motta for his spot. It also sets our 2 in the 4-2-3-1 for years with Veloso (24) and Mariga (23). Last but not least Kolarov. We have been needing a natural left back for a while. He is good and at 24 can be a long term solution to our problem. It's much easier finding a good right back then left so I say we hurry up and tie him down before Real does.

    Vargas is someone I also wouldn't mind us purchasing. However, only as a midfielder and he should be the last on the list. Overall our squad is great...hell we just won a treble. We just need some minor tweaks.

    Most important thing is keeping Mourinho/securing a good new guy. My vote in this order: Capello, Hiddink, Prandelli/Blanc.

    Sorry about the long post. I love transfer time almost as much as the season.

  • Drew

    OK, watching the match on late replay: Milito's second goal is out of this fucking world. Just outstanding in every way. If he ever leaves I will seriously cry.

  • Best Inter dad is between julio cesar and thiago motta, lol

  • Drew

    And btw, I apologize for any typos or random nonsense in the above post. I'm more than a little tipsy right now.

  • Drew

    Mou -- I'm watching it in Spanish as we speak, and it just hit halftime. Thanks dude.

    Anyway, since we're already moving on from our mind-boggling victory towards next season gossip. here's my two cents:

    Players we must keep no matter what: JC, JZ, Santon, Balo (yes, Balo), Cambiasso, Milito.

    Players who are utterly world class and we should strive to keep as long as humanly possible, yet who will probably leave eventually, whether this year or three years from now: Maicon, Eto'o, Sneijder, Lucio.

    Beyond this, I hope we bring in a coach who wants to build this team for the long term. Inter is now a major European power, as strange as that may seem to those of us who have been supporting this club for a long time, and we need to start planning for the future. Balo, Santon, Cuchu and Julio Cesar (and Hamsik and Bonucci and Ranocchia, if they all can be pulled into the fold ASAP), ought to be the anchor of this squad for a long time to come.

    I want us to take this incredible success and translate it into lasting dominance as a world club, just like we were 40 years ago. We may not win the scudetto or the CL (let along the motherfucking treble) every year, but I hope we look at this as an impetus to make ourselves into an institution.

  • Fandibong

    Darjan, I heard this very stupid rumour that Figo is going to Madrid as Mou's assistant coach...

  • I'm going to say something absolutely crazy right now... How about Figo as a possible candidate to take over after Mou? He can be our "Guardiola" type of coach sort of. And he could also be that young coach who can stay with us for 10+ years. We already know that he loves us. Just saying... Just saying...

  • Fandibong

    As much as I hate Benitez he's a lot better alternative than Sinisa, and better if we really lose Millito and Rafa is coming, he may as well bring Torres with him. Not bad.

  • grandeMou

    drew fsc replayed it already just check fsc schedule and am sure they will replay it 100 times before the new season starts

  • Drew

    Anyone know where a brother can watch the match? I NEED to see it for real, after my cable f'ed up for the whole match.

    Knowing that Inter won the fucking CL is amazing. But actually watching it outta be orgasmic.

  • bdeol4

    this dream was sooo beautiful.....a dream not an obsession.

    thank you mourinho!

  • sammy

    hahaha his deleting majesty has a new post just for the bitterness.. check it out for abit more laugh :D

  • grandeMou

    the only person i am worried about losing is maicon. just cant think of anybody who is as good as him. infact nobody is even close. everybody else (ofcourse not inlcuding JZ , cambi) should be allowed to leave if they want for a good price

    no sneijer ?? fine we will get gourcuff. no milito no problem . we will get higuain

    so inter's focus should be to keep maicon as much as possible. at the minimum we should tell real to back off from kolarov if we sell maicon to them so we can just move our attacking threat to LB and use Santon/JZ as our RBs and that will still be a very good lineup

    Use Maicon money to buy a world class mid fielder. Santon/JZ will be our RB. Keep milito but if we lose him replace him with a world class striker from his sale.

    buy kolarov , ranocchia from the money we get from selling RQ/Burdisso/Muntari/Manicini.

    Infact I suspect we will make a profit this year just like last summer and will still end up with a better younger squad

    My biggest concern is which coach are we going to get to replace mourinho

  • MAD

    Still feeling great!!

    Watch now as everyone who needs a new coach tries to fast track someone because they now know that we are going to be looking.

    I said it in my last post, cycles end and new ones begin. Our next manager is going to have a big hill to climb to get the respect out of a lot of our players.

    Eto'o won't play fullback for just anyone I bet...

    Anyway... that's for tomorrow. Today is still a good day.

  • Fandibong

    Mou future is clear as sky, coaching Madrid while waiting for Ferguson to retire and makes way for him, stay there for 10 years and guide Portugal to WC title. Jo, I love everyone one of our team, Millito, Sneijder and Maicon for me is the real different this year. If we lose 2 of them it will be a huge blow, but we have just to cope with reality. I am 100% sure though Moratti will try hard to keep every single one of us.

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