Inter Milan, an analysis
Inter Milan have been dominating in Italy for four straight years now. One cannot deny that Jose Mourinho’s men are the strongest team in Serie A at the moment. In addition to this, they seem to have a real chance of going the distance in the Champions League, something that in previous years always looked unlikely. Mourinho has created an incredible mental strength amongst the Inter ranks, this, combined with their already considerable physical strength on the pitch makes them a difficult opponent for any team to face. Furthermore, President Massimo Moratti has provided Mourinho with a fabulous squad of players. This summer, many Inter Milan fans were angry at the sale of their star Zlatan Ibrahimovich, but Moratti promptly silenced any criticism by signing Diego Milito and Thiago Motta from Genoa, Eto’o from Barcelona, Sneijder from Real Madrid, Lucio from Bayern Munich and Goran Pandev from Lazio. When one considers that A.C. Milan replaced Kaka by signing Huntelaar, Thiago Silva and Beckham, it becomes clear that Moratti did a fantastic job on the transfer market.
The improvements to the Inter Milan team are clear for everybody to witness, however, if one analyses the facts and figures of this season, they tell a very different story. Inter currently sit top of the table, five points clear of Roma and seven points clear of Milan, although the Rossoneri have a game in hand that will be played on Wednesday before Inter take on Chelsea in the Champions League. It is undeniable that Inter are a superior team to Milan, this was demonstrated in the two derby games. However, when one takes those six points away, Inter Milan have in fact amassed only a point more than Milan in the league, this not including Milan’s game in hand. Therefore it becomes clear that in actual fact Inter and Milan have matched each other with the exception of the derby games where Inter showed they were the stronger side. When one considers this statistic perhaps one could argue that Inter are not as strong as they appear to be.
If one begins to compare the number of points Inter Milan had amassed at this same stage of the season in previous years, one might argue that this look of invincibility is something derived from the incredible mental strength of the coach and players, and not something gained thanks to results on the pitch. In fact, in the 2006/07 season, at this stage of the season Inter Milan had eleven points more than they do this year. In the 2007/08 Serie A season, they had six points more at this stage of the season, and last year at this stage they had four points more than they do this year.
The above figures should be looked at as a positive by all Serie A teams as it indicates a rise in the quality of teams in Italy. This is by far the best squad of players Inter Milan have had since becoming the leading force in Italy. Yet, they are not even close to amassing the same number of points as in previous seasons. Teams should be looking at this statistic and realising, that yes Inter are a fantastic football team, but they are certainly not invincible, something that Chelsea will no doubt have realised. The sooner other teams in Italy come to terms with this reality, the sooner we will all be able to witness a title race with more than just one team.
