Team Focus: Inter - Problems Much More Serious Than Schoolboy Errors

Now famous across Italy, young Inter fan Filippo recently held up a placard at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, begging his heroes to play well so he wasn’t made fun of at school. Sadly for the kid, whose sad fate has not only been broadcast to the nation but is now the ridicule of Milan fans, light-heartedly displaying a banner of their own urging the Rossoneri to “continue to win, so we can make fun of Filippo at school", his side look further than ever from ending the ridicule from his classmates.

Claudio Ranieri, who looked to have found a perfect solution during a winning streak that lasted from mid-December to late January, is cutting an increasingly forlorn figure on the sidelines and in the press, telling la Domenica Sportiva; “We won seven consecutive matches when I started at Inter, but then we just fell apart.” He seems more than aware of the problems however, also telling the Italian TV show “I'll have to take some decisions and I will.”

It seems that the main part of the problem has been the return from injury of Wesley Sneijder, a player the former Roma and Chelsea coach feels he is “duty-bound” to integrate into the line-up. He brings similar attributes to the side as Argentine starlet Ricky Alvarez, who started all but one of those seven straight victories, registering one goal and four assists during that same period. Obviously the Dutchman has far more experience and a much more proven pedigree but Ranieri was able to deploy the younger man in a role which meant he covered the left flank when possession was lost, something Sneijder not only seems physically unable to do but also an assignment he publically rallied against during the failed tenure of previous coach Gian Piero Gasperini.

While the Nerazzurri midfield seems unable to any longer support a trequartista due to the continued presence of an aging Esteban Cambiasso and 38 year old Javier Zanetti, it must be questioned if making such a sacrifice is still warranted in 2012. Clearly Inter’s woes this term cannot be laid entirely at the feet of Sneijder, it must be noted that a 1-0 win at home against Chievo back in October is the only domestic fixture won by the club when the 27 year old has played more than 45 minutes, a worrying trend which is only reinforced when looking at the players statistics.

Across his 12 appearances (three of which came as a substitute), he has recorded a WhoScored.com rating of 7.21 which seems entirely at odds with the displays seen from him and falls to just 5.18 for the eight games since he returned from injury. He has recorded one goal and three assists this term, the last of which came in the loss to Juventus way back in October and has completed just seven of his 15 attempted through-balls, a vital component to Inter’s attacking play as he looks to create for Diego Milito and Giampaolo Pazzini ahead of him.

Much of these struggles seem to centre around the loss of the one midfielder whose legs were not failing and the sale of Thiago Motta to Paris Saint-Germain was made against the express wishes of Ranieri who recognised his importance to the side. While the players desire to leave put the club in a difficult – if not impossible – situation, the impact of his departure cannot be understated. Still ranking fifth in tackles for the Nerazzurri, Motta also made more key passes (18) than any player other than Maicon while his average of 77.7 passes per game is almost thirty more than anyone still in the squad, his quality reinforced by completing 86.4% of those attempts, a figure only topped by the indefatigable Zanetti (89.7%).

Clearly there is more to this latest slump than the loss of the Italo-Brazilian however who, as good as he may have been, cannot be held accountable for the alarming rate at which the 2010 Treble winners have conceded goals this term. Only five teams have allowed opponents to score more than the 33 goals (in 24 games to date) than Inter and it is indication of a far deeper malaise, one which seems to point the finger firmly in the direction of goalkeeper Julio Cesar. Only Juventus (9.7) have given opponents fewer shots on goal than Inter’s own 10.5 per game and the Brazilian international has made just fifty saves in 22 league games, picking the ball out of his own net 29 times, a figure only topped by four other ‘keepers and while his total of eight cleansheets seems initially impressive, five of those came in the previously mentioned seven game winning run.

Make no mistake, this Inter side have some serious flaws and they cannot be overcome quickly. Ranieri, described in his homeland as a ‘Fireman’ for his ability to improve struggling sides, may find a temporary solution but the issues will still be there. Massimo Moratti and the club hierarchy have some difficult decisions of their own to take as they surely must embark on a rebuilding project. In players like Alvarez, Andrea Poli and Yuto Nagatomo they at least have some of the pieces already in place but sadly for Filippo, and many other Nerazzurri faithful, there may be much more ridicule to come in the schoolyard and beyond.