Treble dream shattered but Inter Milan can still make their season a success
Inter Milan, Jose Mourinho’s former side, the reigning kings of Serie A and Europe, the team that won a treble for the first time in Serie A history, now find themselves struggling to maintain the 6-year long domestic supremacy. Mourinho’s replacement, Rafa
Benitez, provided an example in ‘how not to manage a club’ during his six-month long stint following his appointment at the start of the 2010/11 season. Leonardo, the former AC Milan favourite and coach, was drafted in. The Brazilian, for all his shortcomings,
revived the club’s Scudetto charge after the New Year, cutting down the Daviolo’s lead at the top to just two points.
The recently played Derby della Madonnina was reckoned to be the title decider and rightly so, as the 3-0 defeat of the Nerazzurri has put them on the back-foot yet again. The hopes of defending the Serie A title and the treble dreams were shattered. AC
Milan emerged victorious while Inter are left needing a miracle run to replicate the feats from last season.
The Nerazzurri were in unfathomable form last season and won the Coppa Italia, Serie A and the UEFA Champions League, thus becoming only the sixth club in the history of European Club football to complete the Treble. The 2009/10 season turned out to be the
best in the club’s history. Under Jose Mourinho’s mercurial management, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Inter-c39567 Milan favourites, scoring 30 and 15 goals respectively in all competitions.
The ongoing term, however, started in disappointing fashion for La Beneamata. The team drew 5 of their opening 11 fixtures while http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Roma-c31603 also inflicted a defeat on them. By the time Rafa Benitez was shown the door, Inter had already lost to AC Milan and had
dropped down to seventh position in the league table.
The New Year brought new energies to the Black and Blue half of Milan. Prior to the Milan derby, Leonardo’s men had won 12 of the 15 games played in 2011. Where the Rossoneri were thumped out of the Champions League by Tottenham Hotspur, Inter defeated Bayern
Munich in the same round to seal their place in the Quarter-finals of the coveted competition. With momentum firmly in favour of the Serpents, Leonardo’s men were just two points adrift the league leaders. A victory would have seen them climb the Serie A summit.
And thus the Derby day came. In a stadium boasting 80,000 spectators, all contributing to an electrifying environment, the two teams locked horns.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Antonio-Cassano-c6302 drilled the last nail in the Nerazzurri coffin to keep Inter at bay. The point difference now reads five and the Daviolo fans can keep their peace.
For La Beneamata faithful, the loss to the city rivals has threatened the Treble dream. The Scudetto has distanced itself from the Black and Blues.
All hope is not lost however. The Nerazzurri are looking strong on the Champions League front and face Schalke 04 in the quarter-finals of the European competition. The first leg of the Quarter-final will be played on 5th April at Giuseppe Meazza.
Inter are also in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia after beating http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Napoli-c40003 in the quarter finals 5-4 in the penalty shoot-out.
The Serpent is still among the favourites for the Champions League and Coppa Italia but the Treble seems distant now. There are just 7 games left in the Serie A and a 5-point difference will be almost impossible to surmount. Moreover, the derby defeat means
SSC Napoli have leapfrogged Inter into second place. The Partenopei are two points ahead of Leonardo’s men on 62 points while AC Milan sit pretty with 65 points in the bag. With the momentum firmly in the Rossoneri favour and Napoli’s http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Edinson-Cavani-c11955 scoring
hat-tricks for fun, Scudetto seems only a distant possibility. A double, however, is not. With the likes of Samuel Eto’o, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Javier-Zanetti-c18096 leading the team, the club can still rescue its season. A repeat of
the treble was always a fantasy, but a double would do Inter Milan, and the Serie A, the world of good.
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