On Saturday night, Rolando's leap said it all: the ecstatic Portuguese centre half springing onto the shoulders of Ricky Alvarez and Fredy Guarin to celebrate the goal which restored Inter Milan's three goal advantage over Hellas Verona. Inter are Champions League contenders, and enjoying every minute of the chase. Earlier in the week, club president Massimo Moratti had warned fans of the
Nerazzurri not to "expect any signings like Bale", despite recent investment from an Indonesian consortium. On this evidence, such extravagant purchases do not seem particularly necessary.
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| Elation: Inter celebrate their third goal against Hellas |
An energetic Inter eventually ran out 4-2 winners over Serie A's newly promoted surprise package, a robust Hellas side which had won three on the bounce prior to their visit to the San Siro. The victory takes Walter Mazzari's side up to fourth in the league table, ahead of Fiorentina on goal difference. More startling, though, is the way in which Mazzari has exorcised the demons of last season. Under Andrea Stramaccioni, Inter finished the 2012-13 season in ninth place, hemorrhaging goals in the process - only bottom-placed Pescara conceded more than the
Nerazzurri's 57. The bitter dispute over Wesley Sneijder's contract, meanwhile, seemed to disturb the harmony of the squad, leading to a string of listless performances.
This season, however, Inter look like a team determined to give their all in every match. The defence is still far from perfect, with Mazzarri's squad having shipped eight goals in their last four games, but Inter are beginning to attack down the flanks with the same menace Mazzarri's Napoli side used to display. In particular, the wing backs Yuto Nagatomo and Juan Jesus, who have started every game this season, are attacking threats when given a chance to break forward. Indeed, this season's Inter seems intent on pressing the opposition in a compact 3-4-2-1 formation, with club stalwart Esteban Cambiasso back at the heart of the midfield. Once possession is gained, the team typically looks to feed the pacy Rodrigo Palacio, who has five goals already this season, as quickly as possible.
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| Palacio has top-scored for the Nerazzurri |
The formula has been working, too, with only runaway league leaders Roma able to
defeat Mazzari's outfit. Even reigning champions Juventus were made to wait for a late equaliser from Arturo Vidal when they visited the San Siro, after Mauro Icardi had put Inter ahead. Indeed, Juve's own Giovanni Buffon was impressed by Inter, revealing that "they remind me of Juventus from two years ago". The veteran goalkeeper was referring to the season in which Juve rallied from successive seventh place finishes to storm to the
Scudetto, with a young squad playing without the pressure of expectation - or the distraction of European football.
While their suspect defence renders the prospect of a sustained title challenge from the
Nerazzuri unlikely, they can be expected to at least reinforce their squad in January, with media mogul Erick Thohir's Indonesian consortium providing significant investment. Mazzari is an excellent candidate to spend this windfall, having unearthed a number of gems for small transfer fees when manager of Napoli. The Livornese manager brought the little-known Ezequiel Lavezzi to the San Paolo for six million euros in 2007 and sold him to Paris St. Germain for 30 million five years later. Edinson Cavani, meanwhile, plundered 104 goals in 138 appearances for Napoli after Mazzarri spent 17 million euros to take the Uruguayan striker from Palermo.
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| Eye for a bargain: Walter Mazzari |
As Inter's fans expect Mazzarri to wield the club's chequebook in the winter transfer window, the current squad are visibly fighting to keep their place in the new manager's rapidly evolving side. One player who has adapted surprisingly well to the manager's pressing game is Ricky Alvarez, the 22-year-old Argentinian
trequartista who before this season looked slight of build and frail of mind, despite his obvious talent on the ball. This season's Alvarez, however, has been a whirling dervish between the lines of midfield and attack, charging down defenders and making dazzling dribbles with equal vigour. He was regal in the
7-0 rout of Sassuolo, while his assist against Juve typified his newfound energy: robbing Giogio Chiellini of possession
before supplying a fine through ball for Icardi.
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| Transformed: Ricky Alvarez |
Inter and Alvarez will have to maintain their fine form to compete for the Champions League. Italy's worsening UEFA coefficient means there are just three qualifiers from Serie A, with Juve and Roma the early pacesetters. A Gonzalo Higuain-inspired Napoli and Vincenzo Montella's fine Fiorentina side, along with Inter's bitter rivals Milan will also be more favored among bookmakers than the
Nerazzurri to secure a place in European football's elite competition.
The mood, however, in the San Siro's
Curva Nord has undergone a massive shift, with Mazzari's side shrugging off the lethargy that enveloped last season's campaign. For the last Italian club to win a continental trophy, good times might just be on the horizon once again.
