Can Inter Retain The Scudetto Without Conte?

Inter sit seven points adrift of table-toppers Napoli and AC Milan in Serie A

The reigning Italian champions failed to claw back ground on AC Milan, following their 1-1 draw in the Derby della Madoninna. Going into the international break, there are questions raised over their performances in some critical games this season.

The Nerazzuri's title defence under new head coach Simone Inzaghi, has been largely positive having only lost once in the league all season coupled with seven wins in their opening 12 games.

Currently they lay in third place behind Napoli and AC Milan, who are both unbeaten so far in Serie A.

But in their last five league games they have dropped points to rivals Lazio, Juventus and Milan despite taking the lead in all three matches.

These results have seen their title charge fall off the rails a bit as they continue to struggle to beat teams that finished in last season's top six.

But how does this compare to their form when newly-appointed Spurs manager Antonio Conte was in charge last season? The man who helped end Inter's 11-year wait to be Italian champions once again.

Many Similarities

The stats show that Inter's start to their league campaign has not been all too different to last season, despite the abrupt change in Head coach after celebrating winning the Scudetto last May.

After round 12 of Serie A, Inter are only one position below where they were this time last season (3rd) and have scored just one less goal (29) but conceded two less goals (13). Had Inter managed to triumph over Milan in the derby, they would've accumulated the same points haul as this time last season (27).

Both Inzaghi and Conte favour the 3-5-2 formation and each have enjoyed success in deploying wing-backs to overwhelm opposition defences. 

After 12 games this season, no team in Italy has scored as many goals as Inter and this was also the case last season after round 12 too. Which proves that scoring goals is not an issue for Inzaghi's men to worry about.

This is distinctively impressive as Inter's well-documented financial struggles meant they were forced into the sales of star attacking players Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea and Achraf Hakimi to PSG last summer. 

Lukaku scored 24 goals in Serie A last term, on his way to winning the coveted MVP award for his outstanding displays.


Credit: Getty Images

But the impact of a few shrewd signings, especially the seasoned veteran Edin Dzeko, has meant Inter have not missed their former talisman Lukaku too much. 

'The Bosnian Diamond' has already scored eight goals in all competitions since joining from Roma and has bagged as many league goals (7) as he managed in the entire 2020-21 season.

However fellow new boy Denzel Dumfries, signed from PSV, is yet to provide the similar blistering service down the right flank that Hakimi once did. The Dutchman has registered two assists so far but has been questionable defensively therefore he hasn't not nailed down a spot on the right side of Inzaghi's system yet.

Rivals' Improved Form

Inter won't be too disheartened at seeing another team occupy top spot in Italy at this stage of the season, as they were behind AC Milan in 2nd place last season after this many games played.

Local rivals Milan have had an impressive start to the season, mirroring similar form shown at the start of the 2020-21 season. Both times starting the league campaign unbeaten although managing to win two more games this term.

Napoli have also been in high-flying form this season having won their first eight games in a row and sitting top of the league on goal difference. Moreover, Napoli have shut out eight teams in the league so far as their brick-wall defence has only let in four goals.

Inter will play Napoli in their next Serie A match after the international break and will be confident they will have the firepower needed to score. But there may be concerns if Inter can keep Napoli's in-form Victor Osimhen quiet.

The Nigerian forward has netted nine goals in all competitions and will be licking his lips at Inter's defence that has only kept three clean sheets all season.

Napoli's new coach Luciano Spaletti has transformed the Gli Azzuri into a formidable opponent and AC Milan seem like despite their injury woes, their young team is finally clicking and grinding out result after result consistently. Both teams may have enough quality to sustain a real title challenge this season.

Success in European competition


Credit: Twitter/Inter_en 

Arguably one of the foremost factors that helped Inter on their title charge last season was their early elimination from European football.

The Nerazurri only picked up one win in their disappointing UEFA Champions league campaign last season as they finished bottom of their group with six points. It may not be outrageous to suggest that the lack of mid-week fixtures in the second half of the season paid dividends for Inter.

Their nearest challengers Atalanta, Juventus and Lazio all progressed to the K.O. stages of the UCL while AC Milan, Napoli and Roma all made it to the round-of-32 in the Europa league. Inter were the only Italian team competing in Europe last season that failed at the group stage.

But after being knocked out of the Champions League, Inter won 22 of their next 28 league fixtures and only lost twice during this colossal run. It's tough to say Inter didn't take advantage of their calendar clearing up after December 2020.

On the contrary, Inzaghi is on course to steer Inter to the elusive round-of-16 after securing crucial back-to-back victories over newcomers FC Sheriff Tiraspol. 

Inter are currently just two points behind Real Madrid in 2nd place and may finally reach where Conte couldn't take them in his two seasons at the club.

But this could have a negative impact on their league aims. For the first time in nearly a decade, Inter would have to juggle a title challenge and UCL progress simultaneously. 

There are only a few players in the squad, namely Arturo Vidal, Alexis Sanchez and Dzeko, who have had this experience throughout their careers. Most of the other Inter players, including Inzaghi himself, will be entering unchartered territory.

Last season, Simone Inzaghi guided Lazio to the K.O. round of the Champions League for the first time in his managerial career. But now he faces the pressure of doing the same with Inter whilst still being expected to keep up in the title race.

A pressure that the young manager arguably hasn't faced before in his time as a manager.

Conclusion

This Inter Milan team doesn't need Conte to win the league. Debatably, they would be bigger favourites to win if he was still at the helm but his mark on the squad hasn't left. 

In numerous games this season, Inter have played with a fierceness and discipline that was reminiscent of last season. But under Inzaghi, they seem to have more attacking impetus in their play and look like they can tear teams apart through multiple scorers.

There is reasonable doubt because Inzaghi has never gone all the way in the league before but to his credit, he is a proven winner. As he won the Italian cup and two Italian Super cups in the last few years with Lazio. 

If anything, Inter don't look worse than last year and despite the impressive form of some rival teams- they still most likely have the best squad in Serie A. 

The Scudetto is still Inter's to lose and they should remain confident they can win it again come May 2022.


(Lead Image Credit: William Okafor-Oregan)

Comments

Post a Comment