Inter's Revival

May 2010, a time which will be remembered fondly for all Inter Milan fans, as it was the month in which their team won an unprecedented League, cup and Champions League treble. Everyone connected with the club was on cloud nine, that was of course up until Jose Mourinho announced his departure.

Moratti thought he found the perfect replacement in Rafa Benitez, a Champions League winner in the past, and a man who had 5 wins against Mourinho in his resume. But, as every Liverpool fan can tell you, while Benitez is a brilliant tactician, his major flaw is his rigid training programs along with his inability to form bonds with his players.

Mourinho adopted a relaxed, one training session a day schedule for the club, whereas Mr. Benitez opted to have 2 training sessions, which left the players exhausted and fatigued before they even went onto the pitch. This all became evident after Inter lost 4 Serie A games by December, and were embarrassed by England's fourth best team. The final straw came when Benitez criticised his boss, Moratti, for not signing any players to help him.

Moratti responded swiftly by removing Rafa and replacing him with Leonardo, a man who has worked for 13 years in the red half of Milan. Though it was a controversial move, it could prove to be vital in the long term. Leonardo in one month improved Inter drastically, taking them back into the top four in the league, and he now has the backing from the chairman. Nagatomo, Asia's best left back, has just signed for Inter, along with Kharja, Ranocchia and Pazzini, who has scored 2 goals on his debut.

Retaining the Serie A this season is going to be very difficult for Inter, but with a new look Inter side coupled with the imagination of Leonardo, a 19th title might just be on the cards for the world champions.

Jassim