The Nightmare At San Siro

Inter Milan picked the wrong time to have a bad month.

After securing a 20-point cushion atop the Serie A standings with a decisive 2-0 win over reeling Parma on April 1, Inter has seen their lead cut to 13 after a shocking 3-1 loss to Roma that saw two goals by Francesco Totti and Marco Cassetti conceded in the dying minutes after Marco Materazzi cancelled out Simone Perrotta’s opener after a dubious penalty award. The loss means that Inter now need six points in their last six games to secure their first scudetto on the field since 1989, which can come with a victory at Siena and a Roma loss at Atalanta on Sunday (widening the gap six more points and out of Roma’s reach) or two straight wins at Siena and at home to Empoli. With both teams comfortably where they are- Empoli are in seventh and seven points up on Udinese, while Siena are five points out of the relegation zone- it may sound like the tonic Inter need to get back on track, but the team hasn’t won since beating Parma, and after seeing two very winnable games against Reggina and Palermo slip through their fingers, no result seems assured anymore.

Now, it may still be well too early for Inter manager Roberto Mancini to press the panic button, but if I were him, I’d be close to pressing it. It is true that Inter were still close to the top of their game against Roma and have been through the last three games, but the fact that Inter failed to put away any of those opponents after putting away everyone else has to be disconcerting. This was the year where finally Inter were able to perform to their expectations after years of coming up short, but with the prize firmly in sight, Inter have let their gaze slip a little.

Perhaps Inter’s loss was a blessing in disguise for the team. With the team winning, its own flaws were well-hidden, as no one would have dared to tinker with a successful formula. However, it’s now plainly evident that the team is thin on defence and in midfield, with Olivier Dacourt and Ivan Cordoba having lost a lot of their steps since their primes, Nicholas Burdisso being largely ineffective in the back and Luis Figo being wildly inconsistent. The team has an incredible amount of selection up front, boasting four world-class strikers in Julio Cruz, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Hernan Crespo and Adriano, but after their first-choice midfielders and defence, Inter’s lineup is thin. It’s also aging- the youngest of the bunch are Ibrahimovic and Adriano at 26, and while the experience has paid off earlier in the year, one wonders if the team is starting to run out of gas. It’s time now for the older teammates to show their leadership and display the determination that’s been lacking in recent games, because if Inter are to win their championship, they need to rediscover that- and soon.

Of course, this isn’t to say that Roma were lucky- well, they probably were given how late their winning goals were scored. This is a team that defied the odds all season long, boasting a lineup that’s probably no better than mid-table in Serie A and staying in the title chase despite having the odds stacked heavily against them. The result against Inter may have been lucky, but it’s a result that is indicative of how well they have played this season (the Champions’ League result notwithstanding). They really are a team to root for; a team that shows giants like Inter, Milan and Juventus that money alone won’t win a championship. They may be short on talent, but they’re not short on determination, and if Inter are not careful, that could allow them to sneak for the title. The odds are still heavily stacked against them, but at least they’re showing that they won’t quit.

Now it’s time for Inter to do the same- otherwise, the spectre of 2002, when Inter led Serie A until a second-half collapse against Lazio lost them the game and the title will loom very, very large. The clock is ticking.

-DG