Inter and AC have struggled
to compete in recent years. We take a look at why
It's amazing to think that
after a decade of European football dominated by the Italian city of Milan,
they are now struggling to compete with the best.
Inter Milan have had quite a
spectacular collapse. Last season, they finished in ninth place in the Serie A,
meaning they failed to qualify for a European competition for the first time in
13 seasons.
How different it seems to a
few years ago, when they won the league five times in a row, as well as a
historic treble under under Jose Mourinho in 2010.
So why have one of the
biggest European sides gone downhill so quickly?
Well, since Mourinho left
Inter for Real Madrid in 2010, they have gone through six managers at the San
Siro.
The current squad just isn't good enough to be competing at the top. With veteran striker Diego Milito trying to lead the attack, the quality of players aren't world beaters. On top of that, only three players in the current squad are Italian.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Samuel
Eto'o, Wesley Sneijder, Mario Balotelli and Julio Cesar are just a few world
class players that Inter have seen go recently.
The main problem was the lack
of money made available to the managers. The club couldn't afford to keep the
likes of Ibrahimovic at the San Siro, and have never been able to replace the
players since.
There is however some light
at the end of the tunnel for Inter. They have recently been taken over by
Indonesian billionaire Erick Thohir, who has bought 75% of the club.
Hopefully he will inject some much needed cash into the club and they can
attract some great players, and once again become a dominant force in Europe.
As for their rivals, AC
Milan, it has also been a story of success turned into failure. It started
going downhill for them after long serving manager Carlo Ancelotti left the
club, after winning two European Cups and one league title.
Italian football then hit
rock bottom after the match-fixing scandal. Milan were found guilty, and
deducted eight points. However the team fought back and won the Serie A in
2011, thanks to the likes of Ibrahimovic, Alexandre Pato and Robinho.
But Milan have also had money
problems, and had to sell many of their best players like Ibrahimovic. However,
the current squad is full of young talent, with the likes of Balotelli, Stephan
El-Shaarawy, and fan favourite Kaka returning to the San Siro.
So Milan has suffered as a
footballing city over the last few years. The match-fixing crisis has damaged
Italian football's reputation. The trouble for both Milan clubs is that other
sides are doing well. Juventus are back, and the current Serie A Champions are
strong both in Italy and in Europe.
Napoli also look a good team,
as do rivals Roma. But the signs are that Milan are back, although it may take
some time for both teams to become great domestically and in Europe as other
sides look stronger.
No comments:
Post a Comment