Football Season Guide

Even though they never really were in contention for the Scudetto despite a 3rd-place finish, last season Inter came close to a miracle. In fact, besides triumphing in the Coppa Italia and the Italian Super Cup, coach Inzaghi’s boys found themselves fighting for the Champions League against Manchester City. A few too many mistakes up-front eventually cost them dear but Inter can be happy for the great season they had. Which is quite surprising, considering that the coach was risking being sacked only in mid-April. This summer was a busy one for Inter. First of all, they saw key players Brozovic and Skriniar quit, attracted by richer contracts. The Croatian will be replaced by Frattesi, one of the best Italian midfielders, arriving from Sassuolo, while the centre-back was not properly replaced yet. They also opted for a change between the posts, as all their 3 goalies left: experienced Sommer will be the new number one while a valid back-up is still needed. Then, the attack saw 2 painful departures in Dzeko and Lukaku, 28 goals and 12 assists overall last season. While the former had to leave because of age, the latter apparently decided to heed the offers of another club. Correa could also be let go after failing to leave a mark. 25-year-old striker/winger Thuram, signed after some bright seasons at Borussia Monchengladbach, will have to bear the weight of the attack together with Martinez, who was outstanding last campaign, but they are missing an alternative from the bench. Inter also let go a few bit-players like D’Ambrosio, Bellanova and Gagliardini, who should not be missed, while they oddly hired Cuadrado, now 35 and no longer the winger admired a few years back. Versatile wunderkind Samardzic, about to sign from Udinese, should provide creativity in the midfield and attack.