Fall of giants!

[Zek]

Seeing off Milan, Real and Arsenal the three major contenders for the CUp from relatively wekaer teams was fun! :rolling:

what we can learn from that is:
- in some cases even if you have a star packed team there are always teams who want to win more than yours and they beat shit out of you.
- you don't need to have stars to create a group that will be a great team just give a time and right coach to the good quality team you have
- all teams shall be well balanced!
- novelty in tactics is something that shall be brought each year to your team or it will sink... cauz everyone will know you well by then
- consisstent squad

Inter:
- star packed, some of them does not have as much desire to win something as Monaco and Depor players had.
- never gives time to its coaches to build up something decent
- team is not used for consistency, we always shop and sell people like in bazar
- we're balance, at least we have enough resources to be balanced differently from Real Madrid or Milan even.
- Novelty is something inter lacks. we play like we did in 1989, but there's some 15 years gap between then and now...

any comments?

[Musiq]

IMO, the funniest aspect of all this is that Now, the teams present in the UEFA Cup are just as illustrious, or probably more, than those in the Champions League. For once, we might witness a much greater interest in the UEFA Cup than before, simply because there are now bigger names here...:D

Zek, the Inter you're talking about was true in, say, 1999. Look at us now - 1) The majority of the squad consists of players who've been with us for at least 3 or more seasons. So there's consistency of squad
2) Cuper was the longest lasting coach of Moratti's era. He had to go, because it became obvious that he was going to get us nowhere. But the fact that Inter stuck with him for 3 seasons is a momentous fact in itself.
3) Not all our players are "stars" as you would call them. We now have a balanced squad with a handful of stars, yes, but many of our players are now lesser known, but effective - eg. Farinos, Cristiano Zanetti (who's by no means a star of the order of Vieri, Recoba...), Materazzi, Karagounis etc.
Further, since Cuper's arrival, there's been a much greater emphasis on youth talent. That's how Oba's success came out. Pasquale would have been a solid option for the Azzurri if Zac gave him more time than Helveg.
4) There was some novelty in tactics involved when Zac first came in. Of course, he's as stubborn as a mule about the 3-4-3 style, but you can see that he's willing to experiment around the basic layout of 3 defenders, 2 wingers, and 2 strikers. That's how he sometimes employs 3-4-3, sometimes 3-4-1-2, 3-5-2, etc. True, they're all variations of the same formation, but surely it's an improvement over Cuper's rigid 4-4-2.

So that's why I believe we're on the right track. This is where the true Inter awakes.

[Zek]

Musiq

I will still insist that they don't want to win as much as Depor or Monaco did.

[GiorgioII]

Musiq

I will still insist that they don't want to win as much as Depor or Monaco did.

So would I.

I never thought Real would win the CL, but Arsenal and Milan were my favourites and they've both gone. Any team could win it now, but I would have to go for Chelsea.

[Zek]

Musiq

- I will still insist that they don't want to win as much as Depor or Monaco did.
- yes many in the squad are with us for several years, however if you look on our current squad - VDM, Adriano, Kily, Deki, Brechet, Cruz, re emergence of Farinos, Karagounis.
out: Crespo, Sergio, Ventola and etc.

as you see quite an amount of movements for one season, all of them need to get used to each other and to the team.

- Regarding tactics. Yes we have changes our tactics, but is it modern? I don't know. So I am trying to say about new ideas not just plain shifts from one tactics to the other...

- Cuper yes was the longest coach we have had. First year was spent to build up the team, second year to get some results with what he had and in third year when he improved the squad to fit 4-4-2 as we all know he was fired. But not only he all coaching staff was changed. So at the end of the day our 2 year efforts were diminished and instead of gradual, continual improvement (like in Valencia Cuper subbed by Benitez and they won Laliga straight away) we witness downfall and now trying to recover from it.
Agree with you undoubtedly compared to Inter 99 we have more consistency with coaches but that's not enough.

- As for stars: here I agree we don't have that amount of great players as say in 98, but Monaco and Depor doesn't have even those!

overall, yes we are improving but we shall take into account all what happened in CL because that's not occasional!

Objectively: Arsenal - Chelsea. Arsenal looked a better side but they were tired in 2H and psychologically not ready to manage Chelsea's equiliser, Real is too offensive with weak defence, Milan - just underestimated Depor in one hand, on the other hand they play plain football... Aging defenders were not up to speed and etc.

we need to consider all these for Inter! How? that's a difficult question. Honestly, not sure how?

[Musiq]

Musiq

- I will still insist that they don't want to win as much as Depor or Monaco did.


You're right, but then again, how many times have our players been disillusioned by putting one hand on a trophy and then losing out on it? It's only expected that they don't show as much spirit as they used to. Again, this is something a coach needs to work on.


- yes many in the squad are with us for several years, however if you look on our current squad - VDM, Adriano, Kily, Deki, Brechet, Cruz, re emergence of Farinos, Karagounis.
out: Crespo, Sergio, Ventola and etc.

as you see quite an amount of movements for one season, all of them need to get used to each other and to the team.


Every club makes at least this many moves in a transfer season Zek, so you can't really blame Inter for this. Every team tries to strengthen its weak points, and haven't Inter done that? Now, we have a more or less complete squad, with quality wingers, strikers and a decent playmaker in Stankovic.

As for Crespo's move, yes, I did cry about it earlier, but look on the bright side of it. Thanks to his departure, we have seen the emergence of Oba Martins, who's now one of the best players in the world for his age.


- Regarding tactics. Yes we have changes our tactics, but is it modern? I don't know. So I am trying to say about new ideas not just plain shifts from one tactics to the other...


As far as I can see, 3-4-3 is definitely more modern than 4-4-2. But someone needs to give Zac a good kick up the @$$ to show him that a 3-4-3 isn't the only formation we can use...


- Cuper yes was the longest coach we have had. First year was spent to build up the team, second year to get some results with what he had and in third year when he improved the squad to fit 4-4-2 as we all know he was fired. But not only he all coaching staff was changed. So at the end of the day our 2 year efforts were diminished and instead of gradual, continual improvement (like in Valencia Cuper subbed by Benitez and they won Laliga straight away) we witness downfall and now trying to recover from it.
Agree with you undoubtedly compared to Inter 99 we have more consistency with coaches but that's not enough.


Maybe it's not enough, but isn't it something to build upon? For Valencia, thanks to a number of factors, results clicked instantly, but that doesn't happen for every club. Patience must be shown not only with the management, but also with the fans like us, who must realise that Rome wasn't built in a day.

One thing, though, I can never understand is why Cuper was sacked half-way thru the season. If I were Moratti, I would have given him till the end of the season, before making any decisions.


- As for stars: here I agree we don't have that amount of great players as say in 98, but Monaco and Depor doesn't have even those!


Here, I must make one thing very very clear, which even the media doesn't understand. What I must insist upon, is that "Stars" and "Great players" are two different things.

A Star is not just a great player, he is a great player who the media focusses on consistantly. Take Recoba for instance. When he plays a great game, journalists all over the world praise him. When he doesn't, everyone trashes him. He is a star, because not only is he a great player, he is in the thick of the media. The same can be said for Vieri. He's focussed by the media for all kinds of things, like for instance, his pumping Elisabetta Canalis...(Oooooh, what a chick she is.... :heart: ), his dedicating a goal to his grand-mother, and all kinds of sh!t. Again, Beckham is star, but unlike others, he's not a great player, just a good one. But because of his looks, his wife, etc. he's made out to be an ambassador of football, a position someone like Zidane can only take on...

A great player on the other hand, is just that. Take for instance our captain Javier Zanetti. Without a doubt a great player. Possibly the best attacking wing-back since our Presidente Facchetti...and yet, how many times has the media focussed in on him? Nil, nada, zilch, zero....Week in and week out he puts in world-class performances, but how many journalists take note? He's a great player, in my eyes the greatest, but he's not a star.

[Sebastian]

....it was about time for those arrogant bustards to feel what a real footballer plays like.....:evil:...:rolleyes:.....it was DESIRE vs LUXURY.....man i've newer been happier in my life when MONACE thrashed those sorry asses....:smoking:....and the best thing was about RONALDO....he thought that with his transfer in REAL he'll win the C.LEAGUE easily....but how wrong he is....:silly:...he should try with DEPOR or CHELSEA inthe summer....or even MONACO.....this was the strangest C.LEAGUE ellimination phase.....:confused:.....this is the turning point in the world of football....there will no longer be outsiders in the C.LEAGUE....those fat...rich...and pompez teams have lurned their lession.....:rolleyes:....next season if INTER qualify for the C.LEAGUE will have the opurtunity to prove them selvs.....the team is mature enough and equiped with deadly arsenal...
there's no doubt that we'll be even more refined inj the summer.....but the sceleton of the team is here...when MONACO has a shot ion the title....than anyone has.....:smoking:....this was really nice to watch....all that euphoria and all those melancholic and frustrated faces who deserved that humiliation lot sooner....:evil:....

[Zek]

i also enjoyed it very much elcino. I just loved seeing all giants thrashed!
another thing i want to see is the whipping of Chelsea!!!

these days will give hope to all teams not included in the giant's list!!!

yes Musiq:
You're right, but then again, how many times have our players been disillusioned by putting one hand on a trophy and then losing out on it? It's only expected that they don't show as much spirit as they used to. Again, this is something a coach needs to work on.

remember how sure our assholes were while playing against Atalanta at San Siro in that deadly season... and then a month after Lazio showed us how tough life is....

exactly the coach needs to work on and they shall realize that money is not the only thing in life...

Every club makes at least this many moves in a transfer season Zek, so you can't really blame Inter for this. Every team tries to strengthen its weak points, and haven't Inter done that? Now, we have a more or less complete squad, with quality wingers, strikers and a decent playmaker in Stankovic.

a bit more than every club because most of the players we bought are important members of the first team! to have 4-5 players in first team I think is a bit too much. However, surely this will not happen anymore since Moratti is not a president now and Fachetti shall realise that football is not a supermarket (where you buy things and the more you buy the better bill you get at the end :evil:)

As far as I can see, 3-4-3 is definitely more modern than 4-4-2. But someone needs to give Zac a good kick up the @$$ to show him that a 3-4-3 isn't the only formation we can use...

yep, good kick! I would also suggest next time to get a younger coach! Because the older you get there're less chances to stay up to date, with few exceptions of course like Capello, Lobanovsky, Trap (though now he's really old in both thinking and age)



on STARS AND GREAT PLAYERS: completely agree. we don't need those pop star type players, we need great players but not too many of them just a few and others dedicated to go GREAT THINGS AS A MEMBERS OF GREAT TEAM!!!

just like if you add too much pepper or spice to the food it gets tasteless, same in football, too many stars create too many problems (extra pressure on a team to deliver results, extra requirements, clashes at trainings, hot benches, disputes and etc.)