Football Season Guide

The days of glory for Inter seem to have come to an end. For the first time in several years, Inter have adopted a low-profile attitude during their transfer campaign: no new big signings and a rather unfashionable new coach in charge. After hiring glamorous people such as Mancini, “the special one” Mourinho, Benitez and Leonardo, President Moratti now opted for Gian Piero Gasperini, whose main result was a fifth standing in Serie A with Genoa in the 2008/2009 campaign. A result he was unable to repeat, a fact which eventually cost him a sacking in the past season. For sure, Gasperini will be able to give Inter some spectacularity and a system of play, most likely his beloved 3-4-3 one, something which the team had been lacking in the previous seasons despite the successes. However, the feeling is that the final days of the transfer campaign will be decisive for the team's future. Eto'o is about to leave and it would not be too surprising if other key players, like Sneijders, followed suit. Which would represent a serious problem, considering that the new-comers are mostly hopeful youngsters and not affirmed stars. Among them, for sure Alvarez and Castaignos are the most interesting. Jonathan represent the alternative to Maicon, who was not too impressive in the recent past. Viviano, back from the loan to Bologna, is also a certainty for the future but he will have to recover from a serious injury first. If one of the top players quit for real, Inter will find it hard to be as competitive for the Scudetto as they have been in the last decade.