I Love Inter Milan

Despite breaking even in the summer transfer market, it was widely acknowledged that Inter had done some great business. The players that were brought in were more suited to the system and philosophy of Luciano Spalletti than those who left, and it was just a matter of time before that would bear fruit on the pitch.

However, the season did not start too well. One win from their first four league matches left the Milan club languishing in the lower half of the table. And two late goals in the Champions League win over Tottenham Hotspur glossed over what was an unconvincing performance overall.

Luciano Spalletti has warned his Inter Milan players about potential complacency when they take on SPAL this weekend. After an inconsistent start to the campaign, Inter Milan are starting to go on a winning run that has seen them signify consecutive wins since the last international break. Inter are now going for a sixth consecutive win in all competitions when they travel to the Stadio Paolo Mazza this weekend. A crucial element that would help Inter Milan in this game would be the form of players like Icardi, who had a difficult start to the season but is now back in the goals.

Even then, there could be potential complacency from Inter Milan ahead of taking on a team expected to fight against relegation this season. SPAL have had some decent results at the Stadio Paolo Mazza so far this season and Luciano Spalletti is worried that his players may become complacent given the vast differences between the two clubs in terms of league table. So far, inter have come close to dropping points against the likes of Cagliari while they have also lost against the likes of Sassuolo and Parma. Such results are more than sufficient to warn the team about complacency, according to Luciano Spalletti. The 59-year-old has been at Inter for just over a year.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has admitted a sense of disappointment after Harry Kane failed to take the opportunities on offer against Inter Milan. The England international had come into the game on the back of a four-match scoreless run for club and country and things did not improve for himon Tuesday night where Spurs succumbed to a 2-1 Champions League defeat to the Nerazzurri.

Speaking after the game, he said: “Yes, I am disappointed because he had big chances to score in the first half. I was talking to Javier Zanetti, who is a very good friend of mine, and he said if he scores in the first half, we are talking a different game. We need to build, like the team, his confidence, but I am so happy with the effort and the attitude is massive.”

Inter Milan director Piero Ausilio has decided to avoid discussing on the club’s supposed approach for Luka Modric during the summer transfer window. The Croatia international had been heavily linked with the Nerazzurri shortly after the World Cup but they could not push through a deal with Real Madrid.

Since then, Los Blancos have complained Inter Milan to FIFA regarding an illegal approach and the Serie A outfit have likewise confirmed legal action against La Liga president Javier Tebas, who happened to criticise the club’s approach for Modric in public. Amidst this, Ausilio was questioned regarding the same to which he replied: "Who [when asked about Modric]? Let's talk about the game. We're happy with the team we put together, as we tried to improve it and bring in elements we were missing, particularly in terms of experience and alternatives in attack to make us more unpredictable. I think the Inter squad is now complete."

Croatia international Ivan Perisic is expecting good things for the 2018/19 season with the club making neat progress in terms of their transfer business. The Nerazzurri managed to qualify for the Champions League after a six-year wait after peeping Lazio to the fourth position last term and Perisic is now looking forward to the new campaign with plenty of promise.

Speaking to Fox Sports Asia, he said: “Now, I’ll go on holiday and then my season will start. I hope to do good things this season. I’m a World Cup runner-up, but in order to win things this season, we need a lot of players. We need the team to pull together and we need more this season even from the new players [like Kwadwo Asamoah] because we’re playing in the Champions League. I send my best wishes to all the lads who have joined us and already started working.”

Former Liverpool midfielder Igor Biscan has talked up the qualities of Ivan Perisic after his standout performance against England during the second semi-final of the World Cup. The Croatians found themselves 1-0 down to the Three Lions within the fifth minute of the game but he managed to comeback and win in extra-time after a goal and an assist from Perisic.

Speaking to Betstars, Biscan heaped praise on his compatriot and highlighted that the qualities on display at the World Cup were the ones which attracted interest from Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho last summer, he said: “It says a lot about a player when Jose Mourinho wants to sign them. Ivan Perisic certainly has enough quality to play there [at Manchester United]. Similar to Rebic, he is very direct, very strong and he can score goals with both feet. He provides guaranteed quality and it wouldn’t take much for him to adapt his game to the Premier League. Croatia’s attacking-minded players will be a real handful.”

Inter Milan vice-president Javier Zanetti has said that club-captain Mauro Icardi deserved to go to the summer World Cup with Argentina after another solid season with the Nerazzurri. The Argentine striker notched 29 goals for the San Siro outfit during the 2017/18 campaign and his efforts played a huge role in the club securing Champions League qualification after a six-year wait.
As such, Zanetti has admitted that Icardi deserved to make the World Cup squad for Argentina irrespective of him being the first-choice or not, he said: “Mauro deserved to be at the World Cup, beyond everything he has done for Inter during these years. He scored more than twenty goals a season in recent years, then he made himself ready for the national team when called upon: he deserved a chance, even if not as first choice. He has been left feeling bad about it as he hoped right until the very end that he would get a chance.”

Meanwhile, there have been reports in the Argentine press suggesting that the move was influenced by non-footballing reasons but Zanetti has rebuffed the claims by suggesting that manager Jorge Sampaoli made a ‘purely technical decision’ to go with the experience of Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain upfront.

Inter Milan manager Luciano Spalletti has confirmed his desire to sign Rafinha on a permanent deal at the end of the season. The Brazil international joined the Nerazzurri on a season-long loan from Barcelona last summer with the option to buy for €35m.

Speaking ahead of Inter’s final game of the season, Spalletti admitted that he is open to the possibility of extending his stay and the same goes to several other players within the squad, he said:

Brazilian footballer Rafinha is reportedly keen to remain at Inter Milan next season, according to his father. The midfielder has grown into his game since his loan move from Barcelona last summer and his father Mazinho, a former Serie A player himself, believes the Nerazzurri are the perfect club for his son to progress.

Speaking on FC Inter News, he said: “Everything depends on what Inter want to do. Whether they qualify for the Europa League or Champions League is irrelevant. For me, it makes sense for the Nerazzurri to keep such an important player like Rafa.He is young and has a big future ahead of him. All of us are happy in Milan at the moment, but we must wait.Does he wants to stay? Absolutely, we’re very happy at Inter. The team are giving value to his football.”

Inter Milan manager Luciano Spalletti has admitted that the Nerazzurri could not produce their best performance as they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Torino. Adem Ljajic scored the only goal of the game during the first period, and this saw the Nerazzurri drop out of the Champions League positions with seven games to play.

Speaking after the game, Spalletti admitted that the Nerazzurri were not in the best of form despite having numerous attempts on the opposition goal, he said: “Sometimes, things just do not go your way no matter how hard you work. Today we didn’t move the ball around enough, and we wasted energy chasing down their counter attacks. We needed to show more aggression in recovering the ball after we lost it and we should have kept Torino pinned in their half. We tried today, but, there is always in an opponent to overcome to get a result.”