Fallen giants Inter Milan still chasing Mourinho magic
MILAN: Eight years have elapsed since Jose Mourinho’s reign as Inter Milan coach ended on a historic high of Champions League glory, and the fallen Italian giants are still struggling to recapture that magic from Madrid.
The Portuguese oversaw the most successful season in the club’s history — a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich at the Santiago Bernabeu completed the first treble of Serie A, domestic Cup and Champions League in Italian history.
Since those days it has been lean times for the 18-time Italian and three-time European champions, with the only title of any sort a 2011 Italian Cup crown.
Luciano Spalletti’s side return to the Champions League for the first time since the 2010-2011 season today when they host Tottenham at the San Siro.
Expectations are high, but their return comes against a backdrop of continuing crisis as the Nerazzurri lie a lowly 15th with just one win and four points from four games.
Inter, who finished fourth last season, had looked a serious rival to seven-time reigning champions Juventus with summer signings such as Radja Nainggolan, Matteo Politano, Sime Vrsjalko and Keita Balde.
The task of stopping Juventus on the domestic scene was already daunting, but it now looks impossible.
“It’s crisis... Inter are lost and unable to react,” wrote Gazzetta Dello Sport. Corriere
Dello Sport.
The headlines have been the same since Mourinho packed his bags for Real Madrid in 2010, with 11 coaches succeeding the current Manchester United manager in the Inter Milan hotseat.
The past eight years have been overshadowed by financial turmoil, both in Italy and the club.
Moratti — club president from 1995 to 2013 — oversaw one of the most successful eras of the club, bringing in stars such as Brazilian Ronaldo, Christian Vieri, Youri Djorkaeff, and Diego Simeone.
He also convinced high profile coaches Marcello Lippi and Mourinho to manage the club.
Moratti sold his shares to Indonesian businessman Erik Thohir in October 2013, leading to hopes of a brighter future, but the club have won nothing since.
The club’s unstable financial situation saw Thohir relinquish control to Suning Holdings Group in 2016 who became the first Chinese owners in Serie A history.