Milito then showed all the big game, big moment composure that he showed when he stabbed in the goal that won the Scudetto and the one that secured the Italian Cup. And like Mourinho, il Principe celebrated like a fan. All the hard work, all the training drills, all the tactical classroom sit-downs and the video analysis had paid off. Milito ran over to the Inter fans, arms out-stretched and screamed: a mirror image of the men and women in blue and black on the other side of the advertising boards. From one end of the pitch to the other in the blink of an eye, Milito’s second goal oozed Mourinho’s influence. A team led by the midfield general, isolating the opposition’s star player, defenders sacrificing their bodies, the creative midfielder’s first time pass, and the forward’s no-nonsense finish. Like a SWAT team, they were in and out. Mission objective achieved. Target neutralised. There was a clinical beauty about it. Inter celebrated as a team because every player had played his part in the goal and in the season.
But now this team, all pace and power and temperament and guile, will be led by a very different man. In fact, it is hard to think of two more different characters than Jose Mourinho and Rafa Benitez. Jose’s dashing good looks and charismatic interviews could not be further removed from Rafa’s cryptic press conference answers and (usually!) reserved nature. What will the Rafa regime bring to Inter?
It could be argued that Rafa has been brought to the San Siro purely and simply to continue Inter’s European form. Inter aim to be a European giant, up there with the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United and bitter rivals AC Milan. And while they have been in the latter stages more often than not, the fact that last season’s treble was their first Champions League victory since 1964 means they will have to do it at least once more. Rafa knows Inter want the Champions League again, more than anything – speaking to Inter fans reflects this sentiment too – the Serie A is good, but not necessarily good enough.
What do we know about Benitez? Like every manager he has his strengths and his weaknesses. He is arguably as good a defensive tactician as Jose; if not on par, then definitely one of his closest rivals. We’ve seen how well Rafa can execute a master plan in a two legged Champions League clash against Europe’s elite. While Benitez has struggled to string together Premier League challenges, his form in the Champions League has usually been excellent, barring last season’s post-Alonso apocalypse.
Benitez however, has undergone a transformation when it comes to his own managerial style. Remember the fantastic attacking football that Valencia played when he led them to the La Liga title in 2002 and 2004? In both those seasons, people forget that Valencia conceded the lowest goals in La Liga by a huge margin. Just 27 goals conceded in 2003/04 campaign for example, compared to Barca’s 39 and Madrid’s 54! At Inter, Benitez has some of the world’s best defenders at his disposal. At the centre, the formidable partnership of Lucio and Walter Samuel will strike fear into even the most accomplished centre forwards – based on performances like last season’s taming of the Drog in both legs of their Champions League tie with Chelsea. At right back, he has arguably the world’s best in Maicon (if he stays) and probably the best player not selected for the World Cup, captain Javier Zanetti. At left back he has Christian Chivu and the exciting Davide Santon. What is also impressive is the amount of experience waiting in the wings to fill in when required, like Cordoba, Materazzi and Burdisso. Benitez has, nicely primed and packaged, a world-class defence ready to go.
A key component of Inter’s strength in defence is their defensive midfield pairing of Bond villain lookalike Esteban Cambiasso and the reinvented Thiago Motta. Benitez has not one, but two more refined versions of one of his favourite and most effective players at Liverpool, Javier Mascherano. What more could he ask for? Going forward in midfield, Wesley Sneijder is the fulcrum upon which the Inter juggernaut has functioned in recent times and doesn’t look like leaving this summer and Muntari is a strong option to bring on in tight games. Up front, the perfectly balanced trio of Eto’o-Milito-Pandev have shown what a classy trident they can be, both in creating goals and pinning back opposition fullbacks.
In terms of real changes to Inter’s formation, I see a lot of similarities between Liverpool’s successful 4-2-3-1 and Mourinho’s 4-2-1-3. The two holding midfielders will remain as they are, while Eto’o and Pandev will patrol the wings and either run the channels or pin back opposing full backs. The only difference is that Pandev and Eto’o are wide players who rely on their pace, while Kuyt and Benayoun banked on their technical ability to dribble the ball, cut inside or put a cross in. The Sneidjer-Milito connection is reminiscent of the Gerrard-Torres partnership that did so well in the 2008/09 season. If there are changes to personnel or system, they won’t be drastic.
On paper, Inter have one of the best squads in Europe, but I believe Rafa’s test will be in how he deals with transfers and rotation. At Anfield, his hands may have been tied behind his back due to the club’s finances (something that is definitely not the case at Inter), but the sale of Alonso and Arbeloa and the hugely expensive signings of Aquilani and Johnson for those two corresponding positions was far from successful. What happened when the pass master Alonso was replaced by Lucas Leiva and the solid, dependable Arbeloa was replaced by the defensively abysmal Glen Johnson? Well, let’s not go there, for Liverpool fans’ sake.
If Maicon does leave, who will Rafa bring in? Another £18m disaster like Johnson? Or an £8m joke like Dossena? Who will he bring in if Sneijder is suddenly snatched away or picks up a season ending injury? Mourinho was fortunate in getting a virtually uninterrupted season out of the brilliant play maker, but I wonder what Rafa’s plan B will be if his talisman is injured. Rumours linking Rafa to former charges Mascherano and Dirk Kuyt may or may not be accurate, but, to me, Inter need a couple of attacking players to embellish what is an already excellent squad.
The real difference between Mourinho and Benitez, for me, will be their mentality. Jose was a winner. I think he’s instilled that attitude into his players. I think now is as good a time to manage Inter as there’s ever been. Milan and Juventus are in transition, while Roma, despite their brilliant run at the end of last season, have done little to suggest they are not as unpredictable as ever. The football won’t be vintage but if Rafa can get ensure Sneijder is given the freedom to operate and Milito keeps scoring crucial goals, he has a great opportunity to get some titles under that long belt.
Can he build a dynasty to match those of Juventus and Milan? I have my doubts. I think he will take Inter to the advanced stages of the Champions League and turn the San Siro into a fortress like Anfield, but I don’t think he is the kind of manager that stays with a club through thick and thin and really transforms them for the better, especially after last season's debacle. For Inter's sake, I hope he proves me wrong.
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