17.12.2008 11:05
Inter: one step further under Mourinho
Jordi Clos
After winning two Italian leagues, Inter Milan contracted coach José Mourinho in order to sort out their Champions League form.
Apart from
Arsenal
and
Chelsea,
another possible opponent for Barça in the second round of the Champions League is Inter
Milan. The last two Scudettos have gone to their star-studded squad and they are always a strong
force in European competition. In fact, the Champions League is the one they really want to start
going for, and that is why they brought in José Mourinho to get the job done.
From HH to Mourinho
Inter Milan are enjoying one of their best periods ever. The last time they won two leagues
in a row was way back in the mid sixties when Helenio Herrera created the ‘Grande
Inter’. That side also won the club’s only two European Cups. Having climbed back to
the top of Italian football the neroazurri now have their eyes on Europe, which is why they have
signed such a high profile manager as ex-Barça employee José Mourinho.
Solid leader of Serie A
In Mourinho’s first year in Milan, where he replaced
Mancini last summer, Inter have continued to improve, and are runaway leaders of Serie A, six
points ahead of second placed Juventus with 12 wins in 16 games.
But their Champions League form has been less convincing. They unexpectedly came second in
their first round group behind Panathinaikos, who won at the Giuseppe Meazza in the second to last
game (0-1). It was one of two consecutive defeats in the competition, the other games ending in two
wins and two draws.
With Quaresma and Figo
The star of Inter is Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with the striker
having scored ten goals in the league and one in the Champions League. Apart from him,
Mourinho’s other big names include Zanetti, Chivu, Vieira, Adriano and two Portuguese players
that the Camp Nou is plenty familiar with: Ricardo Quaresma and Luis Figo.