Some things change while others stay the same. Although excessively simple, this statement sums up the upcoming season for Inter Milan. While the squad is virtually unchanged from the team that won the treble last season, there is one glaring difference, no Jose Mourinho. The "Special One" has moved on to coach the Galacticos of Real Madrid, in an apparent bid to win the Champions League with top teams from each European nation. Good luck in Ireland Jose.
Replacing him is the familiar and often hated Rafa Benitez, who has coached Liverpool since I started watching European football, which admittedly hasn't been that long, but an impressive spell for a manager of a top (Ahem) flight club.
For those who have been hittin the peace pipe a little too hard of late, I'll refresh your memories by kindly reminding you that Inter won the Scudetto, Coppa Italia, and Champions League last season, mostly behind the efforts of incredible signings such as Diego Milito, Wesley Sneijder, and Lucio. How Inter ever managed to buy three of Europe's top players while spending at least a hundred million less than Real Madrid I'll never understand, but as much as I hate them, they deserved to win everything that they did last season. The remaining question then, is can they replicate the success of last season, with their only significant signing being Brazilian starlet Coutinho, who won't even start. My answer; yes but I'll go on a limb and say there won't be another treble.
Say what you will about Rafa Benitez, but the man has had an incredible amount of success in the Champions League. And with the roster that Inter has, it would be incredibly foolish to not consider them one of the favorites again this season. In addition, Inter has had a stranglehold on the Scudetto of late, as they have won it since 2005 when they were awarded the title as a result of them being unscathed (for now) in the Calciopoli scandal. With all this evidence swirling around, it's hard to see why they won't repeat in Serie A and in Europe, but a new coach and added pressure makes me think that Inter simply won't be able to repeat on two fronts, and at some point will have to chose which competition to put an added emphasis on.
Other than the return of defender Nicolas Burdisso from loan with Roma, the main move of the summer for Inter was the sale of volatile striker Mario Balotelli to Manchester City. The move made sense on many levels, especially considering that Super Mario no longer wanted to play there, and that they got good value for him. While Balotelli may become one of Europe's premiere strikers in 5 years, it simply wasn't going to happen in an Inter shirt.
With Balotelli shipped off to England, there's simply not any drama or interesting subplots with Inter, other than they're coming off one the greatest seasons in club history. Because Inter will return the best defense in Europe, they are my pick to win the Scudetto once again. In addition, they should be very successful once again in the Champions League. I know I'm not the only one who wants to see a rematch with Barcelona, or the inevitable battle vs. Real Madrid and Mourinho. Thus, with the thought of tasty Champions League clashes fresh on the mind, I'll leave you with highlights from last seasons treble winning campaign. Damn I hate Inter.
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