It was meant to be the dawn of a new era. With Leonardo’s departure to PSG this summer, Inter turned to Gian Piero Gasperini after a disappointing 2010/11 campaign saw them lose their Serie A crown to Massimo Allegri’s Milan. Five games into his tenure and the former Genoa boss was gone; sacked by Massimo Moratti this week on the back of an embarrassing 3-1 defeat at newly-promoted Novara, it’s almost unfeasible this was the same side that, just two seasons ago, swept to a historic treble under the guidance of Jose Mourinho.
The glory days of the Special One’s Champions League win seem long gone already and with the Nerazzurri sitting in the relegation zone with one point from three games, Moratti was scathing in his assessment of Gasperini as he ushered him through the exit door:
“When you lose in the manner that we did against Novara, there is nothing positive to take from that. Gasperini did not seem to be in control”.
There’s no lack of irony that the club have turned to Claudio Ranieri as they look to bounce back from a hugely disappointing start to the Serie A campaign. Ranieri was the one who made way for Mourinho at Chelsea in Roman Abramovich’s attempt to bring silverware to Stamford Bridge and the Portuguese coach delivered in spectacular style, bringing the club’s first league title in fifty years as he swept to back-to-back league successes.
While Ranieri prepares to step back into Mourinho’s shadow for his first match in charge away to Bologna tomorrow evening, WhoScored looks back at the overall performances in those disastrous three league matches that led to his predecessor’s rapid dismissal:
Team Selection
Gasperini’s main failing was a refusal to pick a system that suited the personnel available- his tendency to play three at the back was ill-suited to Inter and he switched from 3-4-3 to 3-5-2 and back to 3-4-3 with not a hint of success. The likes of Lucio and Walter Samuel are both 33 years of age and, while the duo have a defensive guile and know-how served by years of experience at the top level, neither have the dynamism to apply Gasperini’s principles and were left exposed at the back time and again by their manager’s somewhat naïve refusal to play to their strengths.
Seven players may have started all three games for Gasperini but he chopped and changed and seemed unable to decide where to best utilize his key players. The case of Javier Zanetti is a perfect example; the Argentine played on the left of a back three at Palermo, was moved to central midfield at home to Roma, then fielded on the right of midfield in the Novara game.
Wesley Sneijder was also a case in question- the Dutchman managed ninety minutes just once over the three games but still averaged 2.7 shots and 2.3 key passes- he’s the top-rated WhoScored Inter player on 7.29 per game but Gasperini clearly struggled to find a suitable role for the playmaker and never managed to integrate him into a system he steadfastly refused to change.
Team Statistics
As a result of this lack of cohesion, Inter have conceded 14 shots per game so far- double that of second-placed Juventus- and their opponents have found the net 7 times; only Parma have shipped more (8). It could have been much worse- the fact that Julio Cesar is their second-highest rated WhoScored player (7.18) is a damning indictment of the Gasperini regime. Despite conceding 4 goals at Palermo, Cesar made 5 saves to prevent further embarrassment and although he conceded 3 at Novara, the Brazilian’s 6 saves stopped a rout.
For a team so defensively sound and organized under Mourinho, it’s alarming to see their lack of battle- Inter have averaged just 17 tackles per game, the third-lowest in Serie A. This was cruelly exposed by Novara in midweek, as the promoted side showed a far greater appetite to win the ball, with 27 tackles rendering their opponents 64% possession meaningless.
Overall, Inter have averaged 56% possession, the fourth best in Serie A and have also fired off 12 shots per game- the third best in the division. A look at their shots on target, though, reveal, perhaps, a desperation to score- they have averaged just 4 shots on target, with just 2 in the loss at Novara.
A total of 54% of their shots have come from outside the box, with not a single effort coming inside the opponent’s six yard box- compare this to the likes of Genoa- 10% of the league leaders’ efforts have come from the same vital area.
In terms of a failure to find the net, Diego Forlan has been the most culpable; the summer signing from Atletico Madrid has had 9 shots and scored 1 goal, while Sneijder’s frustration has seen him fire off 8 shots without a single success.
There’s no doubt the talent is there, Ranieri needs to find a way to harness it. Already, he has issued a rallying cry:
"A year and a half ago, these players were champions and I believe in their will to react. They have fallen but the important thing is for them to get up again and fight. I want to see that united team that never gave up whenever my teams played against them. The important thing is to get results now. These players are used to winning and have to get back to winning."
If his tactics are as positive as his words, Inter still have plenty time to show Serie A they are far from the spent force Gasperini has made them look thus far.
