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A graffito in Milan that illustrates the dreariness at Inter: star striker Romelu Lukaku (left) is gone
Photo:
MATTEO CORNER / EPA
It was a historic moment for Inter Milan fans. They had waited more than a decade for this moment, it was the Juventus decade, one championship after the other went to Turin, to the unloved competitor, only a championship of local rivals AC would have been even more difficult to endure. But in May the time had finally come: Inter celebrated the Scudetto for the first time since 2010. Coach Antonio Conte was the hero, Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku the man who scored the goals for Conte on the field.
Four months have passed since then and the great sadness has moved in at Inter. The title defense in the Serie A season that starts this Saturday has moved a long way off. Conte is no longer there, Lukaku is no longer there, with right-back Achraf Hakimi another top performer has left the board and has joined Paris Saint-Germain. A significant athletic bloodletting. The result of an austerity course that President Steven Zhang ordered the association.
Zhang, 30 years young, representative of the Chinese Suning Holdings Group, which has been in charge of Inter since 2016, is currently executing the investor's new course, which is significantly reducing his involvement with Inter.
The club is expected to bring in a transfer surplus of 100 million euros because the retail giant Suning is ailing.
In the group, soccer is just one product out of many in the portfolio.
Inter may be sold.
What will happen to Christian Eriksen?
And one more personality at Inter is open - for completely different reasons: Nobody can yet say what sporting perspective Christian Eriksen has after his dramatic cardiac arrest at the European Championships in Milan. The Dane returned to Inter in early August, completing his recovery program. There is no schedule yet for a return to the field. The defibrillator he used actually prohibits use in Serie A, most recently he was associated with his ex-club Ajax Amsterdam.
With Edin Dzeko replacing the 116 million euro man Lukaku, who now wears a different blue jersey at Chelsea, this turning point at Inter is well illustrated. Dzeko came on a free transfer from AS Roma, the Bosnian is now 35 years old and certainly still good for a few goals. Last season, the Bosnian scored 13 goals and five assists in 38 competitive games for the Roma. But Dzeko's best days are over. When he became champion with VfL Wolfsburg, Felix Magath was the coach, how long does that have to be for that alone? It was 2009, before the Juventus decade.
The new man on the sidelines who has to cope with the changed circumstances is called Simone Inzaghi.
Unlike his older brother, the Milan rascal Pippo, he has no Milan past, no AC, no Inter.
Inzaghi has always been a Lazio man as a player, most recently eleven years in the coaching staff, including the last five years as head coach.
In Rome he proved that he can handle a financially unstable club and that he does a good job when he cannot draw on the full.
Mourinho causes euphoria in Rome
Inzaghi is one of no less than 14 new people in the coaching position in the country of the European champions. The most spectacular new line-up is, of all things, the man who secured Inter's last championship title in 2010: José Mourinho set standards at Inter by scooping Scudetto and winning the Champions League in 2010. Many say that Mourinho, like Dzeko, has had his good days behind him. Nevertheless, his commitment by AS Roma has left fans in the capital in euphoria. With the commitment of Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham for 40 million euros, AS has also made one of the few sensational transfers of the summer in Italy.
The Roma and Mourinho started the season in the Conference League with a 2-1 win at Trabzonspor, actually beneath the dignity of the capital city and their special coach. But after seventh place in the preseason, AS had to be happy to be represented anywhere in Europe at all. They are probably not contenders for the title.
The favorite for the championship comes again from Turin. After the unfortunate year under coach novice Andrea Pirlo, Juventus is playing it safe and has signed an old acquaintance as a coach with master maker Massimiliano Allegri. Cristiano Ronaldo is already being hotly traded at PSG for the coming season in order to still make the wet dream of all console players come true at the end of his career and to see CR and Lionel Messi play in a team is still there - and also at 36 years old Torgarant, like them Preseason goalscorer cannon made clear. But even his 29 goals only helped Juventus to a disappointing fourth place.
The usual competition consists of runner-up Milan with his oldie Zlatan Ibrahimović, the SSC Napoli and Atalanta Bergamo, known in Germany as the Robin Gosens Club. On the other hand, almost nobody has the reigning champion on the bill. The next waiting period has begun for the Inter fans.