Inter signings for January
After initially suggesting that Inter would not be spending much in January for transfers, Moratti and Mancini have been forced to look at some options, possibly in midfield and definitely in defense. Inter confirmed that Samuel has damaged the ACL in his left knee and will probably be out for the rest of the season. It happened in the Milan derby when Kaka’s turning and twisting proved too much for him to follow. Watch the highlights at the bottom of the match wrap-up posted earlier.
Inter continues to have a lot of injuries in midfield, it hasn’t effected then much but it’s unknown when Viera and Figo will be back and both Stankovic and Dacourt could be out for a while. Inter have been linked with Jeremy Menez, Maniche, Elano and Enzo Maresca to name a few. Moratti has denied most rumours but it makes sense to keep things under wraps and reduce the pressure on transfer fees. It’s clear that whoever the player is, they must be able to play in the Champions League.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Inter vs Juventus
The other big match up this weekend (apart from Arsenal vs Manchester United) is the battle between Inter and Juventus! Although Roma is sitting in second spot, one place above Juventus, they are only one point behind. The Inter-Juve games have always been fierce and highly anticipated affairs and this is an especially important match. This is the first time the two teams have faced each other in a league match for almost a couple of years. Juventus is keen to reassert itself as a serie A powerhouse while Inter will want to prove that the last two scudettos were earned through a great team and not by default as many claim.
Both teams are certainly different from the last time they met. Juve has restructured and had to let some players leave while they pulled themselves out of serie B. While Inter has made some important buys over the last couple of years, a couple such as Ibrahimovic and Viera from Juve, allowing them to build a squad with much depth. Look at their line up of strikers for proof of that!
Inter are coming off the back of a 4-1 win over Genoa, a win where Ibrahimovic and Samuel were rested to not risk then picking up yellow cards as that would mean their suspension for the big game. Also Julio Cesar and Toldo were injured and the 3rd keeper had to be fielded. Suazo also scored his first goal for Inter, which will hopefully be the start of many more to come (another Adriano would be hard to take!). So Inter is still unbeaten after 10 games while Juve have lost a couple, drawn a couple and won the rest.
Traveling to Turin means the crowd won’t make it easy on Inter and the Adriano saga might have lowered the moral of the team a bit (He wasn’t happy about being subbed during a previous match and now isn’t even on the squad list for the Champions League group stages). Although that may be getting blown up as much more than it was, apparently he’s been doing really well at training.
Lippi has come out to say that Juve could take the scudetto, even though he admits Inter is the strongest team. He also conceded that it could go either way. Whatever happens, you can bet Juve will continue to fight all the way and this is going to be a tough match for both sides.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Inter vs Moscow (UEFA CL)
Inter had to fight back from being one goal behind to seal a win in Moscow, 2-1.
Inter had a difficult first half, struggling through injuries and suspensions, not to mention Viera breaking down again after just 17 minutes. The frailties were clearly evident and CSKA’s Jo did not hesitate to point this out be scoring the first goal. Things got a bit heated after that with Figo picking up a caution to commemorate his 100th UEFA CL appearance in the black and blue.
Crespo was able to equalise after the restart and Samuel completed the win with a somewhat lucky headed effort. From Figo’s cross he was able to put a deceptive amount of spin on the ball and as it bounced in front of the keeper, it turned a simple save into an embarrassing goal. Zanetti was happy with his fellow country men scoring although worried about Viera’s injury (It was later revealed that he could be out for another 2 months with a new calf problem). Inter are now sitting at the top of group G which makes a nice change from the usual struggle to get out of the group stages. Now they just have to continue to improve and play well to guarantee qualification into the knockout stages.
Inter now need to prepare for their Serie A match against Palermo on Sunday. A difficult game indeed! Enjoy the highlights below until then.
If you’re after extended highlights in good quality, see below.
[Video Length: 9m58s]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )
18 yards 