Rafa Watch

[Rich]

Few months back there was a very interesting article Moretti and the crazy sums of money that Inter Milan had spent over the past five or six years. They really are losing masses of cash every season, thanks in the main to their wage bill.

It wouldn't surprise me if Moretti realises that the team well and truly peaked last season and he's unwilling to put the club into even more debt.

[saj]

They are as I said in the same situation as Milan was in 2007 after they won the CL.

Old squad and need to replace many players on the way down. Not even Ancelotti succeeded to turn around Milan without big money backing.

.

I think you'll Inter are not. In 2007, Milan finished in 4th- 37 points behind Inter. They had been in decline way before 2007 and we went into the 2007 final as favourites. Inter still virtually have the same squad as last year. Continuity is far more important than spending lots of money especially if you are already winning things. Look at Chelsea last year: they had a relatively old squad but it was a squad that had been together for a fair few years.

Rafa is a better squad builder than Mourinho.

No one can even compare with Mourinho when it comes down to get the best out of players. He is on a different planet than everyone else.

Rafa in Spain is well known in Spain as a great manager who can get the best out of players. He has always been criticised for not being able to build a squad. The guy who is apparently a good friend of Benitez and wrote a book on him, stated that was the case with Benitez. Paco Lloret is the man who wrote the book - here is a quote from him:

Wherever the truth lies, Benitez is unlikely to play such a central role in buying players at Inter, where sporting director Marco Branca and owner Massimo Moratti have the final say in new signings.

According to Paco Lloret, Benitez's biographer and close friend, this system will suit the Spaniard, as it more closely resembles that which was in place during his time at Valencia, where he won two Spanish league titles and a Uefa Cup.

"Benitez is a much better trainer than a finder of players," Lloret stated. "He knows how to design systems and work with a team. Others might have a better eye for a player, but they wouldn't know how to train them like Rafa Benitez does.

Benitez inherited a fantastic squad with Valencia and managed to get the best out of them without signing many players. And also it was a relatively old squad he had at Valencia too - not as old as Inter's now but not too far off. There was two notable young players in Aimar and Vicente. But Valencia's defence was very old: Ayala, Pellegrini and Carboni.

[Rich]

He's a kid who's just breaking through to the team.

I know! But he's still been played in a lot of games.

[Shaggy]

Doesn't matter who your manager is when you are without Julio Cesar, Philippe Coutinho, Cristian Chivu, Diego Milito, Joel Chukwuma Obi, Walter Samuel, Maicon, Sulley Muntari, Thiago Motta, David Suazo, McDonald Mariga your team is going to struggle. Add to that if E'too gets a ban for his stupid stunt Inter is done.

All that lot are out at once?

[Bender]

All that lot are out at once?

Inter Team against chievo

Luca Castellazzi
Ivan Cordoba
Javier Zanetti
Lucio
Davide Santon
Dejan Stankovic
Esteban Cambiasso
Samuel Eto'o
Jonathan Biabiany
Goran Pandev
Wesley Sneijder
Substitutes
Paolo Orlandoni
Marco Materazzi
Felice Natalino
Nelson Rivas
Mancini *
Nwankwo Obiora **
Denis Alibec ***

[Craig_H]

Still easily enough there to be beating Chievo though, surely.

[Arn]

All that lot are out at once?

Chivu is back.

They are clearly struggling to adapt to the new system. That is why they get a lot of injuries IMO.

Rafa should have seen that they had a tough last season and adapted his system to a less hard pressing one. Big mistake by him.

It could have worked with a younger squad but like so many players said. Rafa demands a lot of you and not many players cope with the extremely hard work he demands from you that many years.

[Reece]

Did I just witness Arn criticising Rafa?

[Craig_H]

Clear case of account hacking, there.

[Arn]

Did I just witness Arn criticising Rafa?

I have done that a lot of times but no one remembers it for some reason

It was a big mistake by him and he should have adapted his system. He is making the same mistake as Roy, playing a system that doesn't suit the squad.

He is acting like a stubborn old git.

[Kenneth]

[Craig_H]

[Dalglish007]

Inter Team against chievo

Luca Castellazzi
Ivan Cordoba
Javier Zanetti
Lucio
Davide Santon
Dejan Stankovic
Esteban Cambiasso
Samuel Eto'o
Jonathan Biabiany
Goran Pandev
Wesley Sneijder
Substitutes
Paolo Orlandoni
Marco Materazzi
Felice Natalino
Nelson Rivas
Mancini *
Nwankwo Obiora **
Denis Alibec ***

still a very good team.
they should have won yesterday.

[The_weatherman]

still a very good team.
they should have won yesterday.

Good team yes, but I wonder if some players in the Inter squad are just mentally drained, like Sneijder who passed out at half time recently due to exhaustion. There is a reason why teams find it difficult to win back to back trophy's, it's hard to stay motivated and since they didn't freshen the squad up a little I think it's no wonder they are not doing as well as they did last year.

Still should be doing a bit better maybe but teams like Milan and Juve got a lot of quality in the summer which is what Inter should have done, I can see Arn's point there and agree with them regarding Inter standing still.

[G]

Mourinho is lapping it up,the classless cunt

"Mourinho on Benitez's woes at Inter: "Has he lost again? Unbelievable. He's already 9 points back..."