As Celtic and Internazionale emerge from the tunnel at Celtic Park on Thursday for the first-leg of their Europa League last-32 clash, it would be no real surprise for fans of both sides to let their minds wander back to their respective heydays of the 1960s when they competed against each other for Europe’s grandest prize.
In 1967 Celtic became the first British side to lift what was then the European Cup, defeating Helenio Herrera’s venerable black and blue striped Grande Inter side in Portugal to earn themselves the ‘Lisbon Lions’ moniker. Inter had by that point won two European Cups having overcome Real Madrid in 1964 before following it up with a second triumph against Benfica.
Since those decadent days both clubs have enjoyed success in relation to what is expected of them, culminating in Inter’s pyrrhic 2010/2011 season under Jose Mourinho. After hundreds of millions spent on the team – his love – Massimo Moratti had reached his nirvana as Inter became the first Italian team to win the treble of Serie A, Coppa Italia and the Champions League. Since then it has been a story of decline which has been picking up pace year after year.
A pronounced sign of the drop-off from the heights of Diego Milito powering his way through the Bayern Munich defence in the Champions League final at the Bernabeu before Javier Zanetti held aloft the trophy is that of the captain’s armband. It is recognised that the chosen individual whose bicep is bestowed with the armband is not as prominent in European countries, such as Italy, compared to Britain. Yet it is surely galling for a fan base that has witnessed the Argentine maestro Zanetti wear the armband with such distinction to now have to comprehend the likes of Andrea Ranocchia, Yuto Nagatomo and Juan Jesus follow suit.
It has been a trying few years for the Interisti. It began with Rafa Benitez who found a squad that still yearned for Mourinho. He was unable to step out from the Portuguese’s illustrious shadow. He was reminded every day of the man who he was trying to emulate by a grand portrait of Mourinho, who he forged a rivalry with in England, that hung in the club’s training centre.
After clashing with Moratti following an apparent ultimatum about the January transfer window Benitez was shown the door. The then World Club Champions bundled from one manager to another, while the treble winning side disbanded from each transfer window to the next. No longer able to buy from the premium range of players they were, and still are, unable to challenge the dominant duo of Juventus and Roma, falling behind the likes of Napoli and Fiorentina.
After the failures of Leonardo, Gian Piero Gasperini, Claudio Ranieri, Andrea Stramaccioni and Walter Mazzarri, Inter, now under the command of Indonesian business-man Erick Thohir, looked to a familiar and feted face – one which began Inter’s period of dominance prior to Mourinho pulling the team to his heights. After a short spell at Galatasaray, where he continued his tradition of triumphing in the domestic cup, Roberto Mancini returned to the San Siro.
The soigné Italian won three Scudetti, two Coppa Italias and a Supercoppa Italiana in his first spell. But it was tempered by constant failure in Europe, a trait which transferred to Manchester City, highlighting his place among the group of managers the bracket below the likes of Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola. He was brought back to rejuvenate the Nerazzurri with an urge for the club to be back in the Champions League with the riches it provides.
But it has not gone to plan so far for Mancini and Inter, even after Sunday’s 4-1 defeat of Bergamo side Atalanta, helped by a despairing miss from ex-Heart of Midlothian lothario Mauricio Pinilla.
The win came only two weeks after the lowest point since Mancini returned. A humbling 4-1 defeat at Sassuolo which concluded with the players having to return to the pitch to apologise to their travelling fans. Freddy Guarin and Mauro Icardi approached to chuck their tops into the crowd once the game had finished only to be barracked by an away support who had been whipped into a fervent.
A return of six wins, five draws and the same number of defeats is not what anyone had in mind when Mancini swept back into Milan. They currently languish in 10th place, 10 points from Champions league qualification and behind Torino, Palermo and the two Genoese clubs – Genoa and Sampdoria. One of very few positives so far is the fact that they are above their city rivals in the league. Football in Milan is in a malaise.
When you think of the great Italian sides Celtic have went up against in the past you think of the balance they have achieved through defenders who make the dirty side of the game aesthetically pleasing, midfield generals and an attack glittered in stardust. Analysing the Inter side now and they are severely lacking in all three departments.
When trawling for adjectives to describe the defence slow, ponderous and absent-minded come to the fore. The signing of Nemanja Vidic was exalted but right from the start he developed a kamikaze streak to his game that he has not been able to shake, even after Inter switched from a back three to a back four. Mancini has opted for Ranocchia and Juan Jesus, the jelly in a doughnut which has been put in the microwave. Inter’s full-backs can attack having been primed to play as wing-backs under Mazzarri, so Celtic’s attacking fluidity should be able to move around the centre backs and find the gaps in Inter’s Swiss cheese like defence.
One shining light is Slovenian goalkeeper Samir Handanovic, the master penalty saver. Not among the world’s best but definitely one of the best on the Italian peninsula.
It is further forward where the Nerazzurri have a bit more about them, yet still lacking the players who would challenge for a place on the Balon D’Or shortlist; a smorgasbord of talent in the infancy of their careers, players who haven’t quite fulfilled their early potential and those who were no more than squad players at Europe’s giants clubs.
The purists among the crowd and those watching at home should be bewitched by Croatian star Mateo Kovacic, one of the most precocious midfielders in Europe. He has the look of someone who has developed his innate ability on the streets and he plays in that sense as well; looking forward either to beat a man with bit of skill or conjure a pass which undresses the opposition defence.
Those who prefer the blood and thunder aspect of the game will relish a midfield battle between Scott Brown and, if he plays, Gary Medel. Two snarling midfield enforcers who show little respect once they cross the white lines. Medel, the Chilean pitbull, has not played with the confidence he does when wearing the read of Chile but may be crucial in breaking up Celtic’s narrow possession play deep inside the opponent’s half.
With Lukas Podolski not registered, it will be up to fellow new signing Xherdan Shaqiri and controversial Argentine hitman Icardi to penetrate a Celtic defence used to taking risks, playing high up the park and who are inactive for large periods of the game. Shaqiri arrived from Bayern Munich and the diminutive forward possesses a thunderous left-foot, while Icardi, who is often in the headlines regarding his romance with the ex-wife of former team mate Maxi Lopez, is a predator in the box.
Mancini wants his side to play with more attacking purpose, playing forward rather than sterile possession. Similar to Celtic they don’t play with natural width high up the pitch, the full-backs required to provide it. There should be an interesting clash down the flanks where there will be ample space, while the centre of the park is likely to be cluttered. With the likes of Guarin, Kovacic and Hernanes in the team Nir Bitton will be looking for Brown and Stefan Johansen to play slightly deeper and more protective when out of possession.
It may not be a European Cup final but it is set to be an intriguing tie between a giant who has slipped to its knees looking for a steady platform to rise again and an upwardly mobile Celtic side continuing to develop as they respond to Ronny Deila’s influence.
WRITTEN BY JOEL SKED
Subscribe to the show via iTunes or through a podcast player. The RSS feed is http://terracepodcast.libsyn.com/rss
If you’d like to contact the podcast the email address is show@terracepodcast.net. Alternatively find us on Facebook or Twitter.
Subscribe to Podcast