Having watched Inter’s first game of the season at Sampdoria on Saturday night, I have to confess that I was not overly impressed with what I saw from the Nerazzurri.
Granted, Inter had a lot of problems to deal with going into the clash. They were without a host of centre backs, meaning that Esteban Cambiasso had to partner the still not fully-fit Marco Materazzi. The midfield had its spine removed as Patrick Vieira was sidelined too.
It was coach Jose Mourinho’s debut in Serie A, and despite his undoubted qualities, he is still settling in to the new footballing culture, while many of his players are still getting to grips with the new 4-3-3 formation. Finally, Inter were up against a fine Sampdoria team, who only lost twice at home last season, possess Italy internationals such as Antonio Cassano and Angelo Palombo, and are a match for anyone on their day at the Stadio Ferraris.
A draw was a good result for an opening day encounter, especially considering none of the big-five teams won at the weekend. However, the performance was far from inspiring and Inter were very poor as an attacking force, barely testing Samp goalkeeper Antonio Mirante aside from Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s goal, which possibly should have been disallowed for handball.
I left the game on Saturday night pondering whether Inter’s 4-3-3 formation could work with the forward players they have at their disposal. In order to get the best out of such a system you need to be able to counterattack at lightning speed, mainly via the wide players. The likes of Arjen Robben and Damien Duff did this to devastating effect at Chelsea during Mourinho’s time there. However, a 36-year-old Luis Figo will not stretch the play, and many of the other forward options, even Ibrahimovic himself, are hardly renowned for their dynamism.
When Inter came forward against Sampdoria they were slow and predictable, and when they tried to counter-attack they did not have the legs to exhaust their opponents.
The signing of Ricardo Quaresma potentially solves this problem. He has pace, skill, flair and imagination in abundance, and could possibly provide that bit of attacking creativity that Inter were lacking these last two seasons, particularly in the Champions League.
On his day, Quaresma is a world-beater, and I can remember him completely out-shining Cristiano Ronaldo during a friendly against Italy in February, when he scored Portugal’s consolation in a 3-1 defeat. If the 24-year-old can regularly turn out these kinds of performances for Inter, he will be an inspired purchase.
However, consistency is a big problem for Quaresma, and he is just as liable to stink as he is to shine. In this respect, he is something of an unusual signing by Mourinho, who has traditionally preferred efficient team players rather than unpredictable individuals. In Italy Quaresma will have to learn to deal with tactical rigidness and discipline, and some critics doubt whether he is capable, especially for a mental point of view, of adapting.
Quaresma’s big game temperament has also been questioned. He flopped at Barcelona during one season there in 2003/04, although admittedly he was only 20 at the time. He also had no impact at Euro 2008 for Portugal, even if he started just one match, a dead-rubber tie against Switzerland in which he was possibly the worst player on the pitch.
Personally, I believe that Quaresma’s success at Inter is tied to just how well Mourinho’s 4-3-3 formation holds up in Serie A. I am still not convinced that this system is particularly well suited to the slower Italian game where midfields are congested, but who am I to question the innovative Mourinho? If the 4-3-3 is a success, then there is every chance Quaresma will be a success too.
Granted, Inter had a lot of problems to deal with going into the clash. They were without a host of centre backs, meaning that Esteban Cambiasso had to partner the still not fully-fit Marco Materazzi. The midfield had its spine removed as Patrick Vieira was sidelined too.
It was coach Jose Mourinho’s debut in Serie A, and despite his undoubted qualities, he is still settling in to the new footballing culture, while many of his players are still getting to grips with the new 4-3-3 formation. Finally, Inter were up against a fine Sampdoria team, who only lost twice at home last season, possess Italy internationals such as Antonio Cassano and Angelo Palombo, and are a match for anyone on their day at the Stadio Ferraris.
A draw was a good result for an opening day encounter, especially considering none of the big-five teams won at the weekend. However, the performance was far from inspiring and Inter were very poor as an attacking force, barely testing Samp goalkeeper Antonio Mirante aside from Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s goal, which possibly should have been disallowed for handball.
I left the game on Saturday night pondering whether Inter’s 4-3-3 formation could work with the forward players they have at their disposal. In order to get the best out of such a system you need to be able to counterattack at lightning speed, mainly via the wide players. The likes of Arjen Robben and Damien Duff did this to devastating effect at Chelsea during Mourinho’s time there. However, a 36-year-old Luis Figo will not stretch the play, and many of the other forward options, even Ibrahimovic himself, are hardly renowned for their dynamism.
When Inter came forward against Sampdoria they were slow and predictable, and when they tried to counter-attack they did not have the legs to exhaust their opponents.
The signing of Ricardo Quaresma potentially solves this problem. He has pace, skill, flair and imagination in abundance, and could possibly provide that bit of attacking creativity that Inter were lacking these last two seasons, particularly in the Champions League.
On his day, Quaresma is a world-beater, and I can remember him completely out-shining Cristiano Ronaldo during a friendly against Italy in February, when he scored Portugal’s consolation in a 3-1 defeat. If the 24-year-old can regularly turn out these kinds of performances for Inter, he will be an inspired purchase.
However, consistency is a big problem for Quaresma, and he is just as liable to stink as he is to shine. In this respect, he is something of an unusual signing by Mourinho, who has traditionally preferred efficient team players rather than unpredictable individuals. In Italy Quaresma will have to learn to deal with tactical rigidness and discipline, and some critics doubt whether he is capable, especially for a mental point of view, of adapting.
Quaresma’s big game temperament has also been questioned. He flopped at Barcelona during one season there in 2003/04, although admittedly he was only 20 at the time. He also had no impact at Euro 2008 for Portugal, even if he started just one match, a dead-rubber tie against Switzerland in which he was possibly the worst player on the pitch.
Personally, I believe that Quaresma’s success at Inter is tied to just how well Mourinho’s 4-3-3 formation holds up in Serie A. I am still not convinced that this system is particularly well suited to the slower Italian game where midfields are congested, but who am I to question the innovative Mourinho? If the 4-3-3 is a success, then there is every chance Quaresma will be a success too.
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