Last Monday as I walked out of the San Siro, I was relaxed about Inter’s season ahead. They’d just stuffed Torino 5-0, could’ve had many more and it looked as though the title race might actually be a race this season. Inter were dynamic, aggressive, purposeful and every player on the pitch wanted to be out there doing their best. Last night it all changed.
It seemed strange that Calhanoglu was instantly back in the team given his and his agent’s performance over the summer. There was a line drawn under all that apparently and he wanted to be here and fight for the team. Now, I should preface this with the disclosure that I’m not, in fact, a top level European Elite Coach. But one thing I do know about football, is that you don’t change a team that won 5-0 if you can avoid it.
The decision to drop Mkhitaryan – looking much rejuvenated last week – was an odd one, especially to shoehorn in a player who hasn’t had much of a pre-season (if any). It showed last night, from the off Inter were slower, much more passive in possession, lethargic and predictable. It brought back sudden memories of the Roma and Lazio matches at the end of last season.
Despite this they made the breakthrough, Denzel Dumfries firing home from a yard out after some good work by Marcus Thuram. Udinese to this point hadn’t offered much at all and it seemed like Inter may get away with it and slink into the international break with 6 points. Then Udinese woke up. They were very quickly awarded a VAR intervened penalty. For what it’s worth, for me, it seemed a harsh award. Dumfries’ arm is tucked in to his body and the ball comes from less than a yard away, I’m not sure what he’s supposed to do there, he’s not gaining an advantage. That said, the penalty is given and you have to deal with it.
Englishman Keinan Davis tucked it away and Inter immediately melted. They were outplayed, out thought and out fought for the rest of the first half that saw Davis assist a quite magnificent Atta goal. Inter looked shell shocked when the half time whistle went, they looked like the team that trudged off the pitch in Munich after a 5-0 whalloping by PSG.
Inter were better in the second half last night, but they didn’t do enough. Too many sideways passes, not enough movement in forward areas. Chivu tried to fix the issue with numbers, chucking players on the pitch in forward positions that seemed to just complicate things. Lautaro was quiet, both in his performance but also his voice. There was no rallying call issued on the pitch. In a stadium without the support and driving force of the Curva Nord, Inter needed leaders on the pitch, they were lacking.
The truth is, offside goals aside, they never looked like equalising let alone winning this match. They exposed their weaknesses for all to see, it’s their mindset. A supremely talented group of players, there’s no doubt about this. When things are going well, they go very well, but when they go wrong, they go very wrong.
There’s clearly a lot of trauma from that night in Munich, but also from the way they threw away an almost certain Scudetto. After Napoli limped towards the finish line, Inter only had to beat Lazio at home and Como away and they were over the line. Pedro’s late equaliser at the San Siro for Lazio handed Napoli an advantage that they clung on to.
During their 2024 title win they were “mentality monsters”. The Champions League Round of 16 defeat to Atleti seemed to galvanise the team, it hardened their focus as they went on a spectacular run in Serie A. They won 6 straight Milan derbies, they beat Juventus in a tense and tough battle at the San Siro and they only lost two games all season – both to Sassuolo – with an unbelievable defensive record to boot.
Where is that mindset now? PSG battered them 5-0 a mere week after they lost the Scudetto to Napoli and within a couple of days the Father of this Inter, Simone Inzaghi packed his bags and went to earn €30m a year in Saudi Arabia. Inter then scrambled for a coach and Chivu stepped in to the role of Step Dad to this team.
And that’s what Inter look like, a group of players who are still a little dazed. A little unsure. Are they able to trust again, do they want to allow themselves to love this new person in their life or will they be hurt again? They looked leggy and confused in the Club World Cup this summer, but it all seemed to go away last week.
Against Torino, Inter were exorcising their demons it seemed. Brilliantly passionate on the pitch, everything was going to be ok. One swallow doesn’t make a summer, however, and the win against Torino was swiftly followed by that massively disappointing second album against Udinese.
In the same way Inter fans shouldn’t have got too high after one game, this defeat shouldn’t get them too low, but we football fans are a fickle bunch and it’s easier to see the negatives than the positives in your own team.
These players will now travel the World for two weeks playing for their various national teams, before returning to Serie A action next Saturday against Juventus in Turin. Inter need to find some mental strength before that game, or it could be another blood bath…
The Calcio Blog 
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