Why Simone Inzaghi Is The Perfect Fit For Inter

After lifting the Serie A title, Antonio Conte’s departure from Inter could have been catastrophic.

Not only did they secure their first title in a decade under the former Chelsea man, but they did so, losing just three matches, the lowest tally since 2008. With Romelu Lukaku’s goals, Conte looked set to create a dynasty similar to a decade ago. Instead, he left, and Inter turned to Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi.

Over the summer, Lukaku left, and Lautaro Martinez was linked with moves away from the club. It seemed that an Inter fire sale was on the cards, maybe even a struggle to implement another title challenge. Instead, Inter look strong in the season’s opening stages and in as good a shape as the last campaign. Much of that is down to Inzaghi.

The 45-year-old is perfect as Conte’s replacement; he operates a 3-5-2 formation, the same as Conte, so there has been some continuity in their approach. He’s also a great man-manager, which has resulted in Martinez penning a new deal, as reported by Sempre Inter. Whilst his remaining at the club is a big boost, the summer business also helped drive the club forward, despite the departure of Lukaku. Edin Dzeko joined from Roma and Denzel Dumfires from Eindhoven. Both commanded modest fees but have settled quickly at the San Siro.

Any possible pressure on the new manager was alleviated early, with a fine 4-0 opening day win against Genoa. Dzeko was on target, a vein of form he continued in, bagging five in his first eight outings. He’s quickly filled Lukaku’s boots, forming a strong partnership with Martinez. Alexis Sanchez is slowly coming back into fitness, further strengthening Inzaghi’s hand for the upcoming season.

It hasn’t all been easy; their 1-0 defeat at home against Real Madrid in the Champion League was hard to take, not least as the goal came in the 89th minute, but with Shakhtar Donetsk and FC Sheriff their other opponents, they should still find a passage through the group stage.

Inzaghi also has history on his side in terms of age and experience. A feature on top football managers by Bwin shows that the best performing bosses tend to be in their forties; he is one of five Serie A managers at that age (the others are Ivan Juric, Alessio Dionisi, Vincenzo Italiano and Igor Tudor). Not only that, but the most successful managers also tend to have had at least one job before becoming a success and have already won trophies. Inzaghi won two trophies with Lazio, the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana, and is in his second managerial role.

Finally, players who enjoyed a successful playing career tend to be more successful, and Inzaghi picked up a Serie A title with Lazio in 2000, three Coppa Italia wins and a UEFA Super Cup in an illustrious career. He also appeared for his country on three occasions and came from a strong football family as the older brother of Filippo Inzaghi.

Despite those fears after Conte leaving, it does seem Inter have made the perfect appointment in terms of tactics, approach, and demographics. It might lead them not only to Serie A success but also potentially their first knockout stage appearance in the Champions League since 2011.

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