Walter Mazzarri was relieved of his duties in mid-November after a run of less than desirable results and was replaced by Inter legend Roberto Mancini, coming in for his second stint as manager of the Nerazzurri.
Many thought he would turn the club’s fortunes around, however, Inter seems to have neither progressed nor regressed under the former Manchester City boss.
Another drab performance was what over 74,000 fans witnessed at the San Siro as Inter Milan played out a 0-0 draw with fierce rival AC Milan. What once was one of the most passionate and thrilling derbies in world football has now become just another game in the Serie A schedule, it seems.
A draw was what neither team needed in their quests to return to Europe, especially Mancini’s Inter who sits a point behind AC Milan in tenth place, although many watching the game would be forgiven for thinking otherwise, as they saw two teams that seemed almost content with claiming only a point from the Derby della Madonnina.
It’s not just this match either where Inter has seemingly lacked purpose and a cutting edge under Mancini. Before the previous week’s fixture (a 3-0 victory against Hellas Verona), the Nerazzurri played Cesena, Sampdoria (who, to be fair, has had a very productive season) and bottom-placed Parma. Out of these three games, Inter only mustered two goals and gathered two points from a possible nine.
This all reflects poorly on owner Erick Thohir’s decision to appoint Mancini after the sacking of Walter Mazzarri. However, those who recall Inter’s performances under Mazzarri this season will remember similar, if not worse, showings. A 4-1 home loss to 18th-placed Cagliari as well as a 2-0 loss to cash-strapped Parma are some of these.
So, was Inter Milan better off under an experienced and proven campaigner such as Mazzarri who had restored the Nerazzurri to Europe after a terrible season under Andrea Stramaccioni, or are they in good hands heading into the future with Mancini, who has previously won titles with the club as well as with Manchester City?
An optimist would say that Mancini has stopped the rot that was spreading through a team that finished fifth last season under Mazzarri and was rapidly in decline, that they would come good next season.
A pessimist would say the team was just having a bad campaign under Mazzarri, that he was sacked too soon and that the team has now stagnated under Mancini and would produce similar showings in 2015-16.
Stats show that the team is relatively similar under Mancini to what it was under Mazzarri this season. During Mazzarri’s 11-game reign throughout the early stages of the 2014-15 Serie A campaign, the team scored 17 goals, conceded 14, created 149 chances, averaged 55% possession, and averaged 39 defensive actions per game.
During Mancini’s 20 matches in the current Serie A season, the team has scored 29 goals, conceded 23, created 218 chances, averaged 57% possession, and averaged 48 defensive actions per game.
One thing these stats do show under the new boss, however, is that Inter (even with a 2% higher average possession) fail to control games in midfield as capably as it would have done under the previous boss. An average of 48 defensive actions per game compared to an average of 39 shows this.
Regardless of this, one thing that seems to have worked in Mancini’s favour this season is the decision to change back to a four-man-defence from Mazzarri’s preferred 3-5-2 formation.
The results remain similar, however the perception from the fans is that this is the correct decision leading into the future. What has seemingly occurred as a result of this change is Rodrigo Palacio scoring goals again. With no goals at all this season under Mazzarri, Palacio currently has nine in all competitions under Mancini.
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As well as Palacio’s mini revival, Mancini has a proven track record of developing youngsters, whereas Mazzarri is known for the opposite; Mateo Kovacic’s form this season is a prime example of this.
So whilst it is true that the Nerazzurri remain on the same level under Mancini as they were under Mazzarri this season, the future should not seem too bleak, even without European football next campaign (barring a miracle), as Mancini may just prove to be a better long-term choice than Mazzarri. With a few good signings to add balance to the team, Inter can kick off the 2015-16 season with some stability and without the added distraction of the Europa League.
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