With the January transfer window opening in less than a month’s time, speculation has already begun running rife in the footballing world, with Inter Milan most recently being linked with the Serbian defender.
There is no doubting it would be a mistake if Roberto Mancini was to acquire the services of Branislav Ivanovic.
The Chelsea right-back has endured a woeful 2015-16 with the Premier League’s defending champions, and is right at the heart of the lack of success they have sustained thus far. Mancini’s Inter side, on the other hand, has been one of the surprises in Serie A this campaign after finishing eighth last term and were sitting at the summit of the standings before Monday night’s encounter against Napoli. The formula to Inter’s prosperity so far this season has been based around a tight and structured defence that is the most stringent in Italy’s top division.
Chelsea’s 2014-15 campaign saw the Blues concede just 32 times in 38 matches, this season they have already conceded 23 in 14 and find themselves in 14th place. Inter Milan have experienced the exact opposite – they let in 48 last term with the aforementioned mid-table finish, though now find themselves second and have conceded just nine goals in 14 league outings. There is no doubt Mancini has repaired his side’s leaky and inconsistent defence, but by adding Ivanovic to the squad’s ranks he will only be helping compound it once more.
The former Lokomotiv Moscow man’s style of play as a full-back sees him sit or make runs high up the pitch, helping in his side’s attacking phases of play. Due to his advancing years though, the Serb has lost the levels of fitness required to track back and ensure he assists in defence as well, resulting in the Chelsea man being caught out of position, something that has been commonplace for Ivanovic in 2015-16. As well as this, the right-back has seemingly lost some turn of pace in recent times, meaning when defenders dart pass him he is forced to either foul them or allow them to leave him for dead. Chelsea’s opening match of the season against Swansea is a prime example of this, where Jefferson Montero terrorised Ivanovic down the right flank.
Several key league stats highlight the 31-year-old’s rapid decline this term. Firstly, the Serb’s average amount of tackles won per 90 minutes has gone from 1.97 to 1.6, with his average of tackles lost increasing from 1.32 to 2.5. The amount of defensive errors made by Ivanovic in the entirety of last season’s Premier League campaign was just two, the very same number he has to his name this season after participating in just 10 league matches. The full-back’s amount of fouls committed per 90 minutes has increased from 1.11 to 1.5, whilst the amount of chances he has created has declined from 0.95 to 0.4 per match. Lastly, the Serbian’s average defence score per match, according to squawka.com, has gone from 7.03 to -7.88.
That sort of contribution would be unwanted at an Inter Milan side that has provided some of the best defensive performances seen in Serie A so far this season. Also, with many right-backs at Mancini’s disposal in the form of Davide Santon, Martín Montoya (who has yet to be utilised this campaign), Yuto Nagatomo and Danilo D’Ambrosio, it would be needless to acquire Ivanovic, who would also require significant wages in order to persuade him to join the Nerazzurri.
In fact, the only positives that could be garnered from any potential deal involving Inter Milan and the Serbian would be the fact that the club would be obtaining him for free, assuming Inter contact him over a possible Bosman deal due to the fact he is entering the final six months of his contract at Stamford Bridge – a point countered by the aforementioned high wages anyway – as well as Ivanovic’s versatility in also being able to ply his trade as a centre-back – also countered by the fact Inter already possess five extremely competent central defenders, two of whom are also over the age of 30.
Despite potentially losing him for free, the deal would see Chelsea benefit more than Inter, and it would only inflate an already large squad the San Siro side possesses. It would create more problems than solutions for Mancini, and he would be better off targeting someone who has more to offer than a Branislav Ivanovic who seems to be past his prime.
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