Inter coach Rafael Benitez acknowledged that it would take time to change Mourinho’s coaching ways. The Spaniard tasted his first loss in a competitive fixture as boss of the Italian side when they were beaten 2-0 by Atletico Madrid on Friday.
“Some things we will need to do in the same way as we did before and change the way we do some other things. “It’s clear we will need some time but how long you never know. We have not had much time since the World Cup with the players. We were not at the level we needed to be against a team that was physically stronger and very good tactically.”
Rafael Benitez celebrates his debut on the Inter bench with a trophy, but for Rafa the Italian Super Cup is a title for the players.
“I am very happy because we showed character after going behind. It’s a title won by the players; a title for them, the club and the fans. It was our first competitive match. It wasn’t easy but we did it. The players did well. It’s clear: the fans, the club and the players won. The best thing about tonight? The reaction, because my boys weren’t fresh but they worked hard. We’re hoping to be a bit fresher for the European Super Cup next week.”
This is an intriguing story. Serbian striker Milan Jovanovic is out of contract at Standard Liege and signed a pre-contract to play for Rafa Benitez and Liverpool.
But it seems that Jovanovic, who scored the Serbian goal that beat Germany in the World Cup, is more interested in playing for Rafa than Liverpool.
“There is a deal signed with Liverpool, but if either side wants to pull out, it’s not impossible,” said Jovanovic last week.
This is interesting in that Jovanovic, 29, is a skillful and extremely fast striker. He has proven he can score goals at the top level with 13 goals in 39 games for Standard Liege last season. Plus he will not cost Inter any money.
Put the world’s best players in one place for a month and the rumors will start to fly about who is going where this summer. These are some of the rumors that I am hearing about Inter.
Outgoing:
Maicon to Real Madrid: I wrote about this yesterday with Inter and Real Madrid expected to agree on a deal worth around €30 million for the fullback. Odds on this deal happening are very high.
Wesley Sneijder to Manchester United: This is a new rumor that says Manchester United will make a £20 million bid for Sneijder. Sneijder was a huge part of Inter’s success last season and I think the odds of this transfer rumor become reality is very low.
It seems like everyone is wishing Jose Mourinho misfortune in his new coaching role at Real Madrid. Mourinho who made Italian history with Inter (yes i will milk this for all its worth) is not yet even a day old in his job and he has already received some stinging remarks from his predecessor Manuel Pellegrini and Joan Gaspart a former president of his old club Barcelona.
Manuel Pellegrini is obviously upset in the manner in which he was dismissed and he has every right to be. According to the Chilean, he only met Florentino Perez once during his stint as coach. This was back in August last year during his Unveiling ceremony. Since then Pelegrini has had no contact with Perez until last week when he sacked. OUCH!
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed the appeal made by Bayern Munich and has confirmed the three-game suspension imposed by the UEFA Appeals Body on the Bayern player Franck Ribery.
CAS rendered its final decision at a hearing in Lausanne, Switzerland, today, following the decision taken by UEFA’s Appeals Body on 5 May, and as a consequence Ribéry will not be eligible to play in the UEFA Champions League final in Madrid on Saturday.
Bayern had to know that the odds of the CAS overturning Ribery’s suspension were very low. But Bayern progressed without him in the semi-finals and to me the most dangerous Bayern player is Robben, not Ribery.
Trust Jose Mourinho to say something as bold as calling Roma boss Claudio Ranieri a loser. The war of words between these 2 coaches is bound to only get stronger as the Serie A title race hits the home stretch this week. With one game left to end the season, Inter’s challengers Roma have not given up hope of causing what might be the biggest upset in modern day football.
Inter Milan can win the first of a possible three titles tomorrow when they face AS Roma in the final of the Copa Italia. The Nerazzurrri who have been in superb form these last few weeks will be seeking to match Barca’s historic treble bagging the first of three titles tomorrow and in the process restore some pride to the Italian version of the beautiful game.
The match will kick-off at 2045 CET at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome (a venue i think might greatly favour Roma). I mean shouldn’t finals be played in a neutral stadium? Just think about it, if by any chance Roma win, then Inter would definitely not agree with that result.
I am sure that Inter’s run in the league these past few weeks may have left many skeptical about their chances of defending their scudetto title. With Roma and Milan in eye shot view of the title that has eluded them for years, Inter Milan definitely need some good news ahead of their Champions League fixture against CSKA Moscow. Davide Santon who has been out for most part of the season might be available for this crucial tie.
7 games is what separates Inter from a record breaking 5th successive scudetto. They will surely need the youth and agility of the Italy international in their remaining fixtures.
