Inter still to show true potential

Inter are the hot favourites to win the scudetto this season. The demise of Juve, coupled with Milan's eight-point handicap due to their involvement in the match-fixing scandal, inevitably put Inter in pole position for the top prize that, on the field of play, has been eluding them since 1989.

Indeed, the omens look good for Inter. Moreover, they strengthened their squad considerably with the signings of Patrick Vieira, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Fabio Grosso and Hernan Crespo.

But, as the season got underway, we started to discover a completely different Inter side.

Instead of an assertive winning team, they began to stutter ever since their wayward 4-3 home win over Roma in the Italian Super Cup in August.

On the opening day of the league, Inter were 3-0 up against Fiorentina but conceded two late Luca Toni goals and had to struggle to preserve their lead.

Inter did not learn their lesson. On match day four, they were beating Chievo 4-0 before allowing their modest opponents to score three goals inside the closing 12 minutes.

Inter did another Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde show on the third day when they went on to beat in-form Roma convincingly at the Olympic Stadium.

Subsequent draws against Sampdoria and Cagliari held Inter from going top of the standings.

Inter are far off their form and still have to convince the sceptics and, more importantly, the fans.

Mancini can count on an already-settled base this year but somehow Inter are looking as though the players still have to gel together.

No module is functioning properly for Mancini. Some key players look nervous too.

Players not at ease

Vieira has already been shown the red card twice and last Sunday Grosso vented his anger against Mancini after scoring the equaliser against Cagliari.

Adriano did not relish being substituted three minutes from time at the Sant'Elia with Inter all out in search of a winner.

Against Cagliari, Mancini deployed a 4-3-3 system. That decision weakened Inter's midfield in no small way. The attacking prowess, which comprised Crespo, Ibrahimovic and Adriano, was far from effective.

In Europe, Inter need to keep their feet firmly to the ground and start playing as a team to stand any realistic chance of making it to the second round of the Champions League after losing their opening two matches.

Massimo Moratti has backed Mancini in every move he made so far but results left much to be desired at home and abroad.

In the Serie A, Inter are currently second behind Roma and Palermo and in the Champions League they have no points following defeats to Sporting Lisbon and Bayern Munich.

Time and again Inter have proved that money alone does not buy success. Team spirit, a healthy dressing room and a proper management structure are all key qualities behind the success of any club. But do Inter possess any of these requisites?

Serie A statistics

1st win for Sampdoria after a barren run of 17 league games. Last week, they beat Parma 3-2. It was Samp's first win in Serie A since beating Messina on February 12 and their eighth success in 13 home meetings with Parma. As for Stefano Pioli's Parma, that of Sunday was their fourth consecutive defeat. Atalanta, meanwhile, confirmed their poor home record with Reggina against whom they have never prevailed in four league encounters - three draws, including that of Saturday, and a defeat.

2nd win of the term for Fiorentina as they left it late to beat Catania who were reduced to nine men. It was Fiorentina's fifth win in nine home league clashes with the Sicilians. The last time the southerners left Tuscany with a draw was on February 14, 1971 (1-1). For the third season running, Inter could not go beyond a draw at Cagliari. Coach Roberto Mancini fielded an attacking formation but his move proved to be counterproductive as Cagliari's 'extra' man in midfield enabled them to control the game better. Inter's last win in Sardinia dates back to the last day of 1999/2000 (2-0).

3rd defeat in five outings for crisis-hit Torino as Alberto Zaccheroni's men were soundly beaten by Lazio at home. It was Lazio's fourth victory in their last five league visits to Turin. After a goalless first half, Delio Rossi's side were definitely a cut above Torino as they scored four times inside 23 minutes. What is surely wrong with Torino is that Zaccheroni cannot adopt his preferred 4-3-3 module. One has to bear in mind that Gianni De Biasi was Torino's coach until a few days before the season got underway. Saturday's victory was Lazio's third straight win.

5 teams - Torino, Cagliari, Chievo, Ascoli and Parma - are still in search of their first win. Only two sides, Inter and Milan, are undefeated. Palermo possess the most prolific attack with 12 goals and Parma have the worst defensive record with 11 goals against. With only one goal against, Milan have the best defensive record. Parma, Torino and Ascoli, with just three goals, have the least prolific attacks. Meanwhile, two penalties were taken last weekend. Massimo Oddo doubled Lazio's lead against Torino and from the 11 metres Matteo Contini reduced the arrears for Parma in their 2-3 reverse to Samp. Three players - Domenico Morfeo (Parma), Mattia Biso and Lorenzo Stovini (both Catania) - received marching orders.

9th winless league game on the trot (including 2005-06) for Chievo as they were beaten by Palermo for the very first time in three Serie A home meetings. For Francesco Guidolin's side this was their fourth win in five outings. Roma currently lead the standings, level on points with Palermo, after edging Empoli by a solitary Vincenzo Montella goal. It was Montella's first goal at the Olimpico since the 3-0 home victory vs Livorno on February 20, 2005. Empoli's only positive result in eight league visits to Rome dates back to January 31, 1999 (1-1). Also, Empoli have not scored a single goal in their last three league visits to Rome. Messina succumbed to their first upset of the term as they went down to Livorno for the first time in three league clashes. Messina still have five points more than they had after five days last season.

10 straight home league wins (including 2005-06) came to an abrupt end for Milan as they could not go beyond a goalless home draw with Siena who had goalkeeper Alexander Manninger in fine form. Siena left the San Siro undefeated for the first time in four Serie A visits. Together with Milan, Inter, Messina, Roma and Sampdoria, Siena are still unbeaten in away matches. Udinese and Ascoli figured in the only other goalless draw of the weekend. With this draw, Udinese extended their unbeaten run to four games (two wins and two draws). Ascoli's only win in 10 league visits to Udine dates back to January 31, 1982 (2-0).

19 goals were scored on the fifth day: nine coming from the hosts and the remaining 10 from the visitors, who managed three victories. Foreigners contributed with only two goals. There were eight first-half goals. Total number of goals scored so far amount to 121. Neither own goals nor hat-tricks were recorded. Lazio and Italy defender Massimo Oddo was the only player to grab a brace in the weekend fixtures. Martin Jorgensen (Fiorentina) and Thomas Danilevicius (Livorno) were the only two players who came on as substitutes and found the net. Reggina's up-and-coming striker Rolando Bianchi still leads the goalscorers' list with four goals (one from a penalty). The former U-21 striker is closely followed by Corini (Palermo), Crespo (Inter), Delvecchio (Sampdoria), Frick (Siena), Oddo (Lazio), Riganò (Messina) and Toni (Fiorentina), all on the three-goal mark.