Few coaches get the sack after leading their team to the domestic title. Yet, in the last two years, two highly-rated Italian coaches received exactly this treatment.

It happened to Fabio Capello at Real Madrid in 2007 because, according to his employers, his championship-winning team had failed to produce entertaining football.

Roberto Mancini was also dismissed by Inter despite guiding them to back-to-back Serie A titles. Inter's failures in the Champions League cost Mancini his job as the Nerazzurri suffered early elimination at the hands of Valencia in 2007 and Liverpool last season.

Under German coach Bernd Schuster, Real retained the Spanish Liga crown last May. On the other hand, it remains to be seen whether Inter will defend their Serie A title under José Mourinho.

Some critics had suggested that Mancini's Inter were strong when facing weak opponents but weak against the strong. It was argued at the time that Inter only won the title in 2007 after Juventus were demoted to the Serie B and Milan started the campaign with a huge point handicap.

Last season, Inter managed to retain the title but only just. On the final day, Inter were on the verge of losing out to Luciano Spalletti's Roma after the latter had made a strong comeback in the final months of the Serie A campaign.

Apart from Roma, there was no other Serie A side capable of giving Inter a real challenge in the past two seasons. In the Champions League, Inter looked vulnerable and were knocked out from the competition in the second round.

As Mancini's replacement, club owner Massimo Moratti wanted to hire a coach with a proven track record who could help Inter end their long wait for Champions League success.

After much speculation, Moratti dispensed with Mancini and appointed Mourinho. But, have Inter really improved under Mourinho?

They are gaining the results but not in the same emphatic way they used to when Mancini was in command. In the last two seasons, Inter made a blistering start but experienced a dip in performances and results in the crucial February-March period.

Inter were the undisputed leaders practically from the start till the end of each of their last two title-winning campaigns but they have been somewhat inconsistent this term, at least until now.

Although one has to judge Inter's performance over the course of a whole season under Mourinho, one thing looks certain... it will be much more difficult for them to retain the Scudetto because the competition is stronger.

In recent matches, the Portuguese mentor has deployed two pure strikers and two supporting forwards. However, their performances have not been very impressive.

Until now, the reigning champions have depended heavily on the individual skill and flair of their star players to obtain the desired results but they have not been playing as a unit.

Their midfield department, often featuring only two hard-working players, has failed to offer proper protection to a defence that has looked rather shaky in a number of matches. But Mourinho is adamant to rectify matters.

The rapport Mourinho has with some of his players is far from ideal. One is indeed baffled by Mourinho's stance to play Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic in each and every game this season when he has five other top-quality strikers in Julio Cruz, Hernan Crespo, Adriano, Mario Balotelli and Victor Obinna.

There is not a shadow of doubt that Ibrahimovic is the best of the crop but one expected that, in less important games, Mourinho would use the other strikers and give Ibrahimovic a rest.

One cannot but criticise Mourinho for making internal problems public. Rifts with players such as Adriano and Cruz should have been kept within the parameters of the dressing room and not end up on the front pages of the Italian newspapers.

If Mourinho's mind games paid rich dividends in his first two seasons in England, in Italy it is simply not the same. Mourinho's provocative statements, often aimed at riling opponents, especially bitter rivals Milan, are being flatly ignored. This has irked Mourinho who had traded unpleasant comments with Catania chief Pietro Lo Monaco and Juve mentor Claudio Ranieri earlier this season.

In England, Mourinho led Chelsea to back-to-back titles at a time when Man. United were rebuilding their squad. But once Sir Alex Ferguson had assembled a team capable of challenging big-spenders Chelsea, Mourinho and his team were displaced from the top of the Premier League.

In Italy, Mourinho's mission is somewhat different than when he was at Chelsea in the sense that he has taken over a winning team that only needs a strong coach who can transform it into a major force on the continent.

The challenge is massive but achievable because Inter have put together an awesome squad.

One expects Inter to win trophies this season because Mourinho has a fantastic squad at his disposal. The man in charge doesn't have to be the 'special one' to triumph. All Inter need is a pragmatic, charismatic and witty coach. Just that.