The end of an era

This time last season, Inter were on their way to completing a unique treble.

Fast forward 12 months and the Nerazzurri find themselves ousted from the Champions League and, with five games to go, are virtually out of the Serie A title race.

The 2010/11 season didn’t start on a bright note for Inter. The loss of coach Josè Mourinho was a huge blow for them.

Finding a suitable replacement was always going to be problematic for Inter supremo Massimo Moratti. He had identified England coach Fabio Capello as an ideal candidate to replace the ‘Special One’ but the FA was against the move.

Moratti’s choice eventually fell on Rafael Benitez. The Spanish mentor led Inter to the Italian Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup but stuttered in the domestic league and Inter got beaten by Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup.

Benitez enjoyed tremendous success with Valencia and Liverpool but he failed to win the support of Inter’s key players. His training regime was different, more demanding than Mourinho’s and a growing injury list in the early part of the season raised doubts about his modus operandi.

Inter played dreadfully at times and could only manage six wins in 15 Serie A outings. Benitez, who publicly criticised Moratti for failing to strengthen the squad, was sacked at the end of the FIFA Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi.

Newcomer Leonardo left an instant impact on the Inter dressing room. However, it was always going to be difficult for the Neraz-zurri to collect trophies under the Brazilian, a firm believer of attacking football.

In Italy, a common feature of title-winning sides is a solid defence. Likewise, on the European front, a side that leaks goals consistently rarely makes it to the final stages.

With Leonardo in charge, Inter look fragile at the back. They got bundled out of Europe by modest Bundesliga team Schalke (7-3 aggregate) and last weekend lost to Serie A strugglers Parma 2-0.

Inter won 37 points in 15 Serie A matches since Leonardo replaced Benitez but then conceded two defeats in their last three games.

After the unexpected defeat to Parma on Saturday, Leonardo himself admitted that Inter were not at their best in this crucial part of the season. They are trailing Milan by eight points and the chances of winning an unprecedented sixth successive scudetto look very remote.

Inter now look at the Coppa Italia for a chance to grab some silverware but many are reckoning that on Saturday, Parma’s Tardini Stadium brought the curtains down on Inter’s four-year golden era.

There are no two ways about it. Whether this campaign will prove to be a one-off or not very much depends on how the club bosses will react in this summer’s transfer window.

If Leonardo keeps his job and the current squad is not overhauled, it will be difficult for Inter to get back on the winning track.

But, if Moratti starts all over again with the signing of a top-notch coach and some quality players, Inter would stand a better chance to make amends for a disappointing campaign.

Serie A statistics

1 draw and three defeats are all faltering Bologna have to show from their last four outings. On Sunday, Alberto Malesani’s team were soundly beaten by Chievo at the Bentegodi stadium. Udinese remained in the hunt for a top-four finish thanks to a 2-1 away win at Napoli. Udinese’s first win after back-to-back defeats to Lecce (0-2) and Roma (1-2) coincided with Napoli’s first setback after a five-match positive run (one draw and four wins).

2 defeats (vs Milan 0-3 and Parma 0-2) in their last three outings have shattered Inter’s title dream. On Saturday, the champions conceded a goal in each half to taste their first setback at the Tardini Stadium since March 2006 (0-1). This was Parma’s first win after back-to-back upsets to Bari (1-2) and Lazio (0-2).

3 successive wins (vs Inter 3-0, Fiorentina 2-1 and Sampdoria 3-0) saw Milan consolidating their lead at the top of the Serie A. Milan’s latest victims were Sampdoria who conceded a third straight setback at the San Siro late Saturday. The Blucerchiati have only two points to show from their last nine outings and are now third bottom, with the spectre of relegation looming large.

4 penalties awarded by referees last weekend. Fran-cesco Totti gave Roma a false dawn as he converted a 20th-minute penalty against Palermo who equalised through a Mauricio Pinilla spot-kick just before half-time. Antonio Cassano doubled Milan’s lead against Sampdoria from the spot but Edinson Cavani saw his late penalty blocked by Udinese’s Samir Handanovic.

5 years had to pass for Palermo to emerge vic-torious from the Olimpico as the Sicilians came from a goal down to halt the Giallorossi’s climb towards the fourth spot. Palermo’s first win since Delio Rossi’s return coincided with Roma’s second consecutive home upset, following their 0-2 reverse against Juve, under new coach Vincenzo Montella.

30 goals scored on the 33rd day: 18 coming from the hosts and 12 from the visitors. Foreigners contributed with 16 goals. Gaetano Berardi (Brescia) committed the only own goal of the day, in favour of Genoa. No fewer than seven players – Mauro Zarate (Lazio), Mirko Vucinic (Roma), Antonio Cassano (Milan), Daniele Corvia (Lecce), Michele Marcolini (Chievo), Luca Antonelli (Genoa) and Giuseppe Mascara (Napoli) – came on as substitutes and scored.