Inter Milan was once considered an Eldorado for German soccer players. The triad of Lothar Matthäus, Andreas Brehme and Jürgen Klinsmann actually stands for a golden period at Inter, who became Italian champions again in 1989 after a long break and won the UEFA Cup for the first time in 1991.
On closer inspection, however, German soccer players almost always had a particularly difficult time at the club founded in 1908. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge came in 1984, was often injured and didn’t win a title. Matthias Sammer only lasted a few months in 1992, he found the “vita milanese” so sad. And Lukas Podolski fled again in 2015 after half a year.
These unencouraging histories didn’t stop Robin Gosens from joining Inter from Atalanta Bergamo last winter. It is therefore not surprising that the left-back from Emmerich will probably not be in the starting line-up for the Champions League opener against FC Bayern this Wednesday (9 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Champions League and on DAZN).
Federico Dimarco ousted DFB star
“Mysterium Gosens” was the title of the “Gazzetta dello Sport” days ago in view of the disappointing performances of the 28-year-old newcomer. “Seven months, but only one game as a regular player,” criticized the newspaper. The man who enlivened the attacking game of the German national team at the EM 2021 simply does not get going at Inter, like many of his predecessors.
Some say it’s the impressive backdrop of the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium that intimidates Gosens. But the analysis falls short. First the left-back was injured, later he was not called up to the squad several times. In the new season everything should be different. At the start of the season, Gosens played 2-1 against US Lecce on the left front of the starting line-up.
Inter found it extremely difficult, only scoring the winning goal in injury time. Eight attackers tried for Inter at that point, but Gosens was no longer there. Coach Simone Inzaghi took him off after 57 minutes. Since then, Inzaghi Gosens has only approved sporadic appearances, in the 2-3 lost city derby against AC Milan last Saturday it was only six meager minutes. A certain Federico Dimarco (24), a native of Milan and an Italian international, has ousted the DFB star.
Something is fishy at Inter
Gosen’s personal details are of interest from a German perspective. It also says something about the condition of the Italian champions of the 2020/2021 season and last year’s runners-up in Serie A. Because the traditional club is nominally one of the favorites for the Scudetto again this year, but something is rotten at Inter. Inzaghi is particularly worried about the defensive end.
“A team halfway,” judged “La Repubblica”. After two defeats of the season and eight goals conceded in five games, the game against FC Bayern is now either a real crisis, but could also be an opportunity “to get out of the depression”, as the same newspaper wrote.
Inter Milan’s squad has changed little ahead of this season due to the financial woes of the Chinese owners of the Suning group. The regulars Samir Handanovic (goal), Milan Skriniar (defense), playmaker Marcelo Brozovic, European champion Nicoló Barella and former Leverkusen player Hakan Calhanoglu (all midfield) form the framework of Inzaghi’s 3-5-2 system.
33-year-old Ivan Perisic, who played for many years on the left, left the club for Tottenham Hotspur on a free transfer in the summer, where Inter’s champion coach Antonio Conte now works. The left flank has long been one of Inter’s strengths, but since Perisic’s departure the balance has gone.
Inzaghi defends the players
With a single transfer, sports director Giuseppe Marotta wanted to cover the weaknesses of the team. He loaned Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea, whom he had sold to the Londoners for €113m a year earlier and who was key to winning the 2021 championship (24 goals). Lukaku suffered a hamstring injury at the end of August and is also out against FC Bayern. Inter have a team with many experienced players but are suddenly without their top striker. Edin Dzeko, formerly at VfL Wolfsburg, could replace Lukaku against Bayern.
The poor defensive performance of the last three games, seven goals conceded, two defeats, do not bode well in the Champions League with opponents like Bayern or FC Barcelona. Coach Inzaghi, a sophomore at Inter, defended his players. “Most of the responsibility is mine,” he said. It is now important to concede fewer goals, because “we always score”. From Inzaghi’s point of view, it doesn’t matter whether Robin Gosens or a certain Federico Dimarco is on the pitch.
