Roberto Mancini hasn’t had as much of an impact on his return to his former employers Inter Milan as many may have expected. Only three wins in nine league games have left the capital club sitting in ninth position in the Serie A table.
A manager with a wealth of experience and knowledge, he has what it takes to turn the club back into a title challenging side. There is little excuse for his disappointing start however, having inherited a relatively strong squad, including former Manchester United centre back Nemanja Vidic, along with strikers Dani Osvaldo and Rodrigo Palacio.
Last week, Mancini made his first major foray into the transfer market with two exceptional deals. More remarkably, both these deals came in the form of loans, which for the club struggling by their high standards comes as a major positive move.
Lukas Podolski, who was a World Cup Champion just over six months ago with Germany, has joined until the end of the season from English Premier league side Arsenal. A proven goalscorer at every club he has played for, scoring at least one in three at all of his previous employers. At 29-years-old, if he is successful infront of goal we could well see him serving a few years in the Nerazzurri shirt. The other acquisition is 23-year-old Swiss midfielder and playmaker Xherdan Shaqiri. Again arriving on a loan until the end of the season, but with an option to sign the former Bayern Munich player who has joined on a contract that could see him at Inter until 2019. Shaqiri, is the only player in history to score a World Cup perfect hattrick, and is bound to create many opportunities for this frightening forward line up for the remainder of the season.
Both were involved in Sundays 3-1 victory over Genoa at the San Siro. Podolski started the game with the Swiss midfielder on the bench, and the home side made a fantastic start. Just 12 minutes in, the Argentina striker Rodrigo Palacio opened the scoring. 5 minutes before half time, his fellow countryman Mauro Icardi double Inter’s lead, leaving Mancini with a happy half time team talk. However Genoa pilled on the pressure and pulled a goal back five minutes before the full time whistle, only for Inter to regain their two goal lead three minutes later thanks to defender Vidic from a Lukas Podolski corner. 3-1 it finished and inter move up to 9th.
Prior to the game however, they had only won one of eight league games so the victory would have been a welcome relief.
As for Podolski and Shaqiri, the move to Inter is a good one. Where before they were a bench warmer at best who could admittingly come on to devastating effect, they both have a strong cause to claim a starting place in Mancini’s starting eleven, and could both see themselves playing for the club for a few years to come.
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