Italian champions Inter welcome Atalanta in their last match of the Serie A season...

Time To Celebrate… Again

After officially winning the Serie A title two weekends ago, which was already boisterously celebrated by players and fans alike, the Inter squad will be handed their medals and the new ‘Scudetto Cup’ following the match this Sunday afternoon against Atalanta. The Bergamaschi have nothing left to play for, so don’t expect a gritty, hard-fought encounter, but there will certainly be a great atmosphere in the stadium as the fans will get to see their idols celebrate their title on the pitch.

Coach Jose Mourinho struck gold, at least domestically, in his first season at the club, but has he managed to make them improve or progress in any significant way since replacing Roberto Mancini? Looking purely at the results, the answer would be no. The team went out of the Champions League at the last 16 stage, just like last season, and if they beat Atalanta their points total will be one less than what Mancini managed in his final season at the club, when he also won the league. Also, they failed to reach the Coppa Italia final, while with Mancini they had reached it four consecutive times.

One could point out that the team have had to suffer much less than last season to win the Scudetto, but that was mostly because Roma proved to be fiercely competitive last year, while this season neither Juventus nor Milan ever looked like they would seriously challenge Inter’s crown. It could also be said that Inter played better football under Mancini, and were less dependent on Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but one has the feeling Mourinho has managed to create a better atmosphere in the dressing room, as not everyone was on Mancini´s good side when he was the coach.

Inter also looked more competitive than in other years in their Champions League tie against Manchester United, and could definitely have knocked out the then-European champions with a bit more luck and clinical finishing. This bodes well for Inter’s future European adventures, which is what they will presumably be focusing on even more starting next season. Mourinho recently extended his contract with the club to 2012, ending rumours that he might leave for Real Madrid after just one season at Inter, so he will have plenty of time to mould the team in his image.



This season he has mostly had to fall back on Mancini’s tactics to achieve success, as his initial preferred 4-3-3 system didn’t work out well at all, mostly due to the flops that were new signings Amantino Mancini and Ricardo Quaresma. This summer he will undoubtedly bring in a few new players, after already securing Genoa´s Diego Milito and Thiago Motta, so it´s likely that next season we will really see what Mourinho wants Inter to be like.

Solid Season For Atalanta

It’s been another solid season for Luigi Del Neri’s Atalanta, who have never really been in danger of getting relegated, although they were also never able to challenge for anything more than a safe survival either. Considering the squad they have available, however, this is probably the best they could have done.

One of the highlights for them, perhaps their best match of the season, was the one against Inter back in January. Jose Mourinho’s team were completely outplayed at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia, conceding three goals within the first half hour, and it could have been worse as Atalanta hit the woodwork twice in the second half. The match finished 3-1, with Ibrahimovic scoring only a late consolation goal, and a few weeks later, they also thrashed Roma at home 3-0.

Coach Del Neri has done a decent job at the club since joining them two years ago, but he has announced he will leave Bergamo this summer, most likely moving to Sampdoria. While Atalanta are a stable Serie A club, they are not the most ambitious in the peninsula, as for them staying in the top flight is worth almost as much as winning a Scudetto for the top teams.

Recent matches at San Siro against Inter don’t bode well for Atalanta. Inter have won eight of their last nine home fixtures against the Orobici, although the last they did manage to win, in the 2001-02 season, they played a decisive role in the Nerazzurri’s downfall which led to them losing the Scudetto to Juventus in the infamous May 5, 2002 match against Lazio.

FORM GUIDE

Inter

24/05 (Serie A): Cagliari-Inter 2-1
17/05 (Serie A): Inter-Siena 3-0
10/05 (Serie A): Chievo-Inter 2-2
02/05 (Serie A): Inter-Lazio 2-0
26/04 (Serie A): Napoli-Inter 1-0

Atalanta

24/05 (Serie A): Atalanta-Palermo 2-2
17/05 (Serie A): Juventus-Atalanta 2-2
10/05 (Serie A): Atalanta-Genoa 1-1
03/05 (Serie A): Udinese-Atalanta 3-0
26/04 (Serie A): Lazio-Atalanta 0-1

TEAM NEWS

Inter

Maicon, Nelson Rivas, Hernan Crespo, and Maxwell are out injured.

Possible formation (4-3-1-2): Toldo; Santon, Burdisso, Materazzi, Chivu; Cambiasso, Stankovic, Zanetti; Figo; Ibrahimovic, Balotelli.

Atalanta

Ferreira Pinto, Sergio Floccari, Diego De Ascentis, and Jaime Valdes are out injured.

Possible formation (4-4-2): Consigli; Bellini, Capelli, Manfredini, Peluso; Defendi, Cigarini, Guarente, Padoin; Doni, Plasmati.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Luis Figo (Inter)

A week after Paolo Maldini made his final appearance on the San Siro pitch, another football icon will hang up his boots following the match. While Figo certainly isn’t a club icon like the Milan captain, he is still a huge name in the football world. Many thought his transfer to Inter in 2005 would be a bad deal for the Nerazzurri, as he was already 32, but he has given a solid contribution over the years, and is a popular figure among the Inter fans.

Cristiano Doni (Atalanta)

While he hasn’t done quite as well as in the previous two seasons with Atalanta, in which he scored 25 goals in total, the 36-year-old has still had a fine campaign and he’s showing no signs of slowing down. He usually comes up big in games against top sides, and has found the net frequently against Inter, so they’ll have to watch out for him.

PREDICTION

Atalanta are a tough side and won’t go down easily. Expect Inter to give their fans one last victory to end the season, but it won’t be a walkover.

Inter-Atalanta 2-0