History was made on Monday evening when, for the first time, Inter mathematically secured the Scudetto by winning the Derby della Madonnina against city rivals Milan.
It is their 20th league title and their sixth consecutive derby win. Simone Inzaghi’s squad of leaders team has dominated Serie A this season and they deserve to be celebrating this historic feat.
They have scored 79 goals in 33 games and only conceded 18. Inter have been close to perfect in the league.
The best team in Italy by a distance, they have lost only once in the league all season. The Nerazzurri has gone from strength to strength despite doubts lingering at the start of the campaign.
They may have reached the Champions League final last season but questions remained about how much could be accomplished given the club’s limited budget.
A large loan taken out by the ownership that is scheduled to be repaid in May meant Inter had to continue selling to ensure financial stability.
Several important and high-profile names departed, including Romelu Lukaku, Andre Onana and arguably the team’s best defender Milan Skriniar.
Marcelo Brozovic and Edin Dzeko, veterans who were pivotal to success in Europe, also left. When Inter announced the arrivals of Marko Arnautovic, Alexis Sanchez and Yann Sommer, critics wondered if the lack of meaningful investment would reduce them to mediocrity.
However, Inzaghi never wavered in the belief he would guide the team to success.
Under an immense amount of pressure last season, the Italian media all but demanded his exit.
Twelve league defeats – nearly a third of their Serie A matches – meant Inter could not challenge Napoli for the title and had seemingly lost the winning mentality introduced by his predecessor Antonio Conte.
Only Inzaghi’s results in the Champions League rescued his reputation.
It is testament to the club’s ownership and management that their patience was maintained. Steven Zhang believed in the men he hired and his management believed in the strength of Inzaghi and in their choice of players.
Each season at Inter, Inzaghi has refined his squad further, learning from past mistakes to create a fine team in his image, playing the kind of football that has thrilled his harshest critics and entertained neutral fans.
Always speaking well, he refuses to antagonise opponents and never indulged in the mind games Juventus began. He made sure to show respect to Stefano Pioli, his opponent in the derby and the man he took over from at Lazio.
He lost the title to him in 2022 but finally won his first Scudetto this year, in the Derby di Milano of all games.
As for the new arrivals, Sommer has kept more clean sheets than any other keeper in Europe’s top-five leagues so far this season while Benjamin Pavard, Marcus Thuram and Davide Frattesi have proved central to the team’s success.
Fans soon forgot Lukaku when Thuram opened the scoring in a 4-0 drubbing of Fiorentina early in the season then scored in the derby the following week – a 5-1 win against their city rivals that saw Inter lay down a marker.
This team was aware of its strength and was targeting trophies.
Modern football suggests high-value investments must be made to win, yet Inter have reminded us excellent planning is key to success.
Taking a collaborative approach to team building, chief executive Beppe Marotta, Inzaghi and the rest of Inter’s management have showed that buying well does not necessarily mean buying expensive.
“The human element is essential, as you can have great players, but if they are not also great men, it becomes more difficult to form a team,” explained Marotta, who now boasts 10 Serie A titles as a director – eight with Juventus and two with Inter.
The squad boasts the right blend of young and old, experienced and energetic – all with the mindset and willingness to work hard and prove doubters wrong.
Most important was the atmosphere within the dressing room. Inter created a family – a group of individuals who enjoyed spending time together and working for one another.
It is of course easier to work hard for a team when you are a childhood fan, and diehard supporters Alessandro Bastoni, Nicolo Barella and Federico Dimarco fulfilled lifelong dreams by donning the black and blue to fight for their club.
Alongside them has been ex-Milan player Hakan Calhanoglu who, under the lights of Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, breathed in the success.
Taunted by his former club when they lifted the title in 2022, he has proved invaluable to Inter this season because of his intelligence, dynamism and prompting in midfield.
Francesco Acerbi – a former Milan Ultra once in their infamous Fossa Dei Leoni association – opened the scoring against his beloved club on Monday and has proved to be the defensive leader Inter desperately needed.
The centre-back has consistently demonstrated why Inzaghi fought so hard to get him.
To keep winning and improving while continuously reducing costs is a utopian concept in football, yet Inter continue to turn fantasy to reality.
Their one regret remains exiting Europe at the hands of Atletico Madrid. Inter can create a mountain of chances but converting enough of them has been a problem in Europe especially.
As for Milan, their lack of leadership was the reason for another defeat and another listless performance – other than for a brief few minutes towards the end.
This team continues to produce hot and cold performances but against their city rivals, they almost always disappoint. For Pioli, Inter are the adversary he cannot seem to beat any more while the fans appear desperate to see the back of him.
In key games, such as the derby or defeat by Roma in the Europa League, Milan have failed to demonstrate the hunger and intensity required of a big club.
The squad lacks leaders who can turn the game around in the way Zlatan Ibrahimovic once could. Some players have great promise but others are yet to prove Milan-worthy.
Pioli must also look at his decisions – such as leaving out striker Olivier Giroud to play winger Rafael Leao as a false number nine. The coach has not always picked the best side on current form, while questions must be asked of his failure to motivate the team for important matches.
He must hope his club exhibits the same amount of patience as Inter did 12 months ago and grant him time to build the squad in his image.
Ten new players arrived last summer while he lost key figures like Sandro Tonali, as well as allies at management level.
Two years ago, it was his squad that demonstrated the maturity required to win big matches and secure the title; it remains to be seen if the club think he is capable of managing the feat again.
Milan take on Juventus next weekend in what has become the ‘Derby of the Defeated’.
Both sides have a lot to learn from Inter when it comes to designing the perfect squad led by the perfect maestro to manage the perfect Serie A season.
