Inter, Gasperini’s 90 days in 2011

Fiorello slapped him harder, someone who usually made him laugh. That afternoon 14 years ago made him angry. History to dust off. Gian Piero Gasperini had just lost 4-3 against Palermo in his first championship match with Inter. All after having already let the Super Cup go towards Milanello. Two goals from Miccoli, one from Hernandez, another from Pinilla. A bad, dark evening, like returning home the next day, when Gasp turned on the TV and found Fiorello making fun of him. “He was my idol – he would say years later -, he made me look like someone who understood nothing”. Someone who didn’t know Pazzini and who had forgotten about Zarate, who arrived as a replacement after having dealt with Sanchez, Lavezzi and Tevez. “I was willing to give space to the young people, but Maurito and Forlan arrived.” On Saturday he will meet the Nerazzurri again against Roma, and in front of him there will be that Cristian Chivu who played around in his three-man defence.

the 90 days of gasperini

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Fiorello enjoyed his sketches on YouTube. There was no Instagram, there were no reels. There were videos on Facebook and imitations on the internet. Fiorello targeted Gasp after two defeats in a row and friction related to the formation. He glided onto Appiano to make the team veer in the same direction: three defenders – including Chivu, now coach of Inter -, two full-backs, two midfielders, three mobile strikers, Pazzini in front. “He has to play, he can score a mountain of goals.” He knew it well, but the group was not ready for innovation. “We didn’t agree with the club. Neither on the game ideas, nor regarding the evaluation of some individuals.” Moratti assured him that Eto’o would stay, but the forward of the Triplete sniffed the air and veered towards Machackala, southern Russia, a turbulent city marked between an all-ball El Dorado and the risk of terrorism, with players under guard and wallets full. Inter took Jonathan, Ricky Alvarez, Castaignos, Forlan and Zarate. In his first official outing he lost the Super Cup against Milan: 2-1 in Beijing. In the second, however, he collapsed at Barberà against Palermo. The third went even worse: Mr Ondrej Celustka, a Czech from Zlin, a carneade like many in the ranks of Trabzonspor, pierced Inter’s hearts in his first match in the Champions League. There Gasperini played with the back four: “I went to die with other people’s ideas. It’s my only regret.” Chivu missed the match due to injury.

that 3-1 from Novara

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Chivu kept quiet in defence, with his black helmet and the usual end-of-career physical problems. At the Gasp court he played two matches: the first in the Super Cup, as a left back, the last against Novara, on a night of old ghosts. The scariest one has the mocking smile of Marco di Rigoni. The midfielder scored two goals against Julio Cesar and gave Tesser a hangover: it was 21 September 2011. Novara’s first success in Serie A after 55 years. Inter’s worst start in the league after ninety (two defeats and a draw against Roma). Chivu, central of a three-man defense completed by Ranocchia and Lucio, returned to Appiano with a 4 on his report card: “Immediately a back pass-assist. Already booked, he is spared by Bergonzi, perhaps taken pity on the decline of a former good defender”. Same vote for Gasperini: “You can’t ask Bocelli to sing like Snoop Dogg. If you do, the show becomes a farce. This Inter is at 3-4-3 like cheese on fish. Game over.” And so it will be. Moratti listened to the fans. “I don’t think the problem is the feeling with the players – said the former Nerazzurri president -, his is a difficult situation”.

gasp and ranieri

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Inter sacked him at 7.15pm. Around 9.15pm he announced the arrival of Claudio Ranieri, who in turn was sent away on the 29th matchday after losing 2-0 to Juve. For him there were some good victories – above all the derby on 15 January won 1-0 with a goal from Milito, the five against Parma, the 2-0 against Lazio, the five victories in a row – and the elimination from the round of 16 of the Champions League due to Brandao, who scored in the 92nd minute. “Exoneration? It was someone close to president Moratti, but not the players. I would have continued.” A season to be canceled that began with Gian Piero and ended with Strama, confirmed after a good championship finish. Gasperini lasted 90 days at Inter. It was announced on June 24th and greeted on September 21st. Three months in an all-Nerazzurri blender. He came out stronger and more complete.