The fixture list has landed and for Simone Inzaghi it all begins with a home banker against Monza. Inter Milan will kick off their Serie A title defen...
The fixture list has landed and for Simone Inzaghi it all begins with a home banker against Monza. Inter Milan will kick off their Serie A title defence on 23 August at San Siro against the Brianzoli, a fixture that on paper looks gentle but carries its own peculiar pressures. The champions cannot afford a sluggish start; in this league, complacency is the fastest route to disaster. Monza, under new stewardship after Raffaele Palladino departed for Fiorentina, will arrive with a low block and dreams of a famous smash and grab.Let us be honest here. This is not the kind of opener that gets the pulse racing for neutrals. But for Inzaghi, it is exactly the kind of match his side must win without breaking sweat if they are to prove last season was not a fluke. The Nerazzurri have shown tactical flexibility in recent campaigns, shifting between a back three and a more expansive four man defensive line depending on the opponent. Against Monza they will dominate possession; the real test is whether they can unlock a deep defence with the same clinical finishing that carried them to the title.Inzaghi's side do not have the luxury of a gentle ramp up. After Monza comes a trip to Empoli, followed by the first Derby della Madonnina against Milan in mid September. That run of games will demand full concentration. If Inter stumble early, the doubt creeps in. And in a league where Juventus and Milan are reloading their squads, there is zero margin for error. The scudetto defence is a marathon but the first few strides will set the tone.What about the fans The Curva Nord will expect intensity from minute one. They have seen their team bottle it before in title defences, under Roberto Mancini and Antonio Conte. The memory of those wobbles still stings. Inzaghi, however, has built a squad with genuine depth. The return of a fully fit Nicolò Barella and the continued evolution of Lautaro Martinez as a leader gives this group a spine that can handle the fixture grind. But football is a brutal business. You are only as good as your next result.The fixture list is out. The countdown is on. Can Inter do it again The answer starts on 23 August.
