There is friendlies, and then there is whatever Inter just did to their anonymous German opposition. Cristian Chivu's side kicked off their pre season...
There is friendlies, and then there is whatever Inter just did to their anonymous German opposition. Cristian Chivu's side kicked off their pre season training camp across the border with a staggering 16 0 victory, a result that leaves more questions than answers about the quality of the opposition but offers an undeniable statement of intent from the Nerazzurri.Let's not get carried away with the scoreline. Pre season football is a notoriously unreliable barometer of the season to come. Yet, you cannot simply dismiss a sixteen goal haul as a meaningless footnote. It speaks to a level of clinical finishing and a ruthlessness in transitional play that Chivu will be desperate to bottle and carry into the competitive campaign. The front line, whoever was wearing the blue and black kit on the day, clearly had their shooting boots laced up tight. They were in the mixer from the first whistle, exposing a low block that was more absent than defensive.What catches the eye is not just the volume of goals but the apparent ease with which they were created. A 16 0 scoreline suggests a complete breakdown of the opposition's tactical discipline, but it also demands credit for Inter's relentless movement and hunger. They did not take their foot off the gas. That mentality, the refusal to settle for a mere comfortable win, is the sort of habit that separates serial winners from also rans. It breeds a culture of intolerance for sloppiness, even when the game is already dead and buried by the 20th minute.Of course, the sceptics will say it was just a run out against a pub side. And they might have a point. But for Chivu and his staff, this is the perfect platform to build fitness and embed tactical flexibility without the fear of consequence. The true test comes when a proper side parks the bus and asks them to break it down. But for now, Inter's machine is well oiled and firing on all cylinders. The warning shot has been fired across the bows of Serie A. Squeaky bum time for their rivals might come sooner than expected.
