Tag Archives: Inter Milan

Football, Match Previews

Inter Milan vs Liverpool – Champions League Last 16 predictions

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The Champions League last 16 fixtures are finally upon us after a two month break since the group stages.

In one of the biggest ties of the round we’ll see Italian champions Inter Milan in their first knockout round since the 2011/12 season, and they’ll take on Premier League heavyweights Liverpool.

Lets take a look at the tie in more detail and make our predictions to see who will progress into the last eight of Europe’s most prestigious cup competition.

Route to the last 16

It was two very different group stages for these two sides, with Simone Inzaghi’s men battling it out with Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk and Sheriff until the final day.

It wasn’t until defeat to Madrid in that final group game that they were unable to win the group, but with three wins from the other five games they managed to secure the runners-up spot.

They scored only eight goals during the groups, and conceded five, so there is plenty of room for improvement there. Domestically, they currently a point behind rivals AC Milan with a game in hand.

For Liverpool, it was quite literally the perfect campaign.

A group of death containing AC Milan, Atletico Madrid and FC Porto was expected to cause them problems but Jurgen Klopp’s side made it six wins from six to become the first English side to earn a 100% record in the competition’s history.

They scored a wonderful 17 goals in six games, conceding six to come into the knockout stages as one team that everyone wanted to avoid.

Team news

Inter will be missing their key midfielder Nicolo Barella for the first leg after he was sent off in the final group game against Real Madrid.

Arturo Vidal should replace him, while Ivan Perisic is likely to continue at left-wing-back with January signing Robert Gosens still injured.

Nicolo Barella FC Internazionale Milano leaves the pitch after receiving a red card during the UEFA Champions League group D match between Real...

Liverpool are essentially at full strength and Klopp has got the strongest squad of his entire tenure at Anfield to choose from currently.

Diogo Jota will likely return to the team after missing the weekend win over Burnley, while Luis Diaz will probably start on the bench since both Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah are back from AFCON.

Breakdown and Prediction

Inzaghi will stick with his 3-5-2 system that he loves, with Lautaro Martinez likely partnered up front by Edin Dzeko.

The midfield strength with Brozovic and Calhanoglu gives lots of balance and with Vidal going box-to-box they can go toe-to-toe with the Liverpool midfield.

In attack though, Liverpool are likely to cause far problems to Inter than vice-versa. They have great depth and goals from all three attackers are possible, but Inter have adapted their system in Europe under Inzaghi and are difficult to beat.

Mohamed Salah of Liverpool with Sadio Mane of Liverpool during a training session at AXA Training Centre on February 11, 2022 in Kirkby, England.

Without any real pace in behind though, Liverpool should be able to deal with their best attacking threats and while a clean sheet won’t be easy I would be surprised if Inter grabbed a goal at Anfield.

Because of that and the added depth they have in their squad, I expect Liverpool to progress through this tie but don’t be surprised if they make hard work of it.

Inter Milan 1-1 Liverpool
Liverpool 2-0 Inter Milan
(Liverpool to qualify 3-1 on aggregate)

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Football, News

Full redrawn Champions League Last 16 draw – Fixtures and dates

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The UEFA Champions League last 16 draw has been re-drawn after a botched attempt on Monday morning, and has thrown up some cracking ties.

At the second attempt of trying, Manchester United were drawn with Spanish champions Atletico Madrid while Real Madrid will take on Paris Saint-Germain in the tie of the round.

Manchester City will face Sporting CP, while Liverpool take on Inter Milan. Chelsea were the winners of the redraw, keeping their original opponents in Ligue 1’s Lille.

The original draw saw Manchester United once again set to face off against Paris Saint-Germain, with Cristiano Ronaldo to go head-to-head with Lionel Messi once again in the tie of the round.

Atletico Madrid were scheduled to take on Bayern Munich in the other mega tie, while the other English sides would have been happy with their draws as Liverpool faced Salzburg, Man City faced Villarreal.

However UEFA accidentally put Manchester United into the pot to be drawn against Villarreal and then they were selected, despite being ineligible to do so having come from the same group.

United then weren’t put into the pot for the potential opponents of Atletico amid the confusion, meaning they could never have been drawn against each other.

The draw will now be re-done at 14:00 UK time after several complaints that the botched draw affected the integrity of the competition going forward.

The fixtures will take place in February, with the first legs taking place on February 15/16 or 22/23 with the second legs taking place on March 8/9 or 15/16. Group winners will play their home game in the second leg.

Full draw and fixture dates:

FC Salzburg vs Bayern Munich – February 16th 2022
Bayern Munich vs FC Salzburg – March 8th 2022

Sporting CP vs Manchester City – February 15th 2022
Manchester City vs Sporting CP – March 9th 2022

SL Benfica vs Ajax – February 23rd 2022
Ajax vs SL Benfica – March 15th 2022

Chelsea vs Lille – February 22nd 2022
Lille vs Chelsea – March 16th 2022

Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United – February 23rd 2022
Manchester United vs Atletico Madrid – March 15th 2022

Villarreal vs Juventus – February 22nd 2022
Juventus vs Villarreal – March 16th 2022

Inter Milan vs Liverpool – February 16th 2022
Liverpool vs Inter Milan – March 8th 2022

Paris Saint-Germain vs Real Madrid – February 15th 2022
Real Madrid vs Paris Saint-Germain – March 9th 2022

diogo dalot’s best chance to become first choice at man utd
Football, Opinion

Antonio Conte leaves Inter Milan as exodus begins

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After two seasons, a Serie A title and a Europa Legue final, Antonio Conte has left Inter Milan.

The Italian coach joined the club in 2019 and reached the Europa League final, losing 3-2 to Sevilla, while finishing one point behind Juventus in the race for the Serie A title.

He followed that performance up this season with a remarkable league run, winning the title for the first time since 2010 by finishing 12 points ahead of city rivals AC Milan.

But after the COVID-19 pandemic caused owners Suning International some really tough times financially, it was reported that Inter needed to make up to €70m worth of sales this summer to survive.

That meant that not only would Conte have no money to spend during this transfer window to bolster his squad, but that his team would get weakened considerably by the sale of a key player or two.

That was enough to convince Conte to walk away from the club, citing a lack of ambition and the two parties agreed on a mutual agreement that would allow him to leave immediately.

Sky Italia’s best reporter Gianluca Di Marzio was the first to break the news and revealed that the club have agreed to pay the former Chelsea coach €7m to leave immediately. He will be free to take another coaching role too, with no compensation required.

Inter will now look to hire quickly to replace him, with Lazio boss Simone Inzaghi and former Milan and Juventus manager Max Allegri among the favourites for the job.

As for Conte, he won’t be short on admirers either. Zinedine Zidane looks likely to leave Real Madrid this summer and Conte has revealed in the past that he was close to signing with the Bernabeu club, only for them to go in a different direction in the end.

After winning the title this season, his stock will be at an all-time high and Madrid will look for a quick replacement too. While it’s expected that Allegri will be their first choice too, if he opts to go for Inter then Conte would be a great alternative.

There is always the possibility of a return to the Premier League with Tottenham too. Spurs sacked Jose Mourinho last season, who has since gone on to join Roma for next season.

Conte enjoyed his time in England, winning the Premier League in his first season before winning the FA Cup with Chelsea before leaving after just two years once again. During that title winning campaign, the Blues had no European football to contend with and while Spurs will be in the UEFA Europa Conference League it should be easy enough to navigate with youth players if the club want to push for a real title challenge.

He would need assurances of cash to spend and that the club would be able to hold on to it’s stars, like Harry Kane, but if Daniel Levy can promise that then he will have a great chance at being able to bring in one of the top coaches in the world.

Conte is able now to move on from a job where he has done really well, without damaging his reputation by going out on a low. So whatever comes next will come with high expectations too, but he seems to thrive in that anyway.

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Football, Opinion

Inter Milan crowned Serie A champions as Antonio Conte proves he’s one of the best

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After 11 long years, Inter Milan are the champions of Italy as they were crowned the winners of Serie A on Sunday afternoon.

After a 2-0 win on Saturday against Crotone, Antonio Conte’s side needed Atalanta to drop points to seal the title and after seeing their goalkeeper sent off early on they eventually succumbed to a draw to concede the crown.

It’s the first time that Milan have been crowned as champions of Italy since Jose Mourinho was manager, when they won the treble back in 2010.

It brings to an end Juventus’ domination of Italian football after they won nine in a row, and it’s the man who started that exceptional run in Conte who has now ended it.

Conte won three titles in a row during his time as manager in Serie A with Juventus, before leaving and becoming national team manager after a falling out with the board. Conte then joined Chelsea after an unsuccessful spell with the Azzurri, winning the Premier League in his first season before winning the FA Cup in his second season and leaving following another bust up with the board.

He returned to Italy and took on the role of Inter boss, tasked with the job of overrunning the Juventus powerhouse he helped to create.

In his first season he missed out on the title by just a point to Juventus, but this year they have been relentless in their attempts to become champions. He has made the club’s record signing Romelu Lukaku one of the best strikers in world football, with the Belgian becoming the first player in league history to score 20+ and assist 10+ in the same league season.

He also managed to keep Lautaro Martinez at the club, while using his 3-5-2 system once again to provide defensive stability to a side that were leaking goals before he came in. He has continued to prove that he is a brilliant coach, using the likes of Matteo Darmian, Ashley Young and Arturo Vidal to help the team grow.

He also managed to reintegrate Ivan Perisic into the side, after the Croatian initially left the club on loan in Conte’s first season after believing the system the club were planning to play in didn’t suit him.

But he has adapted to the wing back role brilliantly and been a big help to Inter’s title push. He has built a brotherhood within the team and they created a mentality of us against the world once more, in a similar way to Mourinho all those years ago.

Whether you find his methods entertaining to watch, or question his taste in player when it comes to the transfer market, you can’t deny that Conte is one of the best in the world at what he does.

His next task will be to get some sort of European pedigree in his career, with the best he’s done so far being a losing effort in the Europa League final in 2020 when they lost 3-2 to Sevilla. His Champions League record is pretty poor and is something Inter will be hoping that he can boost as they go into the new season as the defending champions.

He wins trophies everywhere he goes, he drills his teams to master exactly what he wants and they get results. You cannot argue that this man is one of the best coaches on the planet.

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Football, Opinion

The European Super League is rubbish but why are people shocked?

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News broke on Sunday that rocked the footballing world, as it was announced that 12 of Europe’s biggest clubs have agreed to form a breakaway ‘Super League’.

The Premier League’s ‘Big Six’ as well as Spain and Italy’s three biggest sides have all signed a letter of intent that will see the club’s form their own super league to compete with the UEFA Champions League.

While dates and such aren’t official yet and likely won’t be for a while, it was a huge signal that these clubs are done with the way things are handled by FIFA and their respective leagues.

The move comes just one day prior to UEFA’s plans to announce a Champions League revamp from 2024 onwards, that will see the format of the competition change to a league-like structure where each team will play ten games rather than the traditional six group games.

It’s said the top sides aren’t happy with the revenue share from television deals that would take place if it went through, and thus have decided to form their own league that they control themselves.

The leaked news was met with shock, anger and disgust by many including – and most vocally – Gary Neville, former Manchester United defender and current part-owner of EFL club Salford City.

His argument was simple; it shouldn’t be done during a pandemic when other club’s are struggling for money and he was disgusted that clubs with a footballing tradition such as Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal would even consider accepting the proposal.

What he failed to consider is that other clubs’ financial position is absolutely nothing to do with any of those clubs or any other club potentially involved. It is not those top clubs’ responsibility to ensure that smaller clubs in and around them and the footballing pyramid are financially secure, in fact, it’s none of their business whatsoever.

Add to that the fact that as he has so conveniently pointed out in the past, these are multi-million pound businesses now and they’re being run as such.

Why would Daniel Levy of Tottenham Hotspur turn down a reported £350m plus guaranteed stability in this league since there are no plans for relegation or promotion currently, in favour of less money and less stability? Because Burnley weren’t invited to the party? It makes no sense.

These clubs are doing what their owners feel is best for their pockets and you absolutely cannot blame them.

Is it right? No. Is it fair on fans? Absolutely not. Is the European Super League even an attractive idea from a fan standpoint? Barely.

But that isn’t the point. The point is that these clubs are the reason that the competitions they’re competing in are so successful and make so much money. They have openly asked for a bigger chunk of the pie because of that and have been outright denied that by UEFA in the Champions League.

Whether you agree or disagree is another argument entirely, the point is that they disagree. They’ve now taken their powers, combined them and decided that they can do it themselves. The TV companies will lap it up because they’re the biggest teams with the best players in the world going head to head regularly. They’ll be dripping in sponsorship money and they’ll be in control.

Their initial plan was to directly compete with the Champions League, not their own domestic leagues and that is important. The talk of a ‘breakaway league’ has only come about because the domestic leagues in question are refusing to allow them to take part in both competitions.

But is the Premier League still the Premier League when the biggest possible fixture is Everton vs Leicester? Is La Liga still valuable when the biggest game of the season is Sevilla vs Valencia? Does anyone care about the Champions League if the best players aren’t involved? The answer is no.

UEFA have rightly got the leagues on their side and it means it’s almost certain that this won’t go ahead anyway. With threats of bans from domestic leagues, continental competitions and even international tournaments in alignment with FIFA, players won’t do it and eventually UEFA and the clubs in question will find a compromise.

It’s really important though that this narrative of big clubs having to babysit smaller clubs is quashed. The attention should be on what it does to fans and for the competitive nature of the sport.

Fans would be forced to travel abroad on a far more regular basis for games that are essentially meaningless since there is no chance of promotion or relegation and would simply be to rack up extra currency for the power-hungry owners to spend elsewhere, because they’re not pumping it back into their clubs.

The irony and hypocrisy of people taking the moral high ground when the Champions League and Premier League were revamped 30 years ago for this exact reason absolutely reeks.

Fans don’t want the super league to happen, the only people that do are the cash-hungry owners. Separate those people from the clubs they represent and you’ll be much closer to the root of the problems.

remembering greatness: edgar davids
Football, Remembering Greatness

Remembering Greatness: Edgar Davids

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Football in 2021 is defined by statistics and roles on the pitch more than ever before in the past.

There is no such thing as just being a defender, or just being a midfielder any more. Now you’re either a ball-playing defender or a no-nonsense centre back, you could be a box-to-box midfielder who excels defensively or a technical wizard going forward.

It’s all more specific now, but one player from the 90’s and 00’s that fits into any central midfielder role that you want to put him in is Edgar Davids.

A combative defensive midfielder, with the flair and personality of a number ten, Davids represented some of the biggest clubs in Europe and won everything at club level there was to win.

With his flowing dreadlocks he was always a stand-out player on the pitch. He had an ability to make everything look simple and easy. Despite being a defensive midfielder by nature, he had that aura about him that struck fear into the opposition. He was fleet of foot, creative, expressive and an absolute joy to watch.

The best comparison I could possibly give to anyone that hasn’t watched him would be to say he was N’Golo Kante mixed with a bit of Riyad Mahrez. His left foot was special and his attacking skills were great, yet it was defensively where he pulled up most trees in his career.

Football. UEFA Champions League Final. Vienna, Austria. 24th May 1995. Ajax 1 v AC Milan 0. Members of the Ajax team celebrate with the trophy as photographers take their picture. L-R: Finidi George, Edgar Davids, Jari Litmanen and Nwankwo Kanu. : News Photo

He broke into the Ajax team back in 1991 after joining the club as a 12-year-old, overcoming two previous rejections from the club. His fierce style of play in the middle of the park saw him nicknamed ‘The Pitbull’ by Louis van Gaal during his time in Amsterdam and the energy he displayed in the infamous 3-4-3 system helped bring the club a UEFA Champions League title in 1995.

The following year in 1996 when Ajax reached the final once again, Davids missed the first penalty of the shootout as the club went on to lose but he never let that affect his career. It was almost a pillar of what he stood for on the pitch for the rest of his career – keep going, never stop going.

He also helped the Dutch side to three Eredivisie titles, a UEFA Cup and a UEFA Super Cup before he decided to move on at just 23-years-old having already been part of so much success.

It wasn’t all roses for him when he made the move to Italy initially, joining AC Milan under Oscar Tabarez. Milan struggled and Tabarez was sacked in December, replaced until the end of the season by the legendary Arrigo Sacchi. He made 25 appearances in all competitions as they finished in 11th place, then after just ten appearances under new boss Fabio Capello he was allowed to join rivals Juventus.

The legendary Marcelo Lippi referred to him as “my one-man engine room” and often used him in the centre alongside French playmaker Zinedine Zidane, with the two striking up a super partnership and friendship. Even after Zidane left for Real Madrid, Davids continued to have great success with the Turin side.

He won three Serie A titles, two Supercoppa Italianas and even an Intertoto Cup, while also reaching yet another UEFA Champions League final which he lost on penalties.

Following that loss, Davids found himself on the fringes of the Stadio Delle Alpi and in January 2004 he joined FC Barcelona on loan for the remainder of the season. At this point Frank Rijkaard was under immense pressure, with Los Cules sitting in fifth in La Liga.

Davids’ arrival sparked an upturn in Barca’s fortunes that season and while they didn’t quite make it to the title they did end up finishing in second place behind eventual champions Valencia.

FUSSBALL/HOLLAND - TUERKEI 0:0 : News Photo

Davids completed the trifecta in Serie A by joining Inter Milan after his loan wasn’t made permanent. He only stayed there for a year before joining Tottenham and succeeding in the Premier League during his 18 month stint at the club, finishing in fifth before returning back to Ajax and ending his club career with Barnet as a player-manager.

His international career was also tremendous, representing the Oranje 74 times over 11 years. He was known for being outspoken, once saying in a radio interview that manager Guus Hiddink “had to take his head out of some players’ asses.”

He was named in the team of the tournament at the World Cup 1998 as Holland finished fourth, as well as at Euro 2000 and then in 2004 he was named captain of the national team by the legendary Marco Van Basten.

There are some players that will always be remembered for what they do on the pitch and some will be remembered for reasons nothing to do with football.

Davids is one who will be remembered for skill, tenacity and ability, as well as his trademark dreadlocks and glasses. If there was ever a footballer that defined the ‘streets will remember’ moniker it’s him.

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Football, Transfers

Sergio Aguero to leave Manchester City – where next?

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It’s official. The end of an era is upon us, as both Manchester City and Sergio Aguero have confirmed that the player will leave the club upon the expiry of his contract this summer.

The 33-year-old Argentine striker joined the club back in 2011 from Atletico Madrid in a deal worth around £35million and has gone on to become the club’s highest goalscorer of all-time.

He broke the record during Man City’s 4-2 win over Napoli back in 2017, breaking a 78-year record by scoring his 178th goal for the club. He has since gone on to score 257 goals in 384 games for the club at the time of writing.

The club have confirmed that while Aguero will be allowed to leave on a free transfer this summer, a statue has been commissioned to go up outside the Etihad Stadium alongside those of his former teammates Vincent Kompany and David Silva. They will also put up a permanent mosaic at the club’s academy in honour of his glorious career with the club.

But with a few years still to go in his career, what is next for the Argentine hitman? Lets take a look at the prospects for his future.

FC BARCELONA

When you’ve already got a legendary number ten amongst your playing squad, you don’t need another. But when the one currently there is reportedly unhappy and considering leaving, bringing one in who is one of his best friends would definitely be helpful.

FBL-ARG-TRAINING : News Photo

Aguero and Lionel Messi are international teammates and best friends in football but their playing styles also compliment each other’s play styles well. Since Luis Suarez left Barcelona last summer, the club have lacked that outright number nine to sit in the box and finish chances. Despite that, they’re the favourites to lift the La Liga title at the end of the season so signing Aguero would only bolster their squad for next year.

With the futures of Antoine Griezmann and Phillipe Coutinho up in the air, they will need attacking help going forward. Aguero would provide experience, goals and an extra reason to convince Messi to stay – plus we know how much they love to pay attacking players.

PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN

Another deal that potentially hinges on the future of Messi, could be PSG. With the French giants always looking to add to their ranks, new manager Mauricio Pochettino will look to make additions to the squad that suit him.

While he never worked with Aguero directly, his time in the Premier League meant he got an up close and personal look at the Argentine and will know the best way to get the most out of him. Moise Kean is likely to return to Everton following his loan spell and Mauro Icardi has suffered with injuries this season after signing permanently last summer so a new striker could potentially be needed.

Putting Aguero in between Neymar and Kylian Mbappe could be the remedy to earn the club a European trophy but also adds another superstar to the ranks of the club. That’s never a bad thing.

INTER MILAN

When a superstar level player becomes available, certain clubs are always linked and Inter Milan are one of those clubs.

On the verge of lifting the Serie A title for the first time since Jose Mourinho’s reign as manager, Milan will be expecting the mighty Juventus to try to come back with a bang next year and must look to bolster their options to maintain the high level under Antonio Conte.

While Romelu Lukaku is the main man and top scorer, a bit of assistance from another top level goalscorer will never be a bad thing and with Alexis Sanchez never able to re-find the form that made him one of the best, Aguero could take his place in the squad and become the perfect foil for big Rom.

There are other options like returning to Argentina or venturing off to the MLS, but really and truly Aguero is still too good to enter that final chapter of his career.

If he can get over his injury issues of the last 12 months or so, he will be a huge asset to any club he joins but the most likely option at this point seems to point to the Camp Nou. It will undoubtedly be a coup to get a player of this calibre on a free transfer, his age, wages and injury record could prove a gamble.

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Football, Transfers

Diego Costa to leave Atletico Madrid in January – Where next?

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Diego Costa’s second spell in Madrid is to come to an end in January after it was revealed that Atletico Madrid will not be offering him a new contract.

The Brazilian-born Spain international striker is due to become a free agent in June 2021, with the contract he signed upon returning to Atletico Madrid in 2018 due to expire at the end of this season.

With the former Chelsea man now available and several clubs looking for a striker in January, where could the 32-year-old end up?

The obvious choice is a move back to Brazil, where he started his career. After coming through the Barcelona-SP academy, Costa moved to Portugal before he made a senior appearance. He could look to return to his homeland for a run in their top division, although which team is hard to decipher.

Another option could be a reunion with Inter Milan boss Antonio Conte in Serie A. The two were together at Chelsea when Conte won the Premier League in 2017, before a very public falling-out led to Costa’s return to Atletico.

It’s been several years since though and with Inter looking to put pressure on local rivals AC Milan and Juventus in the chase for the Serie A title, a boost in firepower could very well help. His injury problems are a concern and his wages would likely be high, but with Christian Eriksen almost certainly leaving that could free up some space.

Another option could be a return to the Premier League. The likes of West Ham could be interested but one club who could look to use him on a short-term deal are Wolves.

After Raul Jimenez fractured his skull against Arsenal, Wolves have found themselves playing young Fabio Silva as the starting striker. He is yet to score a goal in the Premier League and Wolves have scored only four goals in the five games since the Mexican’s injury.

Recruiting Costa on a short-term deal could allow them to play their usual style of football with a target man in the box to build off, while also taking the pressure off young Silva.

The club already have a great relationship with the player’s agent Jorge Mendes and with Atletico the party making the decision to part ways, a deal should be relatively easy to do if Costa is willing to move to the Molineux.

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Football, Transfers

Where Next For Christian Eriksen?

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Transfer season is upon us and one of the biggest questions of the upcoming January window is surrounding the future of Inter Milan midfielder Christian Eriksen.

The Denmark international signed for Antonio Conte’s side last January in a €20m deal from Tottenham, after he made it clear to the club that he wouldn’t be signing a new contract.

Since his move to Serie A though, Eriksen has struggled to break into the starting lineup on a regular basis and has publicly spoken of his unhappiness at a lack of play time.

The Inter board have openly confirmed that they could be willing to listen to offers for the 28 year old, where could he realistically end up this winter to get his career back on track ahead of Euro 2020?

The obvious link that could be made is a return to north London with Tottenham Hotspur. The club made it very clear during the entire saga last year that they never wanted him to leave and were willing to offer him a new contract, but he wanted to experience something new. Spurs this summer brought in two attacking players and now have a top heavy squad, so the likelihood of a return is very, very low.

He has been linked with a move to the red side of north London though, which makes a lot more sense.

Arsenal FC v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League : News Photo

Arsenal are severely lacking in creativity and manager Mikel Arteta has admitted that he’s out of ideas of how to improve the side if they can’t score goals. With Mesut Ozil blacklisted from the squad and likely to leave in January, Eriksen could be a perfect replacement in a problem position.

He’d be on a fraction of the wages Ozil currently earns while filling the creative void in the side and costing not much for a player of his quality. The Gunners should definitely be interested, but whether he’d join Arsenal after his spell with Spurs is a different conversation.

The two Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona are still cash strapped and unlikely to look at bringing in a more experienced player who has struggled for form over the last 18 months, while Atletico Madrid’s system doesn’t need a player like Eriksen.

The most likely option for me for Eriksen could be a move to French side PSG. Thomas Tuchel didn’t spend much money in the summer and was able to strengthen his squad on deadline day with some loan deals. But the squad still lacks a lot of creativity.

FC Internazionale v AC Milan - Serie A : News Photo

Neymar and Kylian Mbappe carry the main load of the side but when one or both are missing, the burden tends to fall on 32 year old Angel Di Maria or Pablo Sarabia. Di Maria is still a top player but Sarabia has never really set the world on fire. Eriksen has the ability to play in central midfield in a possession dominant team, or further forward if necessary.

He’d also be able to get plenty of minutes in the side, with PSG dominant domestically and able to rotate a lot while they’d also be expected to make it into the deeper rounds of the Champions League too.

The only alternative for Eriksen would be to drop down in level of competition with the likes of West Ham, Real Sociedad or even rivals AC Milan possible destinations.

It’s a long, ugly road ahead of Eriksen after he found out that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

yves bissouma – an appreciation post for an underrated midfielder
Football, Transfers

Arturo Vidal Agrees Barcelona Departure

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Barcelona and Arturo Vidal have come to an agreement on the termination of his contract at the club, paving the way for a move to Inter Milan.

The Chile international joined Barcelona from Bayern Munich in 2018 for a fee of around €20million as manager Ernesto Valverde looked to shore up the midfield. He came into the side seemingly at the expense of Ivan Rakitic as Barcelona won La Liga in his debut season.

This season though, Barcelona struggled heavily and ended up with their first trophy-less season since 2007/08. That was culminated by a humiliating 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-final, which led the club to commit to a complete restructuring of the club from playing staff to board level.

That meant that new manager Ronald Koeman had decisions to make and he opted to tell older statesmen Luis Suarez, Ivan Rakitic and Vidal that they were not going to be part of his plans going forward. All the players have negotiated moves away, with Rakitic already joining Sevilla and Suarez reportedly agreeing personal terms with Juventus.

With Vidal and the club locked in negotiations over the severance of his contract, Vidal has reportedly agreed to waive the remaining wages of his deal in order to be released for a free transfer so that he can join Inter Milan.

Inter are currently managed by Antonio Conte, who managed Vidal during their time together at Juventus. Vidal played the best football of his career with Juve under Conte and the pair are reportedly desperate to reunite with each other for the final dance under the lights of Vidal’s career.

An aggressive box-to-box midfielder with an eye for goal, Vidal would settle into Conte’s high-intensity style with ease in the centre of his 3-5-2 formation. After making it to the Europa League final, Inter’s board held a meeting with Conte and decided they would back him in the transfer market where they could and he made it clear that Vidal was a priority.

With Lautaro Martinez likely to stay at the club now into next season and with Christian Eriksen hoping to slot into the side better than he did following his January move.

As Inter look to close the gap on Juventus and deny them a decade of consecutive league title wins, it’s two of new manager Andrea Pirlo’s former colleagues who are looking to partner up and beat him in the race.

ndombele no closer to spurs exit despite desire to leave