Coppa Italia Preview: Inter-Bologna
Inter and Bologna will kick off their Coppa Italia campaigns on Sunday night, in a match especially important for Inter, who will try to find a victory they havenÂ’t
tasted since they beat Valencia 5-1 in Spain.
BACKGROUND
After that miraculous result in the Champions League, they have typically failed to continue a good run and confirm they were a team in form. Instead, they racked up an incredibly long series of draws that isnÂ’t showing any signs of stopping. They either play terrible first halves and come back strongly in the last twenty minutes or so, like against Cagliari and Fiorentina, or seem to dominate their opponents and cruise to comfortable wins before unexpectedly conceding goals from corners or long-range blasts, like against Lecce, Roma, and, most recently, tonightÂ’s opponents Bologna. Under-fire Inter coach Roberto ManciniÂ’s hilarious reaction to Carlo MazzoneÂ’s boysÂ’ equaliser in the dying minutes of that Serie A match, banging his hand against the roof of the cabin he was standing in (he was suspended), was a perfect illustration of the desperation for a win and helplessness Inter fans are feeling about their teamÂ’s recent results.
Bologna, meanwhile, are possibly one of the most stable teams in the league, since they have a knack for finding themselves almost always in midtable, pretty much safe from the relegation zone but also far from a more ambitious placing, i.e. a UEFA cup spot. They are certainly not a team you can take for granted atany time, as Inter learned 10 days ago when veteran coach Mazzone fielded an depleted side full of reserves because of numerous injuries, and still pulled off a hard-fought, if, fortunate, 2-2 draw. LetÂ’s also remember they beat, nay, thrashed Roma at home and won away to Parma, some highly respectable results to say the least.
Playing to InterÂ’s advantage, though, is the fact that teams like the Rossoblu are much more concerned with maintaining a safe position in the Serie A standings and their coaches will field sides filled with reserves and players from the Primavera, the youngsters, much as Arsenal do quite successfully in the Carling Cup, for example. Inter, meanwhile, will not approach this competition with any complacency considering the Scudetto race is already strongly compromised because of all those draws. To be extremely harsh despite it only being November, this Coppa Italia, which in Italy has much less meaning than, say, the FA Cup in England, and the Champions League represent the NerazzurriÂ’s only realistic chance of silverware this season. Much will also depend on the result they will achieve against Juventus Sunday next week, but that is of later concern.