Many may not realize this, but Roberto Mancini always wins at least one silverware with every club he has managed.
In his first season at Fiorentina back in 2000/01, he took the Violas all the way to the final of the Italian Cup, ending their 5-year trophy drought. They beat Parma over 2 legs to bring the coppa back to Florence, their 6th in club history. It was the beginning of a very promising career for the then 37-year old, who was himself a 6-time winner of the silverware as a player, with Sampdoria and Lazio.
Fast forward 10 years, and he was now accumulated 13 trophies in his 13 year managerial career, 12 of which were in the past decade alone. That’s a trophy a season, with the exception of his first year at Manchester City plus, a 19-month hiatus from football after quitting Inter in 2008. To put things into perspective, in the last decade he has won more silverware than Rafael Benitez and is only 1 trophy shy off Carlo Ancelotti’s total of 13. Sir Alex Ferguson has won 16, Pep Guardiola amassed 19 and Mourinho scored 17 league titles, cups and medals in that time.
So, it made sense for Inter Milan to seek the services of the man who delivered 7 trophies in 4 seasons at the club. Mancini is only one of 2 men to achieve that, the other being the late Helenio Herrera back in the 60s. Still, 3 Serie A titles, 2 Italian Cups and 2 Italian Super Cups were not enough to keep him there the first time around. And he left because he anticipated being replaced by Jose Mourinho. One wonders what might have been if he had stayed. Would Inter have gone on to win the UEFA Champions League title under him? We’ll never know.
Mancini’s main shortcoming without a doubt has been success in Europe. It’s one of the reasons Massimo Moratti had him replaced after 4 successful seasons at Inter, and perhaps why his stay at Manchester City was also short lived. It’s what separates him from Pep, Jose, Carlo, Fergie and even Rafa. The furthest he’s gone in the Champions League was the quarterfinal stage with Inter, twice.
Unfortunately he did not stay longer at Inter to find out if he might have changed the fortunes of the club in Europe, and his own for that matter. But isn’t that progression on his part, to inch beyond the previous stage of the competition each season? In addition, the squad that won the trophy under Mourinho consisted largely of Mancini’s men – 8 of the 14 who featured in the final against Bayern Munich was either brought in by him or were playing for him during his 4-season reign at the San Siro.
Now in his second spell at Inter, the Italian is expected to arrest the current slide – 4 wins in 11 league matches is unbecoming of the Milan-based club. Their away record is a cause for concern with only 1 win and 6 goals conceded in 5 games. They’ve only won 2 of their last 7 matches in the league. If there’s one thing Mancio is famous for, it’s his defensive approach in a game, despite his position upfront as an attacker in his heydays. During his first tenure at Inter, the Nerazzuri conceded the least amount of goals twice in 3 league title winning seasons. Inter have already conceded 14 goals in the Serie A this season and own the 3rd worst defence in the top 10 after AC Milan and Hellas Verona.
There’s also speculation about who he’ll build his side around, which players he’s planning to bring in during the January transfer window and more. Perhaps this excitement is exactly what the Interistas need ahead of the Milan derby, Mancini’s first game in charge this weekend. Mancini is no stranger to the Derby Della Madonnina. History has seen him win 4 times and lose 4 in 9. However, as the away side in this fixture he has only won once, in a 7-goal thriller in 2006.
But surely expectations are low on Mancini getting anything from this match, after the international weekend. If he loses, there should only be forgiveness and patience, he needs more time to work with this squad of misfits. But if he wins this derby, he’d be revered by the blue half of Milan as the right saviour for the club. And at the rate Milan are going currently, I’d say Inter have chosen to play their sworn enemies at just about the right time – Milan are winless in their last 4 and they have only won 2 of their 5 home fixtures to-date.
Inter’s current aim is to climb back up the standings and finish in the top 5. They want to return to European football next season. I think Mancini is capable of all that. His familiarity with the league and his experience will be invaluable. He’s been managing far longer than Filippo Inzaghi and Vincenzo Montella’s years as a manager combined. Or Sampdoria manager Sinisa Mihajlovic. Or Udinese’s Stramaccioni. And even Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri. After that, how long he stays at the helm remains to be seen. How long before the owners decide they want a manager capable of guiding them further in Europe? Or will they just be content with a manager who is able to bring them domestic glory? Only time will tell. One thing is for sure, Mancini’s arrival has definitely made the current Serie A season just that little bit more interesting…
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