It is more than ten years since Inter Milan last won the Serie A title, and how things are currently going, it’s looking like this season could be the one where they end their long drought. Although there is still a long way to go, it is fair to say that Inter are the form team and looking like one of the favourites, and since losing to local rivals AC Milan in the first Milan derby back in October, have lost just one of their subsequent twenty league games.
This run of form has seen German betting portal SportsWetten make them clear favourites for the title with some very generous odds.
Manager Antonio Conte will be generally pleased with how things have gone since he arrived at the San Siro in 2019. He guided Inter to runners-up in Serie A behind Juventus, and to the Europa League final in his first season in charge. And this season, they currently lead the way, despite the club’s deteriorating finances.
Prior to arriving at the San Siro, Conte of course had two seasons in the English Premier League with Chelsea where he won the Premier League title and the FA Cup. And given Inter’s recruitment since he took the reins, he also developed an admiration of a number of players that plied their trade in England.
Inter currently have five players in their squad signed by Conte who he came up against during his time with Chelsea, four of whom were at Manchester United. And some of them are playing a key role in Inter’s Serie A title bid.
The most prominent is of course Belgian international Romelu Lukaku. Lukaku joined Inter Milan from Manchester United in the summer of 2019, and has scored 60 goals in just 84 appearances since, including 18 in 23 this season.
Another signing from Old Trafford came in January 2020 when veteran former England international Ashley Young surprisingly arrived at the San Siro on a free transfer. Young has gone to make 52 appearances, scoring twice, and remains a first-team regular despite his ageing legs.
Matteo Darmian joined Inter on-loan from Parma in October, and as with Ashley Young, has gone on to establish himself as a first-team regular. As with Lukaku and Young, Darmian spent a number of years at Old Trafford, making more than 100 appearances for the Red Devils after joining from Torino.
Less successful has been Alexis Sánchez who was one of Conte’s first signings as Inter boss, and so far this season, he’s managed just 3 goals in 17 appearances.
Clearly Romelu Lukaku will get most of the headlines for his goalscoring exploits, as tends to happen. But behind him in the engine room doing the hard yards are his fellow former Manchester United teammates Ashley Young and Matteo Darmian, who are just as crucial to Inter’s Serie A title bid.
