In the last decade, we witnessed the downfall of two Italian clubs who were the dominant forces in Europe in the past. Two clubs that won 10 UCLs in total. Inter Milan and AC Milan. After their downfall, Juventus took the leading role in Italy and consistently won the titles.
But now, those two clubs are showing signs of revival.
Last week, Simone Inzaghi landed the Supercopa Italiana for the Nerazzurri for the first time since 2010 after beating Juventus in the ending minutes of the extra time with a goal from Alexis Sanchez. After winning the Serie A title last season, they won another title this season. This all shows the resurgence of the Italian club after some difficult years.
Inter President Steven Zhang felt that Inter’s Supercoppa Italiana win over Juventus is the fruit of the team’s hard work throughout the season so far. The president emphasized that the players and coaching staff earned the triumph through their efforts and building the team together.
“The team played very well tonight,” he stated. “We are also top of the table in the league. This trophy is the fruit of the hard work done by the coach and the players.”
“This win gives us a lot of hope and energy for the future,” he added, “because of all the work we’ve done together over the years.”
In the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, Serie A clubs enjoyed a period of unparalleled dominance in Europe. They collectively won 13 of the 30 European titles contested for and had 25 final appearances during the 1990s. While they were the undisputed kings of the 90s, Serie A clubs also continued to enjoy continental success until 2010. One of the leading clubs of that time was Inter Milan.
After 2010, the downfall started to Inter Milan. Something that the fans were also not expecting. On 1 August 2012, the club announced that Moratti was to sell a minority interest of the club to a Chinese consortium led by Kenneth Huang. On the same day, Inter announced an agreement was formed with China Railway Construction Corporation Limited for a new stadium project. However, the deal with the Chinese eventually collapsed.
The 2012–13 season was the worst in recent club history, with Inter finishing ninth in Serie A and failing to qualify for any European competitions. Walter Mazzarri was appointed to replace Stramaccioni as the manager for the 2013–14 season on 24 May 2013, having ended his tenure at Napoli. He guided the club to fifth in Serie A and to 2014–15 UEFA Europa League qualification.
Inter also failed to qualify for the UCL in those years, and in 2018, Inter clinched a UEFA Champions League group stage spot after going six years without Champions League participation thanks to a 3–2 victory against Lazio in the final game of 2017–18 Serie A.
It was a sign of Inter’s comeback. Last season, with Antonio Conte, they won the Serie A title after ending the domination of Juventus. They are currently the league leaders of Serie A.
