We sat down with Nima Tavallaey to discuss how Inter Milan fans can finally be optimistic again...
Q.What are your thoughts on Inter's season thus far?
A. Inter have recorded their best start to a serie A season since the 3 point system was imposed in Italy. It would be impossible not to be impressed or pleased as Spalletti has worked wonders with the squad at his disposal. Dalbert aside every summer signing has been successfully integrated into the starting line-up and the players that were already in the club have all raised the level of their performances.
Q. How far can this Inter side go? Genuine title challengers?
A. Inter’s squad isn’t good enough to challenge for the scudetto this season but that isn’t the goal or objective either. This season Inter has one job to do and that is to get back into the Champions League.
Q. How important was it to keep Ivan Perisic and what do you think it says about the club's ambition?
A. Inter’s second best ‘signing’ this past summer, after the appointment of Luciano Spalletti, was the club’s ability to not only hang on to Ivan Perisic but also convince him of the club’s project and get him to sign a contract extension. The fact that the club refused to be bullied by no matter which club came calling for the Croatian winger is a huge statement of intent which, from a psychological point of view, can’t be overestimated.
Q.Have the owners delivered on the big promise from when they first arrived?
A. The answer to that is unequivocally yes. Suning have owned Inter for only 18 months during which period they have cleared almost all of the club’s debts, raised the club’s revenue, brought in if not the best then one of the best Sporting Director’s in the world in Walter Sabatini, rejuvenated and elevated the quality of the squad whilst bringing in one of the best Italian coaches in Spalletti and all of this while respecting the sanctions imposed on the club by UEFA’s Financial Fair Play. How can anyone be anything but happy about that?
Q. Inter for the first time in years seem them may be able to finally mount a title challenge could you describe how they have managed to get themselves in this position?
A. Take the answers to questions 3 & 4 above and add the fact that Eric Thohir’s incompetent henchmen have all been removed and Thohir’s own influence has been reduced to being utterly insignificant and there’s your answer right there.
Q. What do you believe is the minimum requirement for it to be a considered a successful season for Inter?
A. Inter’s goal this season is to qualify for next season’s Champions League so they must finish in the top 4. However, a top 3 or top 2 or better finish would turn it from a good season to spectacularly successful to magical season.
Q. Tell us about Icardi. He has been linked to clubs around Europe for years but has remained an Inter player. How is he viewed by the Inter fans?
A. This is a very good question because the perception from the outside seems to be a bit distorted. Mauro Icardi has had clashes and conflicts with elements on the Curva Nord. These elements do not on any shape size or form represent the vast majority of Inter fans in neither Italy nor abroad. Icardi is broadly speaking very popular amongst the fans, the criticism aimed at him as a tap-in-only, goal scoring striker a la Filippo Inzaghi gets more and more muffled with every week under Spalletti as he is developing other aspects of his game more and more.
Q. Finally, can we take some predictions off you?
Inter's final position? Top scorer? POTY? Breakthrough player?
A) Inter will finish 3rd in the Serie A. B) Mauro Icardi will be the Serie A’s top goal scorer on 33 goals. C & D) Milan Skriniar