Inter’s new CEO Giuseppe Marotta has begun to make changes at crisis-hit Inter with the axe falling on Belgian bad boy Radja Nainggolan, who has been suspended for disciplinary reasons by the club despite today’s key Serie A game against SSC Napoli looming.
Marotta arrived at the Chinese-owned Italian club from Juventus this month after an eight-year spell during which the Turin giants won seven Serie A titles and four Coppa Italia.
The 61-year-old Marotta wants to turn back the clock for Inter whose best decade, culminating with the treble of Champions League, Serie A and Coppa Italia crowns under Jose Mourinho in 2010, has been followed by the worst.
Photo: AFP
Nainggolan was suspended after again turning up late to training on Sunday following the team’s demoralizing 1-1 draw against bottom club AC Chievo Verona.
The heavily-tattooed 30-year-old was also dropped by previous club AS Roma in January after posting an Instagram video of himself drinking, smoking and swearing at a New Year’s party.
The Belgian joined Inter last summer to link up with former Roma coach Luciano Spalletti, but he has angered club management by his party lifestyle and casual approach to physiotherapy as he recovers from injury.
Spalletti had brushed aside criticism before the Chievo match, in which the Belgian started, but was substituted before the late equalizer.
“I can only say how he’s spent his week on the pitch. He trained well. The rest are not things that concern me,” Spalletti said before the game.
However, Spalletti’s future is now also on the line during the final two games before the winter break against Napoli and Empoli, with Inter having won just two of their past nine games in all competitions and crashed out of the Champions League.
Inter are third, already 16 points behind leaders Juventus, and eight adrift of second-placed Napoli, who are on a 10-game unbeaten run in Serie A.
Carlo Ancelotti is expecting a challenge against his old rival Spalletti whose side are nevertheless on a streak of six straight home league wins at the San Siro, Milan.
“I don’t know, they give me the impression of being a growing club and team,” Ancelotti said.
Inter’s last win over Napoli was in April 2016 with captain Mauro Icardi scoring his only goal in 13 games played against the southerners.
Meanwhile, Spalletti leads eight to six in Italian league wins over Ancelotti.
Unbeaten champions Juventus head to Atalanta BC, in ninth, in record-breaking form, having not conceded a league goal in nearly two months.
Cristiano Ronaldo looks set to be rested for the first time this season, with Douglas Costa likely to slip into the Portuguese star’s position alongside in-form Mario Mandzukic and Paulo Dybala.
Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny wants to stretch his run of Serie A clean sheets to seven games.
“It’s important that we win, because there’s a head-to-head in Milan between Napoli and Inter, so if we do our job we can improve our position in the table even further,” Szczesny said.
However, Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini hopes to pull off a shock in Bergamo.
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