In the highly anticipated 33rd round of the Serie A “Derby di Milano,” Internazionale Milan defeated AC Milan with a score of 2-1. This victory allowed Internazionale to accomplish a “six consecutive kills” against AC Milan and clinch the Serie A championship five rounds ahead of schedule. This marks the 20th time Internazionale has claimed the Serie A title in their history, surpassing AC Milan’s record of 19 titles and becoming the team with the second star on their chest.
The dominant performance of Internazionale Milan this season has been remarkable. After 33 hard-fought rounds, they achieved an impressive record of 27 wins, 5 draws, and 1 loss, scoring 79 goals while conceding only 18, proudly standing at the top of Serie A with 86 points. This performance, compared to past Serie A champions and current leaders in the top five European leagues, demonstrates Internazionale’s unparalleled dominance.
This season, Internazionale’s only defeat occurred in the 6th round when they lost 1-2 at home to Sassuolo. However, in the subsequent 27 rounds of matches, they maintained an unbeaten record. From January 6th to March 10th, Internazionale achieved 13 consecutive victories in all competitions, including defeating Napoli in the Supercoppa Italiana final and beating Atletico Madrid 1-0 at home in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16. Although their winning streak ended on March 14th in the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 away against Atletico Madrid with a 1-2 loss, this still does not overshadow their outstanding performance throughout the season.
The attacking power of the team has been equally significant, with Lautaro Martinez leading the Serie A top scorers chart with 23 goals and ranking high on the European Golden Shoe list. His teammates Marcus Thuram and Hakan Calhanoglu contributed 12 and 11 goals respectively. In terms of assists, Mkhitaryan, Marcus Thuram, and Dimarco among others, have shown excellent assisting ability, each ranking in the top ten for assists. The team’s overall performance and individual achievements of the players are both quite impressive.
Simone Inzaghi, who has been coaching Internazionale since June 2021, has tirelessly built this strong team. In the 21-22 season, Internazionale was the Serie A runner-up and defeated Juventus 4-2 in extra time to claim the Coppa Italia title, also winning the Supercoppa Italiana. In the following 22-23 season, they fought to the end on the international stage, unfortunately losing to Manchester City in the Champions League final and claiming the runner-up spot. However, domestically, Internazionale once again lifted the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana trophies.
In last season’s Champions League, Inter’s progression was favored by draw luck. In the Round of 16 and the quarterfinals, Internazionale successively defeated the two Portuguese giants, Porto and Benfica. In the semifinals, they met local rivals AC Milan and won with a total score of 3-0. Although some of Inter’s victories may not have the highest level of prestige, these successes undoubtedly came as a result of surpassing all other opponents in every aspect.
Inter Milan’s performance has steadily climbed in recent seasons, gradually revealing the strength to compete at the top of the game. Although they were not able to reach the pinnacle in their recent Champions League campaigns, they have garnered considerable confidence through this process.
The current Nerazzurri squad boasts key players who have been in service for over two years, including Lautaro, Barella, DiMarco, and Bastoni, among others. Their deep integration has rejuvenated the entire team. In the past two years of the transfer market, Inter has demonstrated astute operations, achieving a significant enhancement of their lineup with minimal investment:
Take Marcus Thuram as an example: the player, who joined for free from Borussia Mönchengladbach, has already scored 14 goals and provided 7 assists this season.
Although Inter missed the chance to compete for the Serie A title last year, they went further in the Champions League. This year they are dominating the domestic league, but they had an earlier exit from the European stage. While it looks challenging for Inter to contend for the title in all competitions right now, they have at least proven over the past few seasons that they have the strength to contend on any front.
As for the last season’s Champions League, Inter’s performance was already impressive as they made it to the final. However, this season, despite even better performances, they still couldn’t go further in the competition, which may be Inter’s biggest regret of the season.
In this season’s group stage, they were placed with Real Sociedad, Benfica, and RB Salzburg, and although they advanced with ease, they failed to secure first place in their group. In the round of 16, they won the initial match 1-0 and were leading 2-0 on aggregate at one point in the second leg. Unfortunately, subsequent goals and a penalty shootout in extra time ultimately ended Inter’s journey.
Perhaps if Inter could have advanced against Atlético Madrid, their hopes for a championship this season would have been greatly enhanced. However, what’s past cannot become reality, and Inter can only hold on to their regret and continue their efforts for future success.
