Unlock your daughters, Serie A, there’s a new heartbeat in town.
That was it. While watching Juventus walk to the first prize in Italy’s calcium beauty pageant, Inter was waiting and hoping for old age and the winner’s luxurious lifestyle to catch up with the old lady. Sure enough, I became Bianconeri complacent and the wrinkles finally started to show.
Inter squeezed their place at the top, and with a fresh, lively charm to match their clear color, I Nerazzurri were hot favorites to begin their own period of dominance.
But just days after winning the scudetto for the first time in 11 long years, Inter suffered a series of blows to the face that have left them battered and bloody without recognition. Inspirational coach Antonio Conte left the heart of this model, while the loss of Achraf Hakimi and potentially Christian Eriksen has cost them some serious aesthetic grace.
So with Simone Inzaghi now in charge, they hope to get off to a quick start and defend their crown, despite the financial issues and the change in management threatening them. But how difficult is Inter to open ten games?
90min examines.
First up / Getty Images / Getty Images
First up, Genoa. When it comes to fixtures for opening days, you can not ask for much better than this. Inter have been drawn at home for this match day a match, and they will face I Rossoblu, who finished last season in 11th place.
It’s the perfect circumstance for the Nerazzurri to start their title defense, then. The San Siro was a fortress last season, and against a mid-table opposition like this, they should not face too many questions.
Three points already on the board, for sure.
Difficulty: 3/10
Surprise Package / Alessandro Sabattini / Getty Images
This is difficult to call. Hellas Verona surprised us all last season with their attacking and fearless style of play, but they faded towards the end of the campaign.
Forward coach Ivan Juric has also left the club, which means we just do not know what form they will take at the start of the new season.
It should be pretty routine, but we’ve put this in the middle of the road, just in case Verona continues to shock us.
Difficulty: 5/10
The Old Fox / Getty Images / Getty Images
Traveling with Sampdoria is never easy, and they proved to be tricky customers under Claudio Ranieri last year. However, the good-looking coach has resigned, so all eyes will be on how Samp is doing without the charming man in the excavation.
Provided that Inter manage to take maximum points from their two opening matches, this can be seen as their first serious banana peel of the season.
You can not drop a second against Sampdoria, so full concentration and commitment is needed.
Difficulty: 6/10
Responsible man / Alessandro Sabattini / Getty Images
Inter’s second home game of the season makes them welcome Bologna to the San Siro, who hope to take more than the zero points they collected from the champions last year.
However, we can not imagine that they are very lucky in Milan, because the scary duo Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez should get the job done.
We expect some goals for the hosts in this.
Difficulty: 3/10
Goal Machine / Gabriele Maltinti / Getty Images
Fiorentina is a bit of an underrated basketball case in European football. They manage to pick up decent young players, but never seem to string together a positive season.
They hired Gennaro Gattuso in the summer, but he left 23 days later with concerns about the club’s operation. Do what you want.
Anyway, what should be a tricky trip to Florence can probably become quite routine – unless Dusan Vlahovic turns on the style.
Difficulty: 5/10
The Entertainers / Emilio Andreoli / Getty Images
Atalanta is a site you prefer to never meet. They are robust, full of endless running, they attack to the end and are unaware when they are beaten. Simply put, they are a force of nature.
The only blessing is that Atalanta tend to start the season a bit slower than how they end it, so maybe their fight to get in gear can turn the match to Inter.
However, it will be incredibly tough.
Difficulty: 8/10
Key figures / Emilio Andreoli / Getty Images
Sassuolo was another of the surprise package last season and played some extraordinary football on his way to eighth place. However, the main reasons for the high position in the table will probably be too long since the new campaign started.
Coach Roberto De Zerbi has already left to join Shakhtar Donetsk, while the future of Jeremie Boga and Manuel Locatelli seems destined to be away from Emilia-Romagna.
This season could prove to be a crash landing back to earth for Sassuolo fans.
Difficulty: 5/10
Firepower / Paolo Bruno / Getty Images
Like many other sides at the top of Serie A, a change of management means that it is difficult to predict how Lazio will start the new season. They have produced a big coup when hiring Maurizio Sarri, and even if his style requires some learning, it always pays off.
Whether the key figures in the squad will hold on remains to be seen. Luis Alberto and Joaquin Correa are on their way to an exit, and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is constantly linked to big money.
That being said, you’ll never face a light afternoon in the Italian capital, and the Eagles will surely be looking for blood.
Difficulty: 7/10
Back in Turin / Stefano Guidi / Getty Images
The only match that is more difficult than meeting Juventus at home is to meet Juventus away. Inter have the task of making it less of the two bad guys on Matchday Nine, but it will not raise their spirits too high.
Massimiliano Allegri is back in the black and white hot seat, and when he is in charge, Juve normally win. The return of the Maestro does not hide the fact that I Bianconeri is a much weaker version of their former selves, and Inter can take advantage of that.
A potential early determinant of the title of the cards, here.
Difficulty: 9/10
Campaign / Gabriele Maltinti / Getty Images
To round off their first ten matches, Inter must travel to Empoli. This should not be too problematic for a team that currently reigns as champions of Italy.
By this time, the tension in Serie A will have disappeared for the hosts, and they will sober up to top-class reality again.
It is not obvious, but Inter should end the match with three points.
Difficulty: 3/10
