MILAN (AP) — Inter Milan has turned last season’s triple disappointment into this year’s dominance in Italy.
Inter beat Parma 2-0 Sunday will see the Serie A title return to Milan. With three matches remaining, they are 12 points behind second-place Napoli.
If Inter defeat Lazio in the Italian Cup final on May 13th, they can win the league and cup double. The last time they won both was in 2010, when Jose Mourinho led Inter to the treble.
A far cry from last year’s bitter disappointment, when a season with many expectations ultimately left Inter empty-handed.
With just over a month to go until the end of last season, Inter were on track to win the treble of trophies, but they fell one point short of Serie A champions Napoli and were eliminated in the semi-finals of the Italian Cup. Lost 5-0 to Paris Saint-Germain In the most lopsided Champions League final in history.
Here are the key elements of how Inter turned things around on the domestic front to win the 2025-26 Italian league.
Coach change
There were few surprises, but Coach Simone Inzaghi retires At the end of last season, Inter Appointment of relatively inexperienced Cristian Chivu I raised my eyebrows a little.
Rumors have been swirling about Inzaghi’s departure for several weeks, and he will continue as manager. get a profitable job Performed with Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal.
Inzaghi was in charge for four years, during which time he led Inter to the 2024 Italian league title and two Champions League final appearances. He also won the Italian Cup twice with Inter.
Chivu has only managed 13 games in Serie A and was given security with Parma after being given the deal. his first senior coaching position That February.
However, he is no stranger to Inter, having coached various youth teams at the club over the past seven years, ending his playing career in 2014.
The former Romania defender was part of Inter’s famous treble team in 2010, lifting the Champions League, Serie A and Italian Cup trophies. He also helped the Nerazzurri win two more Serie A titles, of the nine trophies they won in his seven years at the club.
Chivu’s fresh approach and new ideas as a coach have revitalized Inter. He transformed the team into a more aggressive, high-pressing team, and restored harmony in the dressing room while integrating young talent from the academy such as Pio Esposito.
rival’s injury
Chivu has also established a new training method at Inter Milan to strengthen the fitness of the entire team.
Injury trends took a heavy toll on the Nerazzurri in 2024-25, but apart from Denzel Dumfries and Hakan Calhanoglu, key players largely avoided long-term sidelines. Captain Lautaro Martínez missed eight of the nine league games until Inter won the title with a calf problem, making his return against Parma.
This was in contrast to Inter’s rivals, especially Napoli. Had Antonio Conte’s side not been injured throughout the season, the defending champions would have pushed Inter further towards the title.
Napoli’s injury nightmare started even before the star forward’s season started Romelu Lukaku Excluded for months. kevin de bruyne, frank anguissa suffered similar long-term injuries, with David Neres, Billy Gilmour and Amir Rahmani also missing numerous games.
Recovery from a blip
At one point, it looked like Inter’s season would collapse again like last year.
Inter was defeated by Little Bodo/Glimt Although they unfortunately lost in the Champions League, they bounced back by defeating lower-ranked Genoa at home and now have a 13-point lead in Serie A.
However, it was one of just two wins in eight games, including a defeat in the Milan derby. This cut Inter’s lead in Serie A to six points and puts them in good shape for the Italian Cup semi-finals after a 0-0 draw with Como in the first leg.
Inter ended their mediocre run with a 5-3 win against Roma. The Nerazzurri haven’t looked back since then, rebuilding their lead in Serie A and securing a place in the Italian Cup final with victory over Como.
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