Italian Serie A 2015/2016

Napoli and Rube also benefit from having teams more adjusted to this league and who have been playing together for longer. Quite frankly I think we overachieved in the first half of the season, to say that we had basically a whole new team and to be instantly in the top 3 for so long is fantastic. We will almost certainly be in the mix for the top 3 but I think that Roma are a stronger team and if they do get their shit together they will pip us to that final spot.

We still have big weaknesses; we really struggle to break teams down at home, opposing teams can just sit back and counter knowing that their is a decent enough chance they can grab a point or even all 3. We have on paper a lot of "easy" home games left but I know that we will slip up again, just depends how many times. Our away games against Rube/Fiorentina/Roma/BBilan are going to be tough but we do have it in us to raise our game.

At the same time I am optimistic as well. Performances against Sassuolo and those just before the winter break were promising, we are starting to create more chances and the team is beginning to gel well. This is understandable and something that can only really get better. Also players like Perisic/Kondogbia/Jovetic have it in them to influence games more than they have done so far, and if they can improve they will be a big help.

If there is a chance to get a player in January who we truly feel will improve the team we should go for it. Next year we will pretty much be back in Europe, either CL or Europa. We need to go for it and look to give our fucking all for the next 5 months, settle on a more stable starting XI(ideally the one played recently bar Nagatomo/Brozovic).

Regardless should be an exciting end to the season, and we are in a position that we could only have dreamt of last year, and one that BBILAN will have to continue to dream about for some years.

FORZA INTER

I don't like where things are heading. Unless the transfer session brings some good news, i think we will lose the third spot. After the two matches with real Madrid Roma will be able to focus on the league only and with a real coach they can do better than us. We need at least 3 players: 1. Eder/lavezzi or the like, I mean a forward who can score some goals and properly assist icardi; 2. A good fullback (but he has to be really good, we are already full of the mediocre ones), preferably on the right since on the left Telles looks promising; 3. A midfielder with a bigger brain than a peanut.

I do think we did better than we should have in the first half of the season, but it doesn't mean we will be worse in the second half of the season. This team does better away from home, and I think Mancini is underrated in this forum. No one expected us to be in the 3rd place after the 19th round, and here we are. I do trust Mancini and I do hope he stays here for a few years.

However, it is clear that we need to buy a proper forward who can score and assist more constantly than our current players. It wouldn't hurt that Jojo starts playing well.

Awesome Skills from the first half of the season

Jiangsu Suning the Chinese club who wants to buy in Italy...

After acquiring the services of Bbilan's Luiz Adriano they now want even more players and are ready to splash 15 mil for everyone in this list.
Guarin
Eder
Gervinho
While offering a considerable salary over 5mil...

Italy the "mall" for rich Chinese clubs

I'm not really bothered much by Spalletti returning to Roma. They will probably have a short period when they start winning again as usual when a new coach signs, but will probably fade again. If they had Mourinho or Ancelotti I'd be worried

Agreed, Spalletti isn't going to raise Roma to any great heights, although I wouldn't rule them out from stealing 3rd spot. I think their league performance for the rest of the season will come largely down to confidence gained or destroyed from their two legs against Real. If they put in two good performances and not get crushed I think their league performances will turn around. I think if they get thrashed their confidence will be further dented and it will negatively affect their performances in the league going forward.

Crap,crap,crap...this I didn't want
You will be plenty worried when Spaletti rips a new one to our genius Mancini...
Spaletti always trolled Mancini,always!
If ET wants CL he will have to buy everything but the kitchen sink so Mancini can get us there...

JJM said:

Crap,crap,crap...this I didn't want
You will be plenty worried when Spaletti rips a new one to our genius Mancini...
Spaletti always trolled Mancini,always!
If ET wants CL he will have to buy everything but the kitchen sink so Mancini can get us there...

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Yeah but in the end we were first and Roma second, so Mancio trolled Spaletti harder

KevinB said:

Yeah but in the end we were first and Roma second, so Mancio trolled Spaletti harder

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Yes because we had a stellar team and Roma not so much...it would have been an epic fail if we didn't manage to come first.
Now we do not have a stellar team and Roma have some good players that Spalletti can make work for him.
I always liked Spalletti's football more than Mancini's...

Meh, I think Mancini has the upper hand this season. We won't lose to Roma (assuming no injuries to key players).

TheNetworkZ said:

Meh, I think Mancini has the upper hand this season. We won't lose to Roma (assuming no injuries to key players).

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You're pretty confident considering we were quite lucky in our home game against them. They easily could have scored several goals if my memory doesn't mistake me.

Different time, different coach I guess. I just think it'll take them a good amount of time to adapt under Spalletti meanwhile Mancini started the season with this team.

Mancini back at Inter. Spalletti back at Roma. We only need Juventus back in Serie B now.

Y&h said:

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That subtle Epic Brozo

I'm not insane in saying that these stats suggest we're lucky as hell to be third? These numbers seem to suggest we've been about as good as Roma. Is the difference between us and Roma simply Handanovic?

Not that it matters, but I think we're in third right now.

I think "lucky as hell" is an overstatement. Sure, we are a bit lucky, but what made us go to the top were efficiency in the front and discipline in the back. Once we lack one of those two qualities we lose games.

Stats are a tricky thing, so do not read to much into them.

Aurel said:

Not that it matters, but I think we're in third right now.

I think "lucky as hell" is an overstatement. Sure, we are a bit lucky, but what made us go to the top were efficiency in the front and discipline in the back. Once we lack one of those two qualities we lose games.

Stats are a tricky thing, so do not read to much into them.

Click to expand...

I get what you're saying, but can you really say we're the most disciplined at the back if we concede as many chances as Roma does? Or is it that we've had the best goalkeeper in the league this season? Also, isn't Roma the most efficient side in attack? They've scored 12 more goals from us from essentially the same amount of chances?

Also, lucky as hell is clearly a bit of a hyperbole. Anyway, I know that stats can be deceiving, but I think the wide held opinion about us being the best side in the league defensively and that Napoli and Juventus hasn't looked any better than us this season probably doesn't hold as much water as some people think. I'm not saying we're a terrible side of course, but I do think we're not as close to the top two sides in the league as the table suggests. Doesn't mean that can't change though

What I'm saying is, that we win games if we have both of those qualities. Passes and chances conceded are a weird thing anyway. If you play counter attack football your going to get a lot of passes in the final third. Chances are a thing where it's questionable what you really call a chance and what not. Disregarding that there is a message in the stats and you may be right, that maybe we are not as good as our position would suggest. Stats are a great thing to have and make you look at things differently, I just don't like to rely on them. Summed up I pretty much agree with what you're saying, but I wouldn't conclude that from stats, but rather from the games I've seen.

I completely agree with you, that Juve or Napoli are better than us in both departments.

Looking back at our games we were lucky in some of them, but it balances out with the bad luck we've had in other games like Napoli, Lazio and Sassuolo. Even then, there is a slight shift towards the lucky side. We just have a more conservative style of play which doesn't look good on stats from my experience.

To me it shows how close almost all of our games have been so far. A lot of them could have gone either way. From Atalanta and Carpi to Sassuolo. Even the one against Udinese, however ridiculous that might sound.