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This article was written about two years agao. By far, this is the most fair and truthful article I've read about Cuper. I highlighted some important parts:
From soccernet.com:
Sunday, April 20, 2003
Roberto Gotta
The man who couldn't win
Try putting yourself in Hector Cuper's shoes. Or perhaps not, as you'd probably feel such pressure that it could knock you off your feet.
Another Serie A season is apparently going sour for his club Inter Milan, despite Saturday's injury-time win at Brescia, and so many doubts and questions are hovering over the manager that they could cloud the sky over La Pinetina, Inter's training centre, for the next decade unless Cuper leaves before too long.
There has rarely been a more high-profile and talked about coach in Inter's recent past as Cuper, and Inter have had plenty of them in their quest for the Scudetto a title that has been missing from the Black and Blue half of Milan since 1989: Mircea Lucescu, Roy Hodgson, Marcello Lippi, Marco Tardelli to name only a few.
Their 'plight' - if this word can be used for a club which has been consistently among the top three and is now a regular Champions League participant - has baffled observers who have been predicting for at least three years that 'this is the season'.
Their near-misses are already the lore of legend, of ridicule among other fans and of despair for Inter followers who still have nightmares about the events of May 5, 2002, when Cuper's team put on a horror show against Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico, twice taking the lead before losing 4-2, and presenting Juventus, winner at Udinese on the day, their 26th title.
This season, Cuper has been under fire for a variety of reasons. Among them, oddly enough, are not being stern enough and also being too stern, which goes to show how desperate his situation is.
Cuper had created a name for himself in Europe by leading Mallorca to a Cup Winners' Cup final and third place in La Liga. He also led Valencia to two Champions League finals, but even his supporters cannot have failed to notice that Valencia never won the big prize with him and only took the Liga title after he'd left for Milan, although one could see his blueprint in that team.
His team selections have been harshly criticized as confusing and lacking flair, but it must be said he's never had the players he wanted and needed for his trusted 4-4-2 formation, which he only recently strayed from by deploying three strikers in a disastrous 1-2 defeat at Udinese.
Inter lack true wide players. Javier Zanetti certainly does not fit the bill on the right and whoever plays on the left, an Inter sore point for ages, is not up to the task.
Inter, and club President Massimo Moratti, appear intent on adding players with no apparent regard to their position and this has put Cuper in a difficult position.
It was widely known he'd taken Mallorca and Valencia to their zenith by using players who were not household names and who subsequently have not lived up to their reputation elsewhere, but it was hoped he'd have a much better choice at Inter.
But Cuper's improved choice was limited and the pedestrian play of his team in the middle of the park have given Inter a reputation as a team with a lot of energy and talent but no identity.
They have a great striker in Christian Vieri, who gets fed a lot by teammates wary of his reactions if they fail to do so, but also have a suspect defence, where Fabio Cannavaro has had a lot of poor games, and a goalkeeper who's not been as consistent as required.
However, Inter can count on a fair number of empathizing media, but somehow lack the credibility of Juventus and Milan, and the more refined observers have noticed that Cuper tends to be asked tougher questions and to be ridiculed much more than Marcello Lippi and Carlo Ancelotti, his counterparts at Juve and Milan.
Lippi can shock and awe reporters with his stern replies and has the backing of the distinctly unfunny Juventus directors, while Ancelotti gets away with being a genuinely decent person and has been put under more pressure by his own directors than the media.
Some pinpoint Inter's lack of 'gravitas' as a problem and put it down to owner Moratti, whose role and influence on the team are also being brought into question.
Many say Moratti is too much of a fan to be an impartial judge of talent and sometimes his personal bias can do more harm than good, as reflected by his admiration for Ryan Giggs who may or may not be (like so many before him) the missing link for Inter.
But Giggs would hardly be a long term solution, and Pinetina insiders say Moratti's own down-to-earth behaviour can undermine Cuper's position. How can a player truly respect his manager when the owner himself walks into the Pinetina and makes coffee for himself and some of the players and treats them like royalty?
This has been one of the reasons some have called for Cuper to resign rather than be subjected to this apparent disrespect, but the same traits of scrupulousness and dedication which have made him a successful coach have prevented him from thumbing his nose at his critics.
But it now seems Moratti himself is beginning to lose patience with his cigarette-card collection of players and has asked them to accept a consistent reduction of wages, some of them possibly being paid in real estate or other goods rather than money.
Some critics grumble about Cuper's choice of playing Gabriel Batistuta, who has looked as out of sorts as everybody had predicted. Some suggest Cuper sticks with Batistuta out of loyalty to a fellow Argentinian, while others claim Cuper keeps playing 'Batigol' so everyone can see that Moratti's signings lead the team nowhere.
Cuper may be non-confrontational with the media and always keeps his composure, but you can bet he'd like to win with Inter above everything else.
Inter are known as a mess in Italy, but Cuper still has chances of bringing out his weapons of mass destruction and the Champions League quarter-final return at the Mestalla against Valencia may prove to be one of those occasions.
One day he may even have players who can fit right in to his 4-4-2, but will it be at Inter? Well Cuper's contract runs until 2005.
Moratti may be tired of the revolving-door policy of hiring coaches and has recently said 'if it's up to me, Cuper is staying', but since he's the owner and has full power, does that mean someone else has a hand in determining who the manager is? Stay tuned.
From soccernet.com:
Sunday, April 20, 2003
Roberto Gotta
The man who couldn't win
Try putting yourself in Hector Cuper's shoes. Or perhaps not, as you'd probably feel such pressure that it could knock you off your feet.
Another Serie A season is apparently going sour for his club Inter Milan, despite Saturday's injury-time win at Brescia, and so many doubts and questions are hovering over the manager that they could cloud the sky over La Pinetina, Inter's training centre, for the next decade unless Cuper leaves before too long.
There has rarely been a more high-profile and talked about coach in Inter's recent past as Cuper, and Inter have had plenty of them in their quest for the Scudetto a title that has been missing from the Black and Blue half of Milan since 1989: Mircea Lucescu, Roy Hodgson, Marcello Lippi, Marco Tardelli to name only a few.
Their 'plight' - if this word can be used for a club which has been consistently among the top three and is now a regular Champions League participant - has baffled observers who have been predicting for at least three years that 'this is the season'.
Their near-misses are already the lore of legend, of ridicule among other fans and of despair for Inter followers who still have nightmares about the events of May 5, 2002, when Cuper's team put on a horror show against Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico, twice taking the lead before losing 4-2, and presenting Juventus, winner at Udinese on the day, their 26th title.
This season, Cuper has been under fire for a variety of reasons. Among them, oddly enough, are not being stern enough and also being too stern, which goes to show how desperate his situation is.
Cuper had created a name for himself in Europe by leading Mallorca to a Cup Winners' Cup final and third place in La Liga. He also led Valencia to two Champions League finals, but even his supporters cannot have failed to notice that Valencia never won the big prize with him and only took the Liga title after he'd left for Milan, although one could see his blueprint in that team.
His team selections have been harshly criticized as confusing and lacking flair, but it must be said he's never had the players he wanted and needed for his trusted 4-4-2 formation, which he only recently strayed from by deploying three strikers in a disastrous 1-2 defeat at Udinese.
Inter lack true wide players. Javier Zanetti certainly does not fit the bill on the right and whoever plays on the left, an Inter sore point for ages, is not up to the task.
Inter, and club President Massimo Moratti, appear intent on adding players with no apparent regard to their position and this has put Cuper in a difficult position.
It was widely known he'd taken Mallorca and Valencia to their zenith by using players who were not household names and who subsequently have not lived up to their reputation elsewhere, but it was hoped he'd have a much better choice at Inter.
But Cuper's improved choice was limited and the pedestrian play of his team in the middle of the park have given Inter a reputation as a team with a lot of energy and talent but no identity.
They have a great striker in Christian Vieri, who gets fed a lot by teammates wary of his reactions if they fail to do so, but also have a suspect defence, where Fabio Cannavaro has had a lot of poor games, and a goalkeeper who's not been as consistent as required.
However, Inter can count on a fair number of empathizing media, but somehow lack the credibility of Juventus and Milan, and the more refined observers have noticed that Cuper tends to be asked tougher questions and to be ridiculed much more than Marcello Lippi and Carlo Ancelotti, his counterparts at Juve and Milan.
Lippi can shock and awe reporters with his stern replies and has the backing of the distinctly unfunny Juventus directors, while Ancelotti gets away with being a genuinely decent person and has been put under more pressure by his own directors than the media.
Some pinpoint Inter's lack of 'gravitas' as a problem and put it down to owner Moratti, whose role and influence on the team are also being brought into question.
Many say Moratti is too much of a fan to be an impartial judge of talent and sometimes his personal bias can do more harm than good, as reflected by his admiration for Ryan Giggs who may or may not be (like so many before him) the missing link for Inter.
But Giggs would hardly be a long term solution, and Pinetina insiders say Moratti's own down-to-earth behaviour can undermine Cuper's position. How can a player truly respect his manager when the owner himself walks into the Pinetina and makes coffee for himself and some of the players and treats them like royalty?
This has been one of the reasons some have called for Cuper to resign rather than be subjected to this apparent disrespect, but the same traits of scrupulousness and dedication which have made him a successful coach have prevented him from thumbing his nose at his critics.
But it now seems Moratti himself is beginning to lose patience with his cigarette-card collection of players and has asked them to accept a consistent reduction of wages, some of them possibly being paid in real estate or other goods rather than money.
Some critics grumble about Cuper's choice of playing Gabriel Batistuta, who has looked as out of sorts as everybody had predicted. Some suggest Cuper sticks with Batistuta out of loyalty to a fellow Argentinian, while others claim Cuper keeps playing 'Batigol' so everyone can see that Moratti's signings lead the team nowhere.
Cuper may be non-confrontational with the media and always keeps his composure, but you can bet he'd like to win with Inter above everything else.
Inter are known as a mess in Italy, but Cuper still has chances of bringing out his weapons of mass destruction and the Champions League quarter-final return at the Mestalla against Valencia may prove to be one of those occasions.
One day he may even have players who can fit right in to his 4-4-2, but will it be at Inter? Well Cuper's contract runs until 2005.
Moratti may be tired of the revolving-door policy of hiring coaches and has recently said 'if it's up to me, Cuper is staying', but since he's the owner and has full power, does that mean someone else has a hand in determining who the manager is? Stay tuned.
(Just kidding, Milos. 
