Mateo Kovačić

[pencilpal]

How do you know, for example, if you've got the next Neil Mellor or the next Wayne Rooney unless you're trying them in top games? It's not football manager, there isn't a star rating system for each player. We cant just find people who are "guaranteed" to be world class players and slowly integrate them.

I mean fuck, imagine if we'd tried that with Santon, Acquafresca, Viviano, Bolzoni (for example)... all you'd have left are some fucking crappy ass mediocre players.

Difference is we've already made a 15 million euro investment in Kovacic last January, and we need to have some faith in him. Obviously entitlement can be an issue, but certainly how Mazzarri is treating him isn't the right way to go

Not to mention we shouldn't deny him a starting place based on the off chance he'll become arrogant.

Also, there can be progress without integrating youth (in reducing the wage budget, building a tactically balanced side, develop a club philosophy, and focusing on the performance rather than the result).

I'm not suggesting we play any other semi-talented young player (over someone who can do a better job); I'm just pointing out my concerns with the status quo. Moreover, I'd love to see Mazzarri accommodate BOTH Kovacic and Hernanes in the starting lineup (alongside Taider, perhaps).

 

[Armes]

Well, not all good things can happen at once and fast, and as far as I'm concerned, from a top club like Inter, you can't really accept 2-3 years of bad results and mid table rankings without Europe, just so the youth can develop. Besides, we've never been a "youth" club, under Moratti at least; things may or may not change under ET. Imo Kovacic is doing ok, not bad, not good, but not coming to a halt, regarding development, as many Mazzarri haters try to make it seem. We could loan him out so he can play full time regularly, but we all know, management included, that we'd rather have him on the bench, especially now that WC is coming.
For a 19 year old kid, to be playing even as a sub at Inter and having that #10 shirt, is no little thingie. This year, Mazzarri had to worry about moving up the shit he was given, not necessarily developing one player or many other young ones, even though I still maintain that he's somewhat has juggled doing both relatively ok. I do believe that next season's Inter will be a brighter place for many, Kovacic heavily included.

 

[.h.]

Difference is we've already made a 15 million euro investment in Kovacic last January, and we need to have some faith in him. Obviously entitlement can be an issue, but certainly how Mazzarri is treating him isn't the right way to go

Not to mention we shouldn't deny him a starting place based on the off chance he'll become arrogant.

Also, there can be progress without integrating youth (in reducing the wage budget, building a tactically balanced side, develop a club philosophy, and focusing on the performance rather than the result).

I'm not suggesting we play any other semi-talented young player (over someone who can do a better job); I'm just pointing out my concerns with the status quo. Moreover, I'd love to see Mazzarri accommodate BOTH Kovacic and Hernanes in the starting lineup (alongside Taider, perhaps).

But the point is that Kovacic doesn't simply 'deserve' a starting place because we spent good money on him. He has to show he deserves it. He has to make an impact when he comes on. He has to create chances. He has to work hard - off the ball as well as on it...

He deserves more time than he gets now, sure. But he doesn't somehow deserve 90 minutes week in week out.... especially in a team which has not conceded in over 300 ? minutes, which actually has a potentially functional midfield for once.

- - - Updated - - -

Well, not all good things can happen at once and fast, and as far as I'm concerned, from a top club like Inter, you can't really accept 2-3 years of bad results and mid table rankings without Europe, just so the youth can develop. Besides, we've never been a "youth" club, under Moratti at least; things may or may not change under ET. Imo Kovacic is doing ok, not bad, not good, but not coming to a halt, regarding development, as many Mazzarri haters try to make it seem. We could loan him out so he can play full time regularly, but we all know, management included, that we'd rather have him on the bench, especially now that WC is coming.
For a 19 year old kid, to be playing even as a sub at Inter and having that #10 shirt, is no little thingie. This year, Mazzarri had to worry about moving up the shit he was given, not necessarily developing one player or many other young ones, even though I still maintain that he's somewhat has juggled doing both relatively ok. I do believe that next season's Inter will be a brighter place for many, Kovacic heavily included.

tbh there's no such thing as a 'youth' club being compatiable with our identity as Inter.

Like we're going to become Livorno and fight relegation battles for 3 years and then suddenly be first? No team in history has done a 'youth' project like that and been successful. You have a FEW youth talents who DESERVE to be there, and work out how to phase them in. Pogba is a great example, as is De Sciglio. If they dont deserve to be there based on their performances, then they dont deserve to be there.



I mean what is it? People on here are losing their shit over someone who knows how to dribble. Shame he can't really do anything else yet.

 

[Armes]

That's exactly what I'm saying. And people in here, some, not all, just plain hate the coach - they'll loose their shit over anything remotely affected by such person.

 

[pencilpal]

But the point is that Kovacic doesn't simply 'deserve' a starting place because we spent good money on him. He has to show he deserves it.

I'm not meaning to suggest anything along the lines of "Kovacic should start every week regardless of how he plays"

But we need to remember that Inter paid 15 million for the young croatian, NOT for his current ability, but for his ceiling. The point of an investment is that it involves some short term risk, but there's a tremendous upside to having some more faith in Kovacic

If we're interested in growing Inter's "wealth" over a long period of time, we need to consider the viability of riskier investments (in making certain sacrifices for sustainability).

He has to make an impact when he comes on. He has to create chances. He has to work hard - off the ball as well as on it...

Funny thing is that he's a creative outlet of the Croatia NT, shining when he's playing alongside the likes of Modric and Rakitic. I think his problems at Inter (why he seemingly doesn't do as well, especially as a playmaker) are a mixture of lacking confidence, not understanding his role (similar to someone like Pirlo, who was deemed slow/incapable as an AM, before he was deployed as a CM DLP), and the nature of Mazzarri's tactics (not being conducive to Kovacic's talents)

Elaborating on that last point, the archetypical Mazzarri CM is a relatively physical player who likes to shoot from distance, but generally lacks creativity. Players such as Palombo, Inler, Dzemaili, and Behrami (Guarin, Taider, and to an extent even Hernanes) are representative of this trend. Additionally, Kovacic does his best work ON the ball, while the majority of the aforementioned players (and even Hamsik) are generally renowned for their great off the ball movement and defensive contributions.

Consider that Mazzarri dispensed of Cigarini in his first season at Napoli, someone who is a brilliant creative threat in the central of the park (arguably one of Serie A's best atm); given that Mazzarri prefers to funnel his attack through the wings, mindlessly throwing in crosses into the box, rather than attacking centrally (which would imo be much more suited to Palacio as well as the young croatian).

In a nutshell, I don't think he's giving Kovacic enough creative freedom tbh.

 

[Fapuccino]

That's exactly what I'm saying. And people in here, some, not all, just plain hate the coach - they'll loose their shit over anything remotely affected by such person.

Exactly. People are hating on Mazzari too much. If we focus on solely developing these youngsters we will end up 9th place, and that way we will never reach 5th place.

We do not have the finances to risk losing a spot that high up the table. Next 3 seasons we might even climb up to 4th once players get used to Mazzari's system.

 

[.h.]

Well, we say that, but now we find Hernanes and indeed Hernanes is well liked by Mazzarri...

Sure, you buy him for the ceiling - but you must concede that you wont play a 5 year old simply because of his ceiling, right?

At some point you have to justify a position on CURRENT ability, not JUST your 'ceiling'.

Now, Kova does certainly deserve to be "around" the first team, and I would give him a start soon - probably instead of Guarin.... but I dont feel like he particularly deserves it right now. Flashes of genius but nothing more. At what point of 'carrying him so he can develop' become too much of a hinderence?

 

[pencilpal]

tbh there's no such thing as a 'youth' club being compatiable with our identity as Inter.

Like we're going to become Livorno and fight relegation battles for 3 years and then suddenly be first? No team in history has done a 'youth' project like that and been successful. You have a FEW youth talents who DESERVE to be there, and work out how to phase them in. Pogba is a great example, as is De Sciglio. If they dont deserve to be there based on their performances, then they dont deserve to be there.

Wait a second

I'm not saying we should bench players like Hernanes, with the goal being to mindlessly reduce the average age of the squad (by promoting players from the Primavera, building the team around the likes of Icardi, Kovacic, TAider etc)

Rather, I just think Kovacic deserves more playing time. It doesn't have to be EITHER youth or seniority; ffs there should be some grey area here.

My main point is that this club has no direction, and that I'd sacrifice the results for a few years to build a proper team and establish a real project (as I've previously noted, in reducing the wage budget, building a tactically balanced side, develop a club philosophy, and focusing on getting the performances first and foremost etc)

It's not only about youth.

 

[shadowmoon]

kova certainly has the potential. no one is denying that. but for now, he is one of those players who is able to show his glimpses of brilliance here and there, but usually not leading to the decisive and desired outcomes. many times we have seen him dribble past 2-3 players but then only to screw it up by making the wrong decision (back pass, should have taken a shot instead of a pass, should have passed to a player who was in a better position, disappointing final ball, etc).

this is the difference between him and the likes of guarin and jonachan. while both guarin and jonachan only possess a quarter of the talent and skills that kova has, they are certainly more decisive and and effective in producing the end-result (assists, goals).

this has been said many times before. but only if kova could improve on certain aspects of his game like decision making, shooting skills, etc, he would be the next big thing.

i agree with some people who think that he needs more minutes, so that he can prove his true quality. but at the same time, i also wonder how many chances does he need to actually get to that level? i have not been really impressed with kova to be honest. yes, his dribbling skills are very impressive, but certainly not the other aspects.

 

[Wallace]

Indeed, like his cross to Hernanes, what the hell was that?

If his cross was placed 10cm closer to Hernanes, Hernanes would have been able to reach it and not fall over. If Hernanes got injured from trying to head that cross, I would count it towards Kovacic's fault as well.

I know some members like to count the 'could have been' assists, but for me, if we didn't score it then Kovacic didn't make any assist. It's not like we count it for other teams and other players also. So in essence, his delivery was complete shit, and he really needs to fix the accuracy of his passes.

I'm sorry, but I just don't see the talent in Kovacic anymore, dribbling alone is not sufficient to make it in today's football, otherwise Denilson would have won 20 ballon d'ors during his career.

 

[.h.]

ell, the Hernanes assist was actually quite good - dont know if you're trolling or not? - but the first defender touched the ball which is why it didnt follow the flight path Hernanes thought.

But how often have we seen something like that from Kovacic? It's not actually that common, tbh.

 

[Tanel]

I would just like to add that all over the place there are people rushing too much with this kid.

I would like to remind he is 19 years old. He has plenty of time to make his big breakthrough, and the step from being 20-30 minute player to exploding into starting line up is not that big. It's not as if he isn't getting any minutes at all. Even if he explodes 2 years from now, he has plenty of time to make a big career.

Surely it will do him no good if he gets that place just for free rather than go through the experience of actually having to earn it by producing something.

I just pray that our management won't be idiotic and think we should cash in on him in summer for 15-20 millino euros.

 

[Wobblz]

Recent matches he's obviously been instructed to shoot when he's close to the goal. I remember a couple of occasions when we dribbled past 2-3 players, got in a good position and placed a weak low shot straight at the keeper. I think he'll greatly up his contribution with some end product if he concentrates on that in training.

 

[hypno123]

I believe Kovacic is one of those youngsters who just need one game, one specific moment to change their career. I've seen it happened before, I like to say "exploded". If he just scores one f... goal, he could gain so much self confidence, he could be actually prolific scoring. On training you would never say he has finishing problems, however on the pitch he obviously has.

 

[.h.]

perhaps, but until it comes, we're just speculating tbh.

 

[Mnassar]

ell, the Hernanes assist was actually quite good - dont know if you're trolling or not? - but the first defender touched the ball which is why it didnt follow the flight path Hernanes thought.

But how often have we seen something like that from Kovacic? It's not actually that common, tbh.

Dude he's been "trolling" for weeks now, I don't know what he thinks he's accomplishing, but if it's for laughs, I'm sure it's just him giggling all alone in front of his screen, because this shit was probably barely funny when in primary school. It's not as if it's even well thought trolling.

Anyway, I totally agree with you Browha insofar as I really think Kova needs to be gradually introduced in games, and especially where the weight of expectation isn't gonna crush him. Imagine he has a string of bad starts (as he may likely do) and starts getting booed by fans? At 19 we may lose him, it takes a thick skinned experienced player like Guarin to handle this kind of abuse.

 

[.h.]

Dude he's been "trolling" for weeks now, I don't know what he thinks he's accomplishing, but if it's for laughs, I'm sure it's just him giggling all alone in front of his screen, because this shit was probably barely funny when in primary school. It's not as if it's even well thought trolling.

Anyway, I totally agree with you Browha insofar as I really think Kova needs to be gradually introduced in games, and especially where the weight of expectation isn't gonna crush him. Imagine he has a string of bad starts (as he may likely do) and starts getting booed by fans? At 19 we may lose him, it takes a thick skinned experienced player like Guarin to handle this kind of abuse.

Agreed. I'd like to see him get more game time - but it needs to be handled delicately.

I would start him next game over Guarin, though, at the moment. But I dont particularly think he will excel - but we have to take small gambles like this from time to time...

As stated, thouh, the problem is who you drop for him. Guarin provides a lot of work rate, off the ball movement, and physicality on the ball. Hernanes provides attacking threat. Cambiasso provides defensive cover. The most obvious person to drop for Kovacic is Hernanes, but Hernanes actually has efficiency and output - Kovacic doesn't.

I am pleased with his cameo last game, for example, which should be rewarded, but it's about phased and deserved integration

 

[Fitzy]

Dude he's been "trolling" for years now.

Fitzroyed.

 

[Ronaldo]

I have said it before and I say it now. Kova is getting enough minutes and he will get more, maybe even starts if he produces something.

It's Taider whom I am worried about.

 

[thatdude]

Ya I can't complain about Kovacic's minutes to much. I hope he gets his chance to start soon, but even if he does well I still wouldn't expect Walt to start him every match.

Taider on the other hand is starting to get a little big worrying. In all honestly he's the one probably more ready to play from the start than Kovacic. He's also a much more like to like replacement for Guarin than Kovacic. I think Taider could potentially have the same impact physically as Guarin without the loss of possession, I would even go as far as to say he might be a better goal threat as well. However, what we would lose is Guarin's ability to pick a deadly pass, which although inconsistent is a facet of his game we need.