Can Rafael Benitez continue Inter Milan’s dominance of Italian football?
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Inter Milan have been utterly dominant in Italy in recent years and have won the last 5 Scudettos. Last season the Nerazzurri did the clean sweep of Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League titles, although they were pushed all the way for the domestic double by Roma.
Jose Mourinho has left the reigning champions, to be replaced by Rafael Benitez, and there is a growing feeling in Italy that the departure of the Portuguese could spell the end of Inter’s dominance of Italian football.
Much will depend on whether Massimo Moratti can convince star players such as Wesley Sneijder, Maicon, Lucio and Diego Milito to remain at the San Siro, as if they stay then Inter will undoubtedly be the team to beat again in 2010/2011.
If, however, there is an exodus at Inter, then there are several sides waiting to pounce and recapture some former glories.
No team wants to usurp Inter more than AC Milan, who have also parted company with manager Leonardo. Former Cagliari boss Massimiliano Allegri has taken over from the Brazilian and it is expected he will usher in a new era of stylish, attacking football for the Rossoneri.
Juventus also have a new man at the helm, with Luigi Del Neri succeeding Alberto Zaccharino, who couldn’t fix the disaster that was Ciro Ferrara’s spell as manager of the Old Lady.
Juve’s squad isn’t great and players such as Alessandro Del Piero and Mauro Camoranesi can’t be relied upon for too much longer. There doesn’t appear to be the vast sums of money there were in the past for Juventus to bring in star players, so it could be another season of disappointment in Turin.
Roma look to be the most stable, and therefore most likely, of the challengers to Inter. Claudio Ranieri has quietly turned the Giallorossi into a good, solid side and if the evergreen Francesco Totti can stay fit then they will be there or thereabouts towards the end of the season. Their undoing, however, could be an increased volume of games, due to the Champions League which, as Fiorentina will testify, takes its toll on small squads.
Fiorentina and Lazio can expect better seasons in 2010/2011 than they had in 2009/2010, although it would be a shock to see either side in the top four, while Palermo, Napoli and Sampdoria may struggle to maintain last year’s good form.
Latest Serie A betting from Bet365
Inter Milan – 11/10
Roma – 4/1
Juventus – 4/1
AC Milan – 9/2
Fiorentina – 40/1
Napoli – 50/1
Sampdoria – 50/1
Lazio – 66/1
Palermo – 150/1
Genoa – 150/1
Udinese – 200/1
Parma – 250/1
500/1 bar
