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After another flop display against Lecce, there is no space left at Inter for Wesley Sneijder
The Netherlands international had to be withdrawn midway through Sunday's defeat, prompting the question as to whether the Dutchman still has a role with the Nerazzurri
30-Jan-2012 2:45:00 PM
Getty Images
ANALYSIS
By Mark Doyle
Just six months ago Inter did everything within their power to hold on to Wesley Sneijder. Now it seems they do not know what to do with him.
The Dutch playmaker, such a key component in the treble-winning side of 2010, was hauled off at half-time in Sunday's shock 1-0 defeat by Lecce.
Admittedly, Sneijder has only just returned from injury but the change, as coach Claudio Ranieri explained afterwards was purely tactical, with the Roman essentially admitting in his post-match interview that he does not yet know how best to reintegrate the player back into the side.
While the Netherlands international was kicking his heels on the sidelines with his latest muscular campaign, Ranieri was busy restoring some solidity and structure to a side that had looked horribly fragile and embarrassingly disorganised at the start of the season under former boss Gian Piero Gasperini.
By the time Sneijder was ready to return, the Nerazzurri had won five games on the bounce. Consequently, the former Real Madrid man was left on the bench for the Derby della Madoninna against AC Milan and also the visit of Lazio as a resurgent Inter went about extending their winning-streak to seven matches.
The feeling was that with Inter playing well and Diego Milito and Giampaolo Pazzini excelling alongside one another in a two-man attack, the club could afford to take their time reintroducing their notoriously fragile trequartista into their attack.
So, Sneijder was not handed his first start in the league until the trip to the Via del Mare, his return coinciding with the club's first loss in eight Serie A games.
As Ranieri reasoned afterwards, it was not that Sneijder had performed poorly during the 45 minutes he had been afforded, it was more that he looked out of place and Inter horribly vulnerable in the 4-3-2-1 formation that had been chosen to accommodate the 27-year-old Utrecht-native.
The absence of Thiago Motta undoubtedly played a part in Inter being so lightweight in midfield, but there can be no doubt that Ranieri now has a very tricky tactical problem on his hands.
There is also the player's mental state to consider too. For anyone who has watched Sneijder closely this season, it has been evident that the player does not look happy within himself. Whether that is to do with the fact that he did not secure a move to Manchester United last summer, only he knows for sure.
But there can be no denying that Sneijder has cut an increasingly frustrated figure in recent weeks, as evidenced by his wild lunge at Walter Gargano during Wednesday night's Coppa Italia defeat by Napoli.
With all of this in mind, we have decided to get the insight of Goal.com Italia's Milan-based Sergio Stanco to see how Inter should go about addressing the Sneijder issue and ascertain whether the player could yet depart San Siro before the close of the transfer window.
Sergio, Why would you say Sneijder has not yet put any form together since returning to the Inter squad? It is now three weeks since he resumed training, but his displays have shown no real improvement.
"He has always had injury problems in Italy and he was asked to rush comebacks before and he got injured again. So I think that they're all trying to avoid that happening again."
Would you agree that Sneijder has been unable to reproduce his best form since Jose Mourinho left Inter?
"Sure, and that's not only because of physical problems; it's also because his head is not right. It seems that he doesn't care about Inter anymore and that he'd rather be anywhere else in the world at the moment other than Italy."
"I think that Inter should have sold him in the summer; now it's more difficult, not least because they've no chance of collecting €30 million for him anymore."
Would you say that the fact Claudio Ranieri favours a 4-4-2, which doesn't really suit Sneijder's style of play, puts the player at a disadvantage?
"Ranieri has played many different formations in the past but he has again stated that Inter cannot support Wes and two more forwards. So it definitely penalises Sneijder."
Is it up to Sneijder to change his game to suit the club? Could he try to become a more 'regular' central midfield player, or do you think there is something more to Sneijder's poor form this season than tactical issues?
"He would not be able to adapt his game to play in the centre of midfield, so if Inter don't change, it is going to become increasingly difficult for him to play. Maybe when Motta comes back, Ranieri could try 4-3-1-2 to see if it'll work. Personally, I don't think it will."
Will Wesley Sneijder leave Inter in 2012?
"To be honest, while I don't think there's enough time left for Inter to offload him in January, I'd be very surprised to see him at Pinetina in August ... The Premier League is his next destination."
With the January window coming to a close on Tuesday, Goal.com is your address for all the latest activity on the transfer market. Stay up to date of what's happening in all the big leagues in our all-day LIVE! for the climax of the transfer window, and read up on what else we have to offer here
By Mark Doyle
Just six months ago Inter did everything within their power to hold on to Wesley Sneijder. Now it seems they do not know what to do with him.
The Dutch playmaker, such a key component in the treble-winning side of 2010, was hauled off at half-time in Sunday's shock 1-0 defeat by Lecce.
Admittedly, Sneijder has only just returned from injury but the change, as coach Claudio Ranieri explained afterwards was purely tactical, with the Roman essentially admitting in his post-match interview that he does not yet know how best to reintegrate the player back into the side.
While the Netherlands international was kicking his heels on the sidelines with his latest muscular campaign, Ranieri was busy restoring some solidity and structure to a side that had looked horribly fragile and embarrassingly disorganised at the start of the season under former boss Gian Piero Gasperini.
| WITH OR WITHOUT YOU |
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| INTER'S STATS WHEN SNEIJDER STARTS |
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| GAMES PLAYED GOALS SCORED AV. GOALS SCORED PER GAME GAMES WON WIN PERCENTAGE |
6 5 0.83 1 16.66% |
| WHEN SNEIJDER'S BENCHED OR OUT |
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| GAMES PLAYED GOALS SCORED AV. GOALS SCORED PER GAME GAMES WON WIN PERCENTAGE |
14 26 1.86 10 71.4% |
The feeling was that with Inter playing well and Diego Milito and Giampaolo Pazzini excelling alongside one another in a two-man attack, the club could afford to take their time reintroducing their notoriously fragile trequartista into their attack.
So, Sneijder was not handed his first start in the league until the trip to the Via del Mare, his return coinciding with the club's first loss in eight Serie A games.
As Ranieri reasoned afterwards, it was not that Sneijder had performed poorly during the 45 minutes he had been afforded, it was more that he looked out of place and Inter horribly vulnerable in the 4-3-2-1 formation that had been chosen to accommodate the 27-year-old Utrecht-native.
The absence of Thiago Motta undoubtedly played a part in Inter being so lightweight in midfield, but there can be no doubt that Ranieri now has a very tricky tactical problem on his hands.
There is also the player's mental state to consider too. For anyone who has watched Sneijder closely this season, it has been evident that the player does not look happy within himself. Whether that is to do with the fact that he did not secure a move to Manchester United last summer, only he knows for sure.
But there can be no denying that Sneijder has cut an increasingly frustrated figure in recent weeks, as evidenced by his wild lunge at Walter Gargano during Wednesday night's Coppa Italia defeat by Napoli.
With all of this in mind, we have decided to get the insight of Goal.com Italia's Milan-based Sergio Stanco to see how Inter should go about addressing the Sneijder issue and ascertain whether the player could yet depart San Siro before the close of the transfer window.
Sergio, Why would you say Sneijder has not yet put any form together since returning to the Inter squad? It is now three weeks since he resumed training, but his displays have shown no real improvement.
"He has always had injury problems in Italy and he was asked to rush comebacks before and he got injured again. So I think that they're all trying to avoid that happening again."
Would you agree that Sneijder has been unable to reproduce his best form since Jose Mourinho left Inter?
"Sure, and that's not only because of physical problems; it's also because his head is not right. It seems that he doesn't care about Inter anymore and that he'd rather be anywhere else in the world at the moment other than Italy."
No way through | Sneijder and friends couldn't get past Benassi on Sunday
"I think that Inter should have sold him in the summer; now it's more difficult, not least because they've no chance of collecting €30 million for him anymore."
Would you say that the fact Claudio Ranieri favours a 4-4-2, which doesn't really suit Sneijder's style of play, puts the player at a disadvantage?
"Ranieri has played many different formations in the past but he has again stated that Inter cannot support Wes and two more forwards. So it definitely penalises Sneijder."
Is it up to Sneijder to change his game to suit the club? Could he try to become a more 'regular' central midfield player, or do you think there is something more to Sneijder's poor form this season than tactical issues?
"He would not be able to adapt his game to play in the centre of midfield, so if Inter don't change, it is going to become increasingly difficult for him to play. Maybe when Motta comes back, Ranieri could try 4-3-1-2 to see if it'll work. Personally, I don't think it will."
Will Wesley Sneijder leave Inter in 2012?
"To be honest, while I don't think there's enough time left for Inter to offload him in January, I'd be very surprised to see him at Pinetina in August ... The Premier League is his next destination."
With the January window coming to a close on Tuesday, Goal.com is your address for all the latest activity on the transfer market. Stay up to date of what's happening in all the big leagues in our all-day LIVE! for the climax of the transfer window, and read up on what else we have to offer here
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