When coach Jose Mourinho left Inter for Real Madrid this past summer, there was a pervasive suspicion that Inter's time in the limelight was perhaps coming to an end. After claiming the European Cup, the Scudetto, and the Coppa Italia the Nerazzurri, once known as the perennial underachievers of Italian football, had the onerous task of upholding their newly established reputation as winners. Even when Inter were sweeping past opposition en route to their Scudetti wins in 2007, 2008, and 2009, the skeptics still questioned their mettle. They gestured, and not without reason, to the fact that Inter had not won football's most coveted prize, the European Cup, since Helenio Herrera's reign in the 1960s. Since those heady days of triumph, Inter have been repeatedly eclipsed by their cross-city rivals Milan, who even in this past decade have won two European Cups to Inter's one.
Mourinho's departure also signaled the end of an era marked by audacity, swagger, and self-importance. As former Juventus offical Luciano Moggi observed astutely this week, Mourinho talked about himself in order to divert attention from his team. The Portuguese coach's irritability and sanctimony was more than just exasperation with the Italian media; it was a contrived disposition that eased the pressure on his team. In Mourinho's place comes Rafael Benitez, a lugubrious coach who lacks the craftiness of his predecessor. His first few games in charge have produced a mixed return. Inter lost to Atletico Madrid in the Supercup before drawing with Bologna 0-0. However, their 2-1 win over Udinese will allow Benitez to work with relative calm, having gotten his first victory out of the way. Against Twente tomorrow, Benitez will look to build precisely on that victory against Udinese as he looks to find the winning combination for his team.
Dutch champions Twente should provide little difficulty. After all, they are Champions League debutants, and the real opposition for Inter appear to be Tottenham and Werder Bremen, the other two teams making up Group A.
Team news
Inter's Thiago Motta, Douglas Maicon and Dejan Stankovic all sit out through injury. Inter will instead line-up Samuel Eto'o up front with Wesley Sneijder providing the playmaking duties.
Twente are not in the competition to make up the numbers, and their nothing to lose attitude will serve them well. As debutants they could not have asked for a tougher first fixture than the one against the reigning European Champions. They will have a full-strength team, with the possible exception of Nicky Kuiper.
What they are saying
Inter coach Rafael Benitez: "We want to do better in the group stage than we did last year. If we have the same spirit as last year, we can win the Champions League again."
Twente coach Michel Preud'homme: "Being here is a dream come true for the fans."
Prediction
Notwithstanding all of Inter's current troubles in finding the right balance under a new coach, they should overcome Twente. 2-1 Inter.
