Pescara – Inter Preview

For the first time in nearly 20 years Inter will travel to the “other” shore of the peninsula, you know the far less populous one, to take on Pescara. For the first game of the season Inter definitely have an edge that has nothing to do with talent or payroll. The Inter coaches and supporters have some idea what to expect from the team considering that 3 meaningful games are already under their belt. There are still a lot of questions that Pescara need to answer after having several members of the group that lifted the Delfini out of Serie B on other teams now, including their mastermind/mad scientist Zeman. Will they still be dangerous? Yeah, I believe so. Will they be playing with absolute abandon in their first game back in Serie A? You bet. So it’ll be an interesting game on several levels.

Who: Pescara v Inter

What: Week 1 Serie A

Where: Stadio Adriatico

When: Sunday, August 26 2012, 20:45 CET (2:45 EST)

Inter Call Up

Goalkeepers: 12 Castellazzi, 27 Belec, 32 Cincilla

Defenders: 4 Zanetti, 6 Silvestre, 23 Ranocchia, 25 Samuel, 33 Mbaye, 40 Juan, 42 Jonathan, 44 Bianchetti, 55 Nagatomo

Midfielders: 10 Sneijder, 14 Guarin, 19 Cambiasso, 21 Gargano, 24 Benassi, 41 Duncan

Forwards: 7 Coutinho, 22 Milito, 81 Longo, 88 Livaja, 99 Cassano.

As has been discussed on a number of forums, new arrivals Gargano and Cassano get the call. La Gazzetta dello Sport is suggesting that Gargano will start from the opening whistle setting up in front of the defense. Maicon is not called up due to his uncertain status. Palacio’s absence is explained by a suspension that he’s serving from last season and Handanovic is absent recuperating from a knee injury.

You know what, here’s a list of injuries still out: Alvarez, Obi, Mudingaye, Mariga, Chivu, Stankovic and Handanovic. Word is out that Samuel is unavailable due to injury but he was called up anyway – he’s probably available in case of an emergency.

Probable Squad and Formation

Pescara 433 – Perin, Balzano, Capuano, Romagnoli, Zanon, Cascione, Colucci, Nielson, Caprari, Abbruscato, Weiss

Inter 4321 – Castellazzi, Zanetti, Silvestre, Ranocchia, Nagatomo, Cambiasso, Gargano, Guarin, Coutinho, Sneijder, Militos

Comments

The heroes of the great treble team were notorious under Mourinho to start slow. Lately the starts to the season can best be described as glacial. There is no doubt in my mind that Strama needs to make a statement here. The team has bought into his ideas more than I have ever seen for a coach since Moratti took over as President. I mean there has been some serious support and that support is going to come at a price. The newly promoted Novara was the end, mercifully, of a recently gabby Gasperini. There is no doubt in my mind that Strama, by all accounts a very bright guy, has seen the light of job security – embarrassing losses ends support and losing to newly promoted teams qualifies as embarrassing. Despite playing away in his first Serie A Match Day, I expect Strama to come out swinging.

I will be looking for something from this team, though. It’s called improvement. I expect improvement to team defense. I don’t expect miracles. I do expect to see a better midfield and defensive understanding than I did in Milan and Romania lately. I don’t think I am asking for too much, really. Pescara has been known for a long time as an attacking team, especially if you were around for the early-ish 1990s version of this team. However, they are significantly less well known, infamous really, for their defense. Inter should be able to attack on this team. I expect shots from a forward trio of Milito, Sneijder, Coutinho/Cassano. But for this team to finish higher in the table than it did last season it will have to stop shipping goals to everybody.

FORZA INTER