Antonio Conte watched his Inter Milan side muster 20 shots against Shakhtar Donetsk in the final game of the Champions League group stage. But, by the end, Conte and the Nerazzurri got no reward as they tumbled out of the group stage of the competition. They hit the woodwork twice but didn’t find a way past the Ukrainians.
If they got no desired result, they weren’t going to get any credit either. For the third Champions League year in a row, the Italians have faltered after six group games; a spell that has spanned two managers, two captains, and a raft of personnel change on the pitch.
European Worries For Conte and Inter
Inter and Their Champions League Woes
For many, associated with Inter or not, this was a familiar tale. Not just that Inter failed to get out of their group, it was that Inter failed to get out of their group despite being handed an out by other results. They needed the stars to align, and they did, but they just didn’t take care of their own business. It is an area in which they have previous.
In 2018/19, Inter – in their first Champions League campaign since 2011/12 – were pitted with Barcelona, Tottenham Hotspur and PSV Eindhoven in an admittedly tough group. But they won their first two group games, and despite winning none of the following three, they had a strong chance of going through. A win at home to PSV would do it, provided Spurs didn’t win at Barcelona. Spurs would only draw at the Nou Camp, but Luciano Spalletti’s Inter would only match that Spurs result, failing to beat PSV. ‘Inter Scempions’, the Italian papers called it, referring to a bottle job.
Surely the following season would be different? Inter had ditched Spalletti and got hold of former Juventus and Chelsea manager, Conte. But the outcome would be the same, as Inter would get paired with Barcelona again, alongside Borussia Dortmund and Slavia Prague. Inter had their fate in their own hands going into matchday six, and a win against a second-string Barca side would be enough. But, once again, it was ‘Inter Scempions’, as they suffered a defeat at home and found themselves in the Europa League once again.
Conte’s Woes in the Champions League
In 2020/21 Conte and Inter were handed perhaps a relatively easier pairing than the previous two years, with Borussia Monchengladbach, Shakhtar and Real Madrid. But this season saw an even more disappointing display than the previous two.
First, Inter managed to pick up just two points from the first four games. But other results meant they still had a shot at the last 16, and they moved back into contention with a hard-fought win at Monchengladbach on matchday five. Qualification was still out of their hands, but Real Madrid inadvertently did them a favour by beating Gladbach. However, Inter wouldn’t capitalise, and a goalless draw against Shakhtar meant they’d finish bottom of Group B.
European mishaps are not new for Conte. Not only has he faltered with Inter for two seasons now, but his final season with Juventus saw them also fail to get past the group stage. His two other European seasons included hapless exits, in the last 16 with Chelsea in 2018, and the last eight with Juve in 2013. Before Inter, the furthest the Italian had gone in Europe as a manager is the Europa League semi-final in 2014.
What happens Now Between Inter and Conte?
Last season, the relationship between Conte and Inter looked to already be reaching breaking point. The manager spoke of his unhappiness over signings and the overall board performance, and the title challenge in Serie A was fell on its face post-lockdown. Only a run to the Europa League final put that conflict in the back seat.
This time, Inter haven’t shirked signing players, with the likes of Matteo Darmian, Achraf Hakimi, Aleksandar Kolarov and Arturo Vidal all joining in the off-season. But the relationship between manager and board looks to be in continual deterioration, and it’s not hard to wonder this latest setback is the tipping point.
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