Ancelotti dismisses title rival inter

Ancelotti dismisses "title rivals" Inter
8.11 || webmaster || $source

Source: Football Italia

Milan's Carlo Ancelotti has ruled city rivals Inter out of the championship race, adding that Fiorentina pose more of a title threat.

After another disappointing result for Inter at the weekend, Ancelotti’s damning verdict is that the Nerazzurri are out of the Scudetto hunt for yet another season.

"It will be very hard for them to get back into the running," he said. "Now, it’s Fiorentina we need to think about.

"If we lose in Florence when the championship restarts after the international break, the Viola will be the second-strongest side in the League."

Carletto’s words will do little to help Roberto Mancini’s cause in holding on to his ever-more precarious managerial seat at the blue end of the San Siro.

Inter’s draw with Lazio, compounded by wins for Juventus, Milan and Fiorentina means that the Nerazzurri have slipped to 10 points behind the table-topping Bianconeri and eight behind Ancelotti’s men. Even Fiorentina are now five points ahead of Mancini’s side.

Inter haven't now won for three matches and, although they have all been hard games, few people really consider a side beset by disciplinary problems and dressing-room unrest to be genuine title contenders.

The powers that be at the San Siro have so far backed Mancio to the hilt, but unless there is a sudden about-turn in his fortunes, time will surely run out on the 40-year-old tactician who has so far failed to break the Juve-Milan duopoly of the Italian game.

Haha, well guess what I agree with him

the title of that article makes it seem harsher that it really was. All he was saying Inter have made it difficult for themselves and Fiorentina are the team to look out for.
He's trying to make sure our team take Fiorentina very, very seriously rather than stir any vendetta with Inter.

Lets not give them anymore motivation to start getting results. Well, Mancini knows what to say in his next team talk, dont know about the others though

Does Mancini really know what to say in his team talk? I doubt it...read this intresting article from theguardian.co.uk:

http://football.guardian.co.uk/conti...637001,00.html

Serie A
Inter's season all over by Christmas - again

Morale is at rock bottom, star players aren't performing, and the club is already out of the race for the scudetto. Another typical season for Inter then, suggests James Richardson Tuesday November 8, 2005

It's all over for Inter, all over again. On Saturday night, an injury-stricken Lazio held Roberto Mancini's side to a fast-paced but goalless draw, signalling the end of yet another brave stab at staying in contention until Christmas. Coupled with the results from Milan and Juventus , who romped through their matches against Udinese and Livorno 5-1 and 3-0 respectively, the result left Inter lying 10 points off the pace and they, of all people, are not coming back from that.

Sounds bold? It really isn't. While Mancini may still bluster about being "back in contention by Christmas", we've all been here before - the big summer signings, the impressive pre-season games, the slow decline as soon as the real season kicks in. Ruling Inter out is actually as daring as tipping a David to be the next Tory leader - so let's get ahead for once, and start writing Inter off already for next season. After all, it clearly doesn't matter who they buy over next summer, nor who is managing them, they'll either blow up or slowly deflate way before Santa comes down the chimney in 2006.

Dennis Bergkamp, Ronaldo, Roberto Baggio, Roberto Carlos, Christian Vieri, Seba Veron, Luis Figo, Adriano; no man, not even Roman Abramovich has splashed out the money Inter owner Massimo Moratti has on his side, and what has this decade of stars achieved for them? One Uefa Cup. It's the same story for the managers; from Gigi Simoni - fired on the day he received Manager of the Year - to Marcello Lippi, a man who's won everywhere in his career, even at bankrupt Napoli, but couldn't shake the disease at Inter.

Mancini's continuing the tradition nicely. Here's a man who, brief move to Leicester aside, always seemed a smart cookie. But on Saturday he picked his knackered old chum Sinisa Mihajlovic ahead of snarling Walter Samuel at centre-back and, when it came to replacing Adriano in the second half, chose Alvaro Recoba when Julio Cruz was sitting right next to him on the bench.

To put this in its full ghastly perspective, Cruz is Inter's one in-form forward, scorer of eight goals so far despite starting less frequently than an Austin Morris/Leyland truck/Fiat 500. Above all, Cruz is the man who saved Inter's bacon just three days before in the Champions League, coming on and scoring two goals against Porto. Had Mancini forgotten that? WHAT IS GOING ON?

And that's not all (pause while writer takes pills and recommences). For while Cruz was saving the day last Wednesday, Recoba was storming out of the San Siro in a huff because the manager had used his last substitution. Instead of being told to stay at home, he gets to come on ahead of Cruz on Saturday, which surely can't help Inter's already fractured team discipline? To quote the Gazzetta Dello Sport, it's "inexplicable; an affront not just to football, but to ethics itself".

And it's not just the papers saying it either. Remember Veron two weeks back, after Adriano's unscheduled trip to Rio saw him turn up at the San Siro ten minutes from full-time? "While players do what they like we'll never win anything," predicted Seba - and they won't; not this year, and not the next either.

Still, on a cheerier note, round 11 saw plenty of smiles around the rest of Serie A. Milan's Carlo Ancelotti celebrated winning the latest Manager of the Year title with that 5-1 demolition of Udinese ("our best performance of the season," according to the tubby tactician), Juve stayed on top with a Zlatan Ibrahimovic-led rout of Livorno, and Fiorentina - who back in June escaped relegation by goal difference - increased their hold on third spot.

Inter lie fourth, five points behind Fiorentina but (and this will come as a relief) a whole point ahead of calcio colossus Chievo, a club backed by the limitless millions of a local cake maker.

Roma, meanwhile, continued to climb on a day of celebrations in the capital. Not only did the giallorossi notch up their third straight win, away to Messina, but Totti Junior - Christian Totti - finally saw the light of day. Declared Rome's mayor Walter Veltroni, visiting the child in the company of assorted Magi: "This is a great boost to our city." Congratulations to all concerned.

Congratulations, too, to Treviso and Cagliari, Serie A's bottom sides in every respect. The two teams met on Sunday for a 0-0 draw that saw BOTH teams fire their managers - surely another world first. While Treviso have since back-tracked, announcing a "pause for reflection", equally record-breaking is the fact that Cagliari are now ready for their fourth manager in 11 games. Who that lucky man will be isn't yet clear; favourite Carlo Mazzone is deemed too expensive and nobody else seems keen, strangely.

Cagliari will have a week off to think about it, because it's internationals weekend next. Italy - already qualified, and a whole round early - have two intriguing friendlies lined up, with Dutch masters Holland and Didier Drogba's Ivory Coast, both of which will be live on Bravo - but then you knew I was going to say that.

Serie A, meanwhile, returns in two weeks with a few cracking games, Fiorentina v Milan and Roma v Juventus, so see you then for all the shocking details.

Results:

Milan 5 Udinese 1
Ascoli 0 Fiorentina 2
Cagliari 0 Treviso 0
Juventus 3 Livorno 0
Messina 0 Roma 2
Palermo 0 Sampdoria 2
Parma 2 Lecce 0
Siena 0 Chievo 1
Lazio 0-0 Inter

While the article basically takes Carlo´s statement and runs with it (like the wind), I also feel its a little ill-advised, as I am sure the Italian press will have a field day with it as well.

The last thing I want (Which I seriously doubt will happen, but never say never) is for Inter, out of the scudetto race, to play spoiler by beating us in the derby, and allowing Juve more room at the top of the table.

did anyone read the absolutely pathetic column by an inter fan on goal.com? (they really need to get some standards, the editorial crap they allow on that site is unbelievable)

what whiney, self-pitying little dweebs they are. Plus the guy is like saudi arabian and saying things like "my inter never wins, but I will always love her for I am bonded to this club." For ****s sake, he probably just started supporting them because Ronaldo played for them.

I saw it meazza, but I hardly read the wailing, sobbing, boohooing stuff Inter fans usually write, so I didnt read that one either...I have a 5 month old at home, and he does enough wailing for my ears, so it would just be more torture for me to hear the sobbing and crying that Inter fans carry on with, season after season.

What Inter needs to do is to settle on a team for 3 or so seasons, instead of buying every new player that catches their (ie Moratti´s) eye.

In the name of truth, from 1989(last time the merdas won lo scudetto), they have won UEFA Cup twice (1994 and 1997) and Italy cup last season. 16 years - 3 trophies
Just to compare, MILAN have won lo scudetto 6 times (1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004), UEFA Champions League twice (1994, 2003) plus additional 3 finals, Italy Cup (2003), UEFA Supercup (1995 and 2003). 16 years - 11 trophies.
I'd say the numbers say it all.