2017-2018 Season Review
![]()
It was another season for the Inter Milan faithful as their beloved club was rampant in all competitions yet again, winning all trophies that they were contending for. Giuseppe Bergomi has truly created the greatest side in Italian football history, if not the greatest football side ever to grace this earth. In this article, we'll recap how their year went.
Supercoppa Italiana
![]()
The Supercoppa Italiana is Italy's annual domestic curtainraiser before the season proper gets underway. The competition pits last year's Serie A champion against last year's Coppa Italia champion; however, as Inter won both competitions in 2017, they took on archrivals AC Milan, who had finished runner-up in the Coppa.
The final was full of controversy, with AC Milan receiving three red cards in the space of six minutes around the hour mark, and Alvaro Pereira being sent off late for the Nerazzurri. However, the four sending-offs aside, Inter finished 2-0 winners thanks to goals from their Brazilian duet of Emerson Luis and record-signing Rogerio.
UEFA Supercup
![]()
The second of Inter's two Supercups this season came in Europe as a reward for winning last year's edition of the UEFA Champions League. They faced UEFA Europa League winners Paris St.-Germain in the first match of European competition of the year.
The match was a tightly contested one, with teams splitting possession 50%-50%, both having 10 shots, and both having 4 shots hit the target. However, a moment of brilliance from Lorenzo Insigne late in the first half proved the difference as the Italian attacker's 25 yard strike gave Inter their second piece of silverware this year.
FIFA Club World Cup
![]()
The FIFA Club World Cup, though not considered one of the most prestigious tournaments to the top club's in the world, is yet another competition Inter proved their quality in. Pitting the winners of each Confederation's major tournament against each other, the Club World Cup is a true test of seeing which club is the greatest in world football.
The Nerazzurri bypassed the first few rounds due to them being the champions of Europe, and entered the competition at the semifinal stage. They dismantled Mexico's Club America in the semifinal 2-0 thanks to goals from Mattia Destro and Jan Kirchhoff before Destro scored again in the final to beat a resilient Corinthians 1-0. The new year had not yet turned, and Inter had three trophies to their name.
Serie A
![]()
Inter completed their best ever season in Serie A last term. Despite not having any out and out goalscorer that got over 20 goals, the team scored a massive 100 goals and conceded only 12, joining the centenary club. The team also only dropped points one time, winning all 37 other matches, and finishing with 112 points and a 37-1-0 record.
The club had a few standout performers that really paved the way; Rogerio was the main one. The €62M Brazilian midfielder racked up 16 assists to lead the league and pitched in 9 goals as well, proving his worth from the middle of the park.
The Nerazzurri have now won the competition on six consecutive occassions, and eleven times in the last thirteen years. A period of dominance like this has never been seen before in Italian calcio history. Inter now have won the Scudetto on 24 occasions, only 4 shy of Juventus's record of 28, and are rapidly closing the gap.
Golden Boot:
Alberto Paloschi (Parma) - 22 goals
Dream Team (4-4-2): Emiliano Viviano(Juventus): Mauricio Isla (Juventus),
Emerson Luiz (Inter), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Fabio Daprela (Cesena):
Raheem Sterling (Inter), Wesley Sneijder (Juventus), Omar El Kaddouri (Cesena),
Philippe Coutinho (Inter): Alberto Paloschi (Parma), Seydou Doubmia (Juventus)
Coppa Italia
![]()
Another domestic competition that Inter have undoubtedly dominated the last many years is the Coppa Italia. This year, the Nerazzurri once again showed their dominance, scoring 14 goals in their 4 games and conceding just 2 en route to the competition win. Lorenzo Insigne put on a clinic in the final, scoring two delightful goals to lead his side to a 3-1 victory and hoisting the trophy.
Inter have won the Coppa more times than any other club, thirteen times. To show how dominant they've been, similarly to the Serie A, Bergomi's club have won the TIM Cup, as it's known, ten times in the last fourteen years.
UEFA Champions League
![]()
The greatest prize in European football is the Champions League trophy. Inter had won the trophy the last two times running, and were again favorites to win this year. The Nerazzurri coasted through their group, winning all six games and qualifying for the knockout stages with ease.
The knockout stage did highlight some weaknesses in Inter's game, however; they drew every single away game, against SL Benfica, Bayer Leverkusen, and Real Madrid. However, extremely strong home performances, including a 4-0 demolition of Los Galacticos at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, took Inter to the final. There they held their nerves in penalties to beat Tottenham and win their third straight title.
Not only has Inter won three titles in three years, they've won four times in the last nine years in five different visits to the finals. They also are the only team to have won the Champions League on home soil back in 2016. The Nerazzurri have now won the trophy on five occasions in their history.
Golden Ball:
Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Golden Boot:
Lionel Messi (Barcelona) - 16 goals
Dream Team (4-4-2):
Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Inter): Rafeal da Silva (Real Madrid),
Andrea Ranocchia (Inter),
Emerson Luiz (Inter), Martin Olsson (Tottenham): Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal),
Rogerio Paulo (Inter), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Gareth Bale (Tottenham): Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Yassine Benzia (Tottenham)
Inter Milan Awards
![]()
Top Goalscorer: Ademilson - 20 goals
In a season where a number of players stepped up to the plate to pitch in with goals, the strikers didn't have massive tallies of their own. While Mattia Destro had a very slow season, Ademilson finally captured the starting role and was the Nerazzurri's only player to finish with 20 goals, leading the line well with his quickness, off the ball movement, and clinical finishing.
Player of the Season: Emerson Luiz
To carry on the idea of Brazilians being Inter's best players, Emerson Luiz wins my vote for player of the season. The young central defender was an absolute rock next to Andrea Ranocchia, averaging an opta rating of 8.04 and scoring 13 goals in all competitions, every single one from a header. Luis is certainly the present and future of a title winning defense.
Honorable Mention: Rogerio
After spending €62M on this star last summer, many Inter Milan fans were ecstatic; here was one of the greatest players the world had seen out of Brazil in history. Rogerio racked up 16 goals and 25 assists in all competitions, being involved in a goal in every single game on average. The 2017 Ballon D'Or third place player was undoubtedly one of the keys to our success this year and deserves this honorable mention.
Review
So that's all for this year, fans of the Nerazzurri. It was another inch-perfect season from your beloved Inter Milan, but do not weep for the end of the season; Giuseppe Bergomi and many Inter players will be back in action in a month's time at the
FIFA World Cup in Russia.
1