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Andrea Stramaccioni’s physio is working overtime to get his injured players up and running for the remaining six games of the season. Inter Milan lost three matches in a row, and last night’s defeat to AS Roma, in the semi-final of Coppa Italia, is no different than the previous two results. But it’s ironic that Inter’s season was ended by a member of Inter’s Primevera team, Mattia Destro, who left the team a year before Stramaccioni took over the Primevera team. Destro scored two goals in the second half to swing the tie away from Inter.
Last night, Inter had 10 players on the injured list before they took on Roma at home. Their injury list began to bloat after their 2-0 win against Sampdoria. And they recently threw away a two goal lead against Atlanta at the San Siro; a game in which Inter was leading till the 70th minute. Europa League commitments have certainly taken a toll on this squad.
Knocked out of all the cup competitions, Inter now face the prospect of not qualifying for any of the European cup competitions next season. Perhaps, beating Roma and reaching the Coppa Italia final was their last chance to play in the Europa League next season. But that boat has long sailed. Roma will face S.S Lazio in the Coppa Italia final for the first time in the history of both clubs. The third Derby della Capitale of the season will be played at the Stadio Olympico, the stadium which both clubs share.
According to UEFA’s coefficient rankings, the fourth and fifth placed clubs from the Serie A qualify for the Europa League each season. And the third spot goes to the winner of the Coppa Italia. If the winner of the Coppa Italia has already qualified for the Europa League, then the last spot goes to the losing team. At the moment, Lazio and Roma are level on 51 points at fifth and sixth places respectively. Inter are a point behind them, Udinese three points, and Catania four.
Inter could still qualify by finishing above the two clubs from Rome. But, taking the league fixture list into account, out of the three clubs, Lazio has the best chance of finishing fifth despite their slump in form. Inter must play Napoli away from home, Lazio at home, and Udinese, which might be a decider for fifth place, at home for their final league match of the season. Roma has to play against three out of the top four clubs – Napoli, Milan and Fiorentina – in its remaining six fixtures.
Currently operating at a $89 m loss, Inter’s President Massimo Morrati cannot afford to lose out on the revenue generated through Europa League gate receipts and broadcasting rights. Revenues have taken a nosedive since last season. Inter registered a $71 m loss in revenue. In these times of austerity measures, political crisis at the center, and the Euro zone crisis, Inter are barely filling the 80,100 seats at the San Siro. Morrati has already sold a minor stake in the club to investors from China and a plan to build a new stadium is in the pipeline.
The fate of Inter’s future is not in the hands of Morrati, but in the hands of a manager who did not even have a UEFA Pro Licence badge at the time of his appointment. Nonetheless, expect a gladiator style battle for the remaining Europa League spots.
