Can De Boer secure UCL football for Inter?

Omar Karmani 16:32 10/08/2016
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  • Dutch legend: Frank de Boer.

    Roberto Mancini and Inter Milan called it a day this week. It has been a development several months in the making.

    The former Manchester City boss had expressed his discontent with the club’s direction back in May, threatening to leave his post. He stayed, but then the disagreements with club president Erick Thohir continued.

    When the Indonesian businessman sold Inter to the Chinese Suning Commerce Group in June, Mancini may have hoped a new beginning was on the horizon. Instead, it was to signal the end of his second spell at the San Siro.

    The papers for divorce were finally filed this week after a strained summer brought poor pre-season results and discord between manager and board. The Nerazzurri wasted little time in announcing previous Everton and Southampton target Frank de Boer as Mancini’s replacement.

    SERIAL WINNER AND RECORD-BREAKER

    De Boer finds himself in precarious situation, one that bears a striking similarity to his December 2010 appointment at Ajax. Coming into a foundering club with a mighty reputation, he transformed Ajax’s fortunes and will be expected to do the same at Inter.

    But the Dutchman will need to immediately hit the ground running.

    His track record needs little introduction. An accomplished centre-back for the likes of Ajax, Barcelona and Netherlands – De Boer was a world class player. And thus far, he has enjoyed a similarly sparkling coaching career, taking Ajax to four successive Eredivisie titles – a feat never before achieved by the club and unmatched even by iconic coaches such as Rinus Michels, Guus Hiddink and Louis van Gaal.

    EMPHASIS ON YOUTH

    Aside from the trophies, though, it is the way De Boer has won them that most impressed the Suning Group – utilising the famous Ajax academy from which he came to excellent effect. “We will focus on young players, to form a team that can win many trophies,” the Chinese owners explained.

    De Boer seems to be the perfect candidate, marrying with the new owners’ vision for Inter’s future; the likes of Jan Vertonghen, Christian Eriksen and Toby Alderweireld are but some of his success stories. And there’s no question that the Nerazzurri’s ageing squad needs addressing – with an average age of 27 only minnows Chievo and freshly-promoted Cagliari have older sides.

    De Boer has already voiced concerns over Arsenal target Mauro Icardi and is believed to  be keen on bringing highly-rated Ajax teenager Riechedly Bazoer to Inter. This injection of younger talent could certainly contribute to serious bids for silverware and even European domination once again.

    STRENGTHEN A SYSTEM OF PLAY

    It’s hardly a secret Frank de Boer’s preferred formations are the 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 variation; adhering to the Ajax school of thought, the employment of Total Football and ball-centric passages of play is always on De Boer’s agenda.

    During his six years as Ajax coach, the Dutchman’s side recorded more successful passes than any other side in the Eredivisie, opponents struggling to deal with his one-touch, possession-based philosophy. Unsurprisingly, given his pedigree, De Boer’s defences have tended to be tight, too – last season Ajax conceded an average of 0.69 goals a game, the division’s best.

    For De Boer to leave his mark he requires the club’s complete faith and time to implement his footballing philosophy. If he is afforded patience, the optimism that this could be a new dawn for Inter will surely be justified.

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