It's a difficult moment for both Inter and Simone Inzaghi. The Italian club is currently racing to get their spot in the top four, but despite starting from a good position in the table, they failed to win their last four Serie A matches. In fact, Inter lost against Spezia, Juventus and Fiorentina and on Friday drew away against Salernitana. The Nerazzurri scored at the beginning of the first half but then conceded a late goal to former Inter player Antonio Candreva, who scored a stunner from outside the box.
ANTONIO CANDREVA CATCHES ANDRÉ ONANA OFF OF HIS LINE AND RESCUES A POINT FOR SALERNITANA. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/NapWcuNZ4d
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) April 7, 2023
Inter probably deserved more than the draw, but once again the team coached by Simone Inzaghi failed to win and this creates uncertainty among the fans about the future of the club. Inter are still in the race, but their current performances are increasingly creating doubts about their chances. There are currently seven teams fighting for four spots, and three of the big clubs won't play Champions League soccer next season. Club CEO Beppe Marotta said on Tuesday that Inter need to play Champions League soccer next season otherwise they will be "forced to change our strategy, financially speaking."
Given that Inter have only themselves to blame for getting dragged into a race to qualify for the Champions League thanks to their recent poor form, despite the unknown of a Champions League's quarterfinal that will take place over the next two weeks against Benfica, it's now very likely that Simone Inzaghi won't be sitting on the Inter bench next season.
Who can replace Inzaghi?
Despite a successful Champions League's campaign, Inter will likely decide to sack Simone Inzaghi at the end of the current season. The combination of his Serie A performances and some of his coaching decisions have made his position very unstable, even though last summer the club extended Inzaghi's contract until 2024.
It's also possible to see him going before the end of the season, but this will probably depend on the European results against Benfica. If that happens, current U-23 Inter manager Christian Chivu is considered as the main option to take charge until the end of the season, as reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport earlier this week.
1. Antonio Conte
Multiple reports suggest that Inter are already thinking about who can be the next coach and Antonio Conte is considered the frontrunner to get the Inter job. After the Italian coach mutually agreed to leave Tottenham at the end of March, his ambition would be to be back to Italian soccer starting next season. Conte's comeback at Inter makes sense for many reasons, including the fact that Inzaghi followed his tactical system and most other top Italian clubs are not considering changing their coaches this summer as of now. Inter is the best shot Conte has of returning to Serie A.
Conte could find many players that he already coached and who he led to their first Scudetto win in eleven years. However, the former Spurs manager had some issues with the current ownership and some members of the board, and this topic raises some questions about the real possibility of his comeback at the club only two years after he left in the summer 2021.
2. Jose Mourinho
There are also other candidates for the Inter job, including current AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho, who still has to decide whether he will stay or not next year. His name is always mentioned for the Inter job, considering his past with the team and the fact that he never came back at the club where he won the Triplete during the 2009-10 season. However, his comeback at the club is unlikely.
3. Roberto De Zerbi
Current Brighton coach Roberto De Zerbi is another name mentioned for the job. He's currently focused on the end of the season with his club and Inter would also have to deal with a release clause. In fact, as it happened with his predecessor at Brighton, Graham Potter, when he went to Chelsea, De Zerbi has an €11 million release clause in his contract that becomes valid during the summer. If Inter want De Zerbi, they need to pay that money. On top of that, there are many other clubs interested in the Italian coach and it's not clear yet what he would prefer for his next destination if he doesn't stay at Brighton.
4. Thiago Motta
Last but not least, current Bologna boss Thiago Motta is another name to keep an eye on. The former Inter midfielder is one of the options for the job and he's definitely appreciated inside the club for what he showed as a manager at Spezia and this season with Bologna.
The reality is that Inter need the Champions League's qualification for their financial project and Inzaghi only has nine Serie A games left to reach the target. But, even if he does it, his time at the club might be over two years after he replaced Antonio Conte in the summer 2021.
