Milan and Inter are treating Max Allegri and Wesley Sneijder with cruelty, contempt and a good dose of honesty, argues Susy Campanale.
It’s not a nice feeling to be dumped, let alone in public, but at least you know where you stand. That has to be the thought going through the minds of Massimiliano Allegri and Wesley Sneijder today. Their Presidents pulled the San Siro plug with little room for ceremony this weekend, leaving little doubt as to the future.
Milan President Silvio Berlusconi arrived at the training ground in his helicopter for a ‘morale-boosting’ session that worked hard on the players, but certainly not his Coach. “There are several English clubs who want Guardiola, in particular Manchester City, as they are in pole position because some of their directors know him well. We will try to sign him, but it’s going to be tough. We have talked to Allegri about Guardiola too.” That’s just uncalled for, describing your ideal beau and seduction strategy to your current partner. It’s not as if Max didn’t know, of course. The rumours have been all around town for months... That doesn’t stop it being poor form to not only announce it in public, but also point out Roberto Mancini is on his way out of Manchester City.
It’s not even December yet and already these clubs are planning for next summer, keeping their current tacticians around out of mere convenience. It’s no way to help a team that already has serious issues with self-confidence, is it? On the other hand, at least Milan are being honest with Allegri and the fans. This is his last campaign at San Siro, so he may as well make the most of it and not bother worrying about the future here. The players who don’t get along with him can also rest easy knowing their own Rossoneri careers do not necessarily rest on impressing him.
The Sneijder situation is a little different, but again at least there is now some honesty. Banning the Dutchman from using Twitter and continuing to keep up this charade that the injury is dragging on fooled nobody. There are contract renegotiations going on and until those are sorted out, Wes will not be seen wearing an Inter jersey.
However, there are still some half-truths within even that admission from the Nerazzurri. His €6m per season wages aren’t really the issue, especially as the clubs like Anzhi, Manchester City and Manchester United ready to snap him up would pay considerably more than that. Sneijder does not fit tactically into the squad and has been ‘a problem’ ever since Jose Mourinho left. A series of Coaches have not known quite what to do with him and it suits absolutely nobody for Wes to remain at San Siro.
So let’s just be honest and admit that Sneijder will leave in January, clearing the way for Andrea Stramaccioni’s preferred approach and bringing in precious funds for mid-season reinforcements. It’s just a pity Inter had to cloak their eventual honesty in a convenient excuse about wages.