N’Golo Kante’s performance in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final in Madrid last week was very much a reflection of his evolution as a player over the years.

While it wasn’t the first time he put in a complete performance in the middle of the park, the Frenchman’s late, line-breaking runs past the Madrid midfield left Los Blancos reeling constantly. As much as that has become a regular feature of Kante’s skillset, it is tough to forget that perhaps, Maurizio Sarri really got that side of him going.

In a shocking turn of events, Jose Mourinho has been hired as Roma’s new boss. The 58-year old will hope to turn La Lupa into title contenders, but he can be under no illusions as to the size of the task he faces.

A man accustomed to managing super clubs will take over a side set for a 7th-placed finish in Serie A, and with that in mind, here are the three most prominent tasks in Mourinho’s tray.

Defensive deficiencies

Today, I will write in the first person, but just for a moment. This is because it means a lot to me to be able to say, Grazie Inter. Back in 1988, it was perhaps odd for a young English boy to support Inter simply because his father brought him a shirt back from Milan.

Watching Inter on BskyB back then was mesmerising, the journey has brought so many gifts but also so much suffering, however, as Inter claim their 19^th title, I can genuinely say I have not seen them in a better place. What the entire Nerazzurri team have done is a credit to the whole project.

It is a monumental week in Inter’s history. By the end of it, they could be Scudetto holders, have the ownership issue sorted out and have confirmed Antonio Conte as coach for the foreseeable future. On the other hand, a failure to secure investment could pour cold water over any title celebrations and jeopardise the tactician’s future. Conte is certainly looking for reassurances and it would be wise for the ownership to give him them. Inter have been transformed in his image and it would be imprudent to throw all this away.

The difference at Milan pre- and post-January 2020 is about as stark as the difference in red and blue on both Milan clubs’ shirt. Following his return to the Diavoli just over 14 months ago, the 39-year-old has scored 28 goals in 45 matches.