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Inter Milan managed to end Juventus' Serie A dominance last season as they managed to clinch the title under the guidance of Antonio Conte.
While Conte had his fair share of controversies during his successful two-year spell at the club, he managed to build a strong team. The Nerazzurri romped their way to a first Serie A title in 11 years last term.
Inter could struggle in Serie A this season
But now, with the new season on the horizon, Inter seem to be in deep trouble. The club have found themselves in a financial crisis with the owners looking to sell the club.
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As such, Antonio Conte decided to step down from his position. Key players like Achraf Hakimi have left the club while Romelu Lukaku is on the verge of being sold to Chelsea to raise some funds.
All this points out to the fact that Inter might have a very difficult season ahead of them. So here we take a look at the four reasons why Inter will not retain their Serie A title next season:
#4 Departure of key players
One of the main reasons for Inter winning Serie A last season was due to the excellent group of players in the squad. The likes of Achraf Hakimi, Romelu Lukaku, Lautaro Martinez and Nicolo Barella played an integral part in the Nerazurri's Scudetto win.
However, the sale of Achraf Hakimi to PSG for €70 million and the imminent departure of Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea for €115 million have dented a massive hole in their squad.
Hakimi, who arrived from Real Madrid last summer, played a crucial part in Inter's Serie A win. Playing at right-wing back, the Moroccan made 45 appearances for the club, scoring seven goals and providing 11 assists.
Lukaku, on the other hand, has developed into one of the most lethal strikers in Europe at the San Siro. The Belgian has scored 64 goals in 95 appearances for Inter and was the club's top scorer last season, scoring 30 goals in all competitions.
Apart from these two, Inter are also planning to sell some other key players in order to balance the books. If more players indeed leave the club, then Inter will not just find it hard to retain the Serie A title but may also struggle to finish in the top four.
#3 Turmoil off the pitch
While Inter had a brilliant season on the pitch, winning Serie A in the 2020/21 campaign, off the pitch things were not so rosy for them. Inter's Chinese owner Suning Holdings is desperately trying to sell the majority of its shares in the club amidst a spiraling financial crisis.
Suning bought the Italian giants in 2016 and has invested hundreds of millions of euros in the club in recent years in a bid to end Juventus' Serie A dominance.
While they managed to do that last year, the COVID-19 pandemic as well as Chinese government laws restricting Chinese companies from investing overseas has pushed Inter into a financial crisis.
As such, the company has been left with no choice but to put the club up for sale. With such uncertainty off the pitch regarding the future of the club, its effects have the potential to seep down into the dressing room and unsettle players.
If that becomes the case, the Serie A champions could end up suffering on the pitch.
#2 Juventus' renewed hunger under Allegri
One of the biggest challenges that Inter will face in order to retain Serie A is Massimiliano Allegri's Juventus.
Juve had a disappointing campaign last season as they finished 13 points behind champions Inter in Serie A, ending a nine-year period of domestic dominance for the club.
As such, the Old Lady decided to sack rookie coach Andre Pirlo and reappoint Allegri for his second stint at the club. Allegri left Juventus in 2019 after winning five consecutive Serie A titles and four successive Coppa Italia trophies. He has been out of work ever since.
Now back in Turin, the Italian will be hoping to regain the Serie A title from Inter. He will definitely face a more challenging task this time around. Like most other clubs, the Bianconeri have been severely hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will not be able to make any major new signings.
But Allegri has enough pedigree in the Italian top-flight to outweigh the challenges. Considering he has players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Federico Chiesa at his disposal, Inter are expected to face a stern challenge from Juventus.
#1 Antonio Conte parting ways with Inter
While there were many factors that contributed to Inter's Serie A title triumph, it was Antonio Conte's tactical nuance and management that played a big part in their win.
But just three days after lifting the Serie A title, Conte decided to quit the Nerazzuri. While this news might seem shocking, it was totally unsurprising.
Conte has a history of falling out with his employers over player recruitment, but this time it was very different. There were no disagreements over transfer targets. Instead, it was Conte who was refusing to accept that one or two of his Scudetto winners would have to be sold in order to balance the books.
That means the likes of Lautaro Martinez, Romelu Lukaku, Achraf Hakimi, Alessandro Bastoni, Stefan De Vrij, Nicolo Barella and Milan Skriniar were all on the market.
As such, Conte, a man heavily obsessed with winning, decided to part ways with the club for whom he won the Serie A title after 11 years.
Simone Inzaghi has taken over as manager since Conte's departure. Although he did a good job at Lazio, Inzaghi does not have the same experience as Conte.
And with the departure of key players from the squad, it's difficult to see him replicate the success Conte had during his time at the club.
