For Paolo Bonolis, Inter remains a family attachment as much as a football allegiance: it began on the sofa with his Milanese father, watching the Nerazzurri, and it has survived into adulthood, even if he now admits that television and home comforts win over the stadium more often than before.
The decision
Bonolis sees Inter’s season as an obligation to compete on every front rather than a guarantee of silverware. In his view, a club of Inter’s standing must pursue domestic and European success, while accepting that defeat is more common than victory in football.
He believes the club are doing everything within their means to challenge in Italy and in Europe. Yet he also noted the financial gap separating Inter from leading English and Spanish sides, whose deeper squads can sustain longer campaigns.
Asked about the comparison between Cristian Chivu and José Mourinho, Bonolis turned the question around. Rather than Chivu borrowing from Mourinho, he suggested that Mourinho could now learn from the Inter coach.
Mourinho, he said, was outstanding in Milan at bringing the squad and supporters together, and remains an exceptionally effective communicator. But Bonolis feels the Portuguese coach is now more focused on communication than innovation, while football’s changes make Chivu, shaped by the modern game, better suited to the present moment.
Bonolis also accepted Mourinho’s decision to move to Madrid as that of a professional. As a supporter, he said he would have preferred a different choice, while acknowledging that he could not match the coach’s record of achievement.
When considering the current Inter squad, Bonolis named Lautaro Martinez as the one player he would be most reluctant to lose. Even then, he argued that nobody is truly irreplaceable: footballers are professionals, and the strongest players can leave in pursuit of bigger ambitions and the financial security that comes with them.
His personal Inter gallery begins with Ronaldo, whom he considers beyond any internal ranking because the Brazilian was loved far beyond the Nerazzurri fanbase. Bonolis then chose Esteban Cambiasso for his ability to create and finish moves, while Javier Zanetti remains the captain closest to him after giving him a ring commemorating Inter’s treble.
Sunday’s picture
Bonolis placed Roma and Como among the principal obstacles to Inter’s Scudetto hopes, later adding Juventus with a touch of irony. He also insisted that Inter cannot afford to dismiss any opponent, including Serie A leaders Lazio.
He accepts there is a visible difference between the Lazio and Inter squads, but believes Lazio supporters should take greater satisfaction from their side’s place at the top. In his assessment, the team have significant strengths that compensate for their weaknesses, and he would like to see more people attending their matches instead of continually voicing complaints.
Roma, meanwhile, were praised for their work under Gian Piero Gasperini and for the planning of the Friedkin ownership. Bonolis described the strategy of signing quality alternatives for the bench as a sensible one, particularly for a coach who asks so much of his players. It allows members of the squad to rest without a substantial fall in the team’s level.
If Roma owner Dan Friedkin could take one quality from Inter, Bonolis said, it would be the attention and care brought by Beppe Marotta, whose long experience in football exceeds that of Roma’s owners. Asked what he would take from Claudio Lotito, he declined with a self-deprecating joke about his own waistline.
