Rafa Benitez Fired At Inter Milan: Who’s Next In Line For Internazionale?

Now that Massimo Moratti and Inter can close the book on the Rafa Benítez era - and take said book and throw it in the incinerator - the club can move on to finding a successor. The Nerazzurri have two weeks before their next match, and with a sixth consecutive title still a glimmer in their eye, Moratti can’t afford to “Benítez” this one. The team is 13 points back of Milan, but with two matches in hand and the ability to convince themselves the deficit is really seven, Inter is right to retain hopes of adding to their scudetti. Besides, there’s always hope Antonio Cassano will destroy Milan from the inside.

But staying on their side of town, Inter will have no shortage of candidates. Even a jaundiced eye would have trouble casting Internazionale’s job outside the world’s elite positions, meaning every manager with some name value will spend their Christmas doodling formations on the back of shredded wrapping paper. And if he asks, I’ll say the club should do this, and Moratti will say “That’s brilliant! I never thought of that!”

But unfortunately for most aspirants, there is one person who would be a perfect fit:

Leonardo - You would hear the grumbling from Milanistas as their former player, coach moved to the black and blue, but they’d have nobody to blame but Silvio Berlusconi (and it’s not like they’re unaccustomed to doing that). Conflicts between the owner and coach seemed to hasten Leonardo’s departure one year after the Brazilian calmly and confidently filled Carlo Ancelotti’s shoes. Those qualities would be perfect for Inter come January 6. Likely to instill a system the fits with the club’s personnel, Leonardo is clearly the best candidate.

Luciano Spalletti - The best manager on this list, bar none, but also very much employed. Working in St. Petersburg with Zenit, he is probably making more from Gasprom than Moratti’s willing to pay. In addition, Spalletti could bring a drastic change. His Roma teams had concentrated their strength in a deep and diverse midfield, one which Spalletti tweaked slightly from opponent to opponent, relying on the greatness of Francesco Totti to be the force in the final third. He’s carried that idea to Zenit, but Inter’s squad does not lend itself to that approach. Either he or the squad would have to change, both options breeding unnecessary uncertainty.

Walter Zenga - The legendary Inter `keeper has been in the managerial seat since 1999, never staying in one place for more than two seasons. Last year he guided Palermo to a surprise fifth place finish only to leave the Barbera for a Saudi pay day. Sixteen matches into his Riyadh sojourn, Zenga’s ready to return, though you can’t blame him for this new, if abrupt, change of heart. This is arguably his dream job, though it’s coming at the wrong time. Zenga would have been the guy to step in after Mourinho, bringing a sense of history to a team trying to move out of the shadow of the Special One. Now, Inter needs stability. Having coached 11 clubs in as many years, Zenga does not bring that.

Frank Rijkaard - This seems like the place you go if Leonardo doesn’t want the job: A better player and possibly a better coach, a consolation made only because the man won Europe with Barcelona five years ago. He eventually made way for Pep Guardiola, went to Istanbul and had a failed run with Galatasaray. Back in a familiar city, with a talented team and still carrying the luster of his Milan/Oranje playing days, Rijkaard could bring the same confidence and direction Inter would be hoping for from Leonardo. Of course, he could have also be done as a coach, not knowing how to recover after his departure from the Nou Camp. More experience, more accomplishments, but also more risk.