Maicon says Inter are rebuilding

Maicon has backed his coach Claudio Ranieri’s opinion that the current Inter Milan side is not as good as that which won a historic treble in 2010.

Under former boss Jose Mourinho, Inter claimed the 2009/10 Serie A title, Champions League trophy and the Coppa Italia, but they struggled last season and could only manage the latter.

The team made a disastrous start to the 2011/12 campaign, causing coach Gian Piero Gasperini to be shown the door after only five games in charge, and he was replaced by veteran campaigner Ranieri.

While there has not been an overly dramatic turnover in terms of personnel at San Siro in the past 18 months, Mourinho’s departure, and that of star forward Samuel Eto’o, has left a considerable void.

With Inter now clearly in transition, Ranieri claimed the current squad should no longer be compared with the treble winners of 2010, and defender Maicon, a surviving member of that all-conquering side, agrees.

“The coach is right: that Inter is gone,” Maicon told Sky Sport Italia after his side’s 2-0 victory over Fiorentina on Saturday. “Now we have to continue working.”

“We hope to keep racking up points until the Christmas break in order to get the ones that we need and to continue improving over the course the season.”

The victory over Fiorentina halted a run of two straight defeats at the Giuseppe Meazza, and Maicon’s return was hailed as a key factor in Inter’s return to winning ways.

But the man himself was reluctant to take any credit for the improvement in his team’s display.

“We didn’t win because Maicon is back but because we have a strong squad that knows how to get past difficult situations,” he said.

Inter are ninth in the Serie A table on the back of their win over Fiorentina, but remain 12 points behind leaders Juventus.