Should Inter consider sacking Roberto Mancini?

Roberto Mancini feeling the heat / Image via independent.co.uk

Inter have bounced back from the disappointing Derby della Madonnina loss with a 1-0 home win over Chievo on Wednesday, but another low-scoring fixture will not have eased the pressure of Roberto Mancini’s back.

Honeymoon period is long over and Roberto Mancini is faced with a tough reality at Inter’s bench.

The Italian was always aware he was in for a difficult challenge in his return to Milano, but a dreamy start for his team gave the fans plenty of reason for optimism and belief that Nerazzurri could even go all the way to the Serie A title.

Having opened the 2015-16 season with five league wins on the bounce, Mancini’s men gave their fans grounds for optimism, but the things quickly turned sour and Mancini is now facing a lot of pressure both from the stands and from the Board.

Incidents

Weeks of discontent culminated in the 164^th Derby della Madonnina with AC Milan at the San Siro on Sunday when Roberto Mancini completely lost the plot flashing his middle finger to a group of AC Milan fans who were insulting him on his way off the stadium.

The latest incident came less than two weeks after Roberto Mancini was engaged in a fiery spat with Napoli manager Maurizio Sarri, who used homophobic comments towards his counterpart from Inter’s bench.

Sarri has made an anti-gay remark following Inter’s 2-0 Coppa Italia win over Napoli, which have earned him a two-match touchline ban for the competition.

Despite the apology which was accepted by Inter and Mancini himself, Inter manager has attracted a lot of attention for wrong reasons this season and Inter hierarchy are starting to lose patience with the coach.

In addition to all that has been going on with the AC Milan fans and Maurizio Sarri, Roberto Mancini has been on bad terms with his own players in recent weeks as well.

Following a disappointing 3-0 loss to Juventus in January Roberto Mancini lashed out on his striker accusing them of wasting too many opportunities up front, claiming he would be better off playing in attack himself.

Drop in form

Roberto Mancini is breaking down under huge pressure and he is showing lack of composure and professional behaviour which all comes as a result of his team’s most recent slump in results.

Nerazzurri have been unable to notch back-to-back wins since mid-December and their three-match winning run over Genoa, Udinese and Cagliari; and it seems that Roberto Mancini is having a lot of trouble coping with the pressure.

His side dropped to fourth in the Serie A standings and the title chase seems as good as over for the Nerazzurri.

Leaders Napoli are going from strength to strength and are currently sitting top of the table with a nine-point cushion in front of Roberto Mancini’s men who will have to settle for the UEFA Champions League fight with Fiorentina.

Viola are currently third-placed with a single point in front of Inter and the two title contenders from the beginning of the season will be going head-to-head until the very end for the Champions League qualification slot, and Inter are currently standing at 9/4 to beat Fiorentina to the desired spot.

Lack of goals

Another argument that has not been going in Mancini’s favour this season is the chronic lack of goals.

Inter have scored only 27 goals thus far in the season, which is the lowest tally of all the teams fighting for top 7 places in the standings.

The majority of Inter’s wins this term have been 1-0 results and Mancini has endured a fair share of criticism for his overly defensive approach. Mancini has also been reprimanded for not being able to use the huge attacking potential of players at his disposal and all of the negative comments did get the better of him.

On the positive note, Inter are the best defensive team in the Serie A this season, having conceded mere 17 goals, just two more than Juventus’ best tally of 15.

Demanding fans are not satisfied, though.

They are asking for more from their team and are eager to watch Inter play exciting football while making the results worth as well.

Pressure is keep piling on Roberto Mancini, who has held a crunch talks at the club following the Derby della Madonnina defeat. Mancini is understood to be warned about the club’s recent results and the Italian tactician will have to step up his game in order to save his job.

Ultimately, should Inter consider sacking Roberto Mancini before the season is over?