Inter Summer Diary: Youngsters impress at Baltimore

By Gautam Sharma

Decent start of the summer tour for Inter with a comfortable 3-0 win over City.... with many of our primavera lads showing why the future of Internazionale is secure.

Clearly, the game was made easy by the Vieira's red card in the 21st minute. Even though it was a bad decision by the Ref and Matrix made more than a meal of it, I am glad Vieira is no longer an Inter player... players like him (and ironically, Matrix & the City bound Balotelli as well) are a magnet for red cards due to their personality and reputation. Its not a bad thing that Inter have less of such players now.

Back to the game, it was great to see so many kids getting a chance... Very few first team players started for Inter, in fact only a handful who had no WC in the legs - Pandev, Cambiasso, Chivu and Zanetti. Eto'o and Stankovic came in later in the 2nd half.

Coutinho played and I must say the lad has pace and some crazy mad skills... but he is very young and perhaps a few kilo's too light. He does work hard and is not a lazy attacking mid in the Recoba mold, which is a huge relief. Obi also looked good, gave Inter real pace and width.

This is the first time we got to see what Rafa plans to do about Cambiasso.... I was a bit nervous when Rafa had suggested that he plans to play Cuchu further up the pitch this season, but he looked good yesterday... got much more of the ball, made some nice passes. This could work, with a destroyer (like Mascherano/Mariga) behind him.

Obinna, 2 goals, neatly done. I am sure Branca's phone is ringing today with offers. This kid is talented, and we should get good money for him. Unfortunately, Mancini did little to impress, so looks like we may be stuck with him...

Biraghi, what a shot!! This kid came out of no where, 30m shot perfectly placed curling into the corner of goal!! That too with his weaker right foot! Nice way to debut for the senior team, after the game he kept the game ball, Lescott's shirt, and his own shirt... he may have a career at Inter afterall!

INTER - MAN CITY 3-0
Scorers: 39' Obinna, 54' Obinna, 74' Biraghi

Inter: 12 Castellazzi, 4 Zanetti (62' Alibech 31), 2 Cordoba, 23 Materazzi (78' 40 Nwankwo), 26 Chivu (62' Biraghi 34), 19 Cambiasso (62' 5 Stankovic), 17 Mariga (22 'st Dell'Agnello 54), 33 Obinna (72' Biabiany 50), 29 Coutinho (72 ' 30 A. Mancini), 20 Obi (62' 57 Natalino) 27 Pandev (62' 9 Eto 'o).

Manchester City: Hart 24 (45 1 Given) 5 Zabaleta, 28 Kolo Toure (64' Boyota 38), 33 Kompany (79' 7 Ireland), 3 Bridge (1' st Cunningham 45), 11 Johnson 24 Vieira, 42 Yaya Touré (45' Lescott 19), 18 Barry (55' 8 Wright-Phillips), 27 Jo Silva (75' Richards), 9 Adebayor.