Adriano – The Fallen Emperor

Where did it go wrong with Adriano?

Until Mourinho came to Inter, everyone tried very hard to justify the actions of former L’Imperatore. The media mostly went about accusing coach Mancini of lack of authority that should build a suitable environment for the Brazilian. Adriano is what Championship Manager or some other strategy would call a player you must instruct, or in other words an individual who needs a tutor. Moratti and Inter management were ready to overlook many things on the account of his talent. Let us remind you about the Milan flirt which fans saw as a mortal sin or countless times he was late for the return flight from international duties. Former bomber was treated for depression, came drunk on trainings, said (in his manager’s words, though) some unforgivable things.

It is too much for a lifetime, let alone for his short career. Adriano is now like a rotten apple, none of all Mourinho’s treatments could bring him to a decent level and the state in which he could be useful for the team. We are not talking about quality here; the game against Juventus and certainly Inter’s best performance this season showed that L’Imperatore is the only trump in the deck of strikers Mou has. It is not easy to find a partner for Ibrahimovic. Cruz is a secret weapon that gets worn out in the last half an hour, Crespo, tired warrior haunted by the Mourinho episode in Chelsea. Balotelli is young and too proud, Obbina, undefined and useful only in 4-3-3 formation.

Precisely the formation is what troubles the Portuguese coach. He spent the transfer window adjusting his desires to his favourite strategy. Unfortunately the picks like Quaresma and Mancini turned out to be disasters. Reasonable people, and Mourinho is one of them, in spite of all the animosity he provokes, are always ready to accept the helping hand. At one point, sober and eager to play Adriano was a providence and a way out. 4-4-2 formation asks for someone who gets Ibrahimovic and is able to take the huge load off his back. Great teams never depend on individuals and each such experiment tends to end up as a failure.
The transformation lasted shortly; soon everything was back to old ways. Some things simply can’t be fixed over their expiry date. With all due respect for Max Moratti’s sentimentality the time has come to give his favourite toy away and start looking for a new one that has a warranty.

Inter will soon have to face the truth, as being the champion in Italy is not why Mourinho was brought. The transition from Mancini to the Portuguese manager was Moratti’s attempt to head for the top of Europe. Adriano was no general in that army, but he wasn’t a ranker, either. The hole he made with his actions cannot be patched anymore.

That is why everyone turned their back on him and Inter are looking for new signings.

L’Imperatore is already in the past, it is only a matter of time who will be brave enough to tell him that.

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