MILAN - The results of recent years show that Inter are one of the best European clubs in youth academy management, at both the organisational and the strategic level, as well as on the pitch. Further confirmation of this has arrived in recent months: from the Giovanissimi Regionali B to the Allievi A (the Gallipoli Tournament, the Italian finals of the "Manchester United Premier Cup" and the Arco Tournament) and first place in standings in the respective leagues in every age category. For these obvious merits and their extraordinary consistency, Inter were invited as the only Italian representative to the first edition of the NextGen Series, an event that UEFA is experimenting with in order to transform it, in the short term, into a seasonal event for the so-called second teams.
After saying goodbye to Fulvio Pea (who won the penultimate Viareggio Tournament with Inter and is now leading Sassuolo in Serie B), coach Andrea Stramaccioni's tenure on the Primavera bench officially started in London, England on 31 August 2011 at the Matchroom Stadium against Tottenham Hotspur. It was a new experience for everyone, especially for such a young team, and it was also a heavy defeat, although not a decisive one, confirming that when the project is a worthy one and the quality is guaranteed then the results can still come, even after a false start. In fact, in a group in the NextGen Series that was anything but easy (Tottenham Hotspur, PSV, Basel), qualification was secured and the second meeting with the English side was very different from the first, ending in a draw, but with Inter coming very close to a victory.
It all started In London and it will end, at least as regards the first edition of the "youth European Cup", on 25 March. Compared to last season Inter have presented a renewed team with only 5 players from that squad (Bessa, Crisetig, Kysela, Romano and Spendlhofer), with a lower average age than many Italian and foreign opponents, making minimal use of the over-age player rule, and with a history that began in 2007. The team was the Giovanissimi Nazionali and Bianchetti, Candide, Crisetig, Di Gennaro, Pecorini and Romanò – a large core of today's Primavera team – found themselves wearing the Nerazzurri shirt for the first time. In 2008 Bessa arrived at Inter; the age groups became mixed, the lads left for different experiences, some went out on loan only to find themselves wearing blue and black again in the summer of 2011. Some came back from loan (Bianchetti, Forte, Longo, Pecorini, Vojtus), some moved up to a higher age group (Bandini, Garritano, Pasa, Terrani), some arrived from far away (Alborno) and some found a long-awaited pitch after many years. That is the story of Ghanaian player Alfred Duncan. He stated: "I arrived in Italy at just 18 years old but I needed a phase of gradual adjustment. I immediately started training with the Primavera team and on a few occasions I even had the chance to train with the first team. After an initial phase of intensive work I was able to start playing in competitive matches and now I always give my all every day in order to win a starting spot, just as I did then. Inter is a lovely family in which I feel very much at home."
One story that is completely different from Duncan's is that of Giovanni Terrani, who has always been with Inter and divides his time with his team-mates between school and the pitch: "From the Giovanissimi to the Primavera. For me wearing the Nerazzurri shirt is something wonderful; a chance that must not be wasted. That's why, as soon as I finish lessons at school to the moment I go to bed, I always stay focused on Inter." Another story to tell is that of Lorenzo Crisetig, a 1993-born midfielder who has been at Inter since 2007 and who, after having completed the route from the Giovanissimi to the Primavera, was added to the first team squad last summer; for all of his team-mates the path that the midfielder has taken is an example and a dream that has been realised.
Today, Stramaccioni's Primavera team are again in London; there will be a training session and then on Wednesday 21 March they will play in the semi-final of the NextGen Series against Marseille. Ajax await the Nerazzurri in Sunday's final, and Liverpool will play in the 3rd-place match on Saturday. However it goes, it will be a success. For the first time an Italian club is participating in the competition and earning an honourable place among Europe's youth. And without years and years of hard work none of this would ever have been possible.
