What another whirlwind 24 hours in the land of Pazza Inter.

In a move that shocked some but was expected by many, Claudio Ranieri was relieved of his managerial duties late Monday evening.  It was a decision that had been a long time coming and could be argued that the ax should have been dropped sooner.  While Ranieri was able to pull the Nerazzurri out of the relegation places in the first half of the season, the same blistering form that saw them win the Milan Derby has been noticeably absent since the end of January.

A variety of factors led to Ranieri’s termination, with the final straw being the loss to Juventus in Sunday’s Derby d’Italia.  The decision to part with Ranieri has been a slow build up over the last two months.  The stretch of 47 days without a win was detrimental to the “Tinkerman’s” future at Inter and it was surprising that he was able to keep his job as long as he did.  The fact that Inter failed to progress in Champions League was also a blow to the seasoned manager.

It seemed as if there was nothing that Ranieri could do to stop the bleeding from the reopened wound, and ultimately, the lack of solutions, questionable substitutions, and inability to control matches for a full 90 minutes were his undoing.

There is no question that Ranieri is a nice man and a true gentleman of the game.  For his efforts and ability to be the stopgap that was needed at the time, the club and tifosi thank him.  Unfortunately, in the era where results are mandatory and also equal monetary compensation, the status quo of being merely mid-table and possibly not qualifying for any European competition next season is unacceptable to a big club like Inter.

As Inter look to the immediate future, Inter Primavera coach Andrea Stramaccioni has been handed the reins for the final nine matches of the season.  His appointment comes on the heels of Inter’s NextGen Series title win and also comes as somewhat of a surprise to those who may not stay abreast in matters concerning the Nerazzurri.  Many names were mentioned as potential replacements for Ranieri, but President Massimo Moratti and the board were extremely impressed with Stramaccioni and look to the new coach to bring new ideas and hopefully integrate new blood into the team.

Roma fans will know Stramaccioni well, as he was at the helm of their Primavera for six years before taking the Inter Primavera job last summer.  This is the first top flight job for the 36 year old, but he will not be without help as Beppe Baresi will continue to be the right hand man on the bench.  As far as the Primavera, first team coach Daniele Bernazzani has been selected to take over for Stramaccioni.

Many Interisti are split over the decision to fire Ranieri and promote Stramaccioni at this stage of the season.  With a handful of matches left, it is critical at this point of Inter’s season to have a clear cut objective for the home stretch.  Making such a decisive statement shows the intent to try and finish strong and is also somewhat of a warning shot to many of the Inter veterans.

The rest of the season will be uncharted waters for the Nerazzurri and no one knows how this experiment will turn out.  Realistically, the chance of a Champions League place has faded away but the target of a Europa League spot is still a possibility.  These nine matches will decipher not only the short term future of the Nerazzurri but potentially for years to come.

Stramaccioni will be presented to the press later today and will be in charge of his first match this coming Sunday versus Genoa.  Benvenuto Mister e in bocca al lupo!