Milan stand out for several reasons. One - Fabio's first job in management saw him take the Rossonerri to four league titles in the early 1990s. Two - they're fabulously wealthy, and come with an estimated value of £202m. Three - it's difficult to turn down a team that stars Kaka, Seedorf, Gattuso and the evergreen Maldini.

Yet go elsewhere I do, though not so far away as I opt for the Inter job. The main excuse for this is that il Nerazzurri used to be my favourite Italian team, back when Serie A is the only live football you could watch on terrestrial television. I loved their haplessness, the way they could spend untold millions on their squad and still come up smelling of shite. Imagine a team that could polish like a gem like Denis Bergkamp and make him look aimless and bobbins. That's Inter. Who can help but love them?

Only Internazionale aren't quite as clueless these days. True, they took advantage of the Italian match fixing scandal that gifted them the Scudetto in 2006, but their title the following year was won largely on merit. Free signings like Cambiasso and Maxwell turned out to be inspired, and helped to shrug off the club's reputation for being free-spending losers.

But could they continue their winning reputation under a new manager? For this challenge, I have created Andreas Silenzi (remember him?), former Italian international and entering his first head coaching role. My status echoes that of Capello himself. The Board welcome me with open arms, forgetting my disastrous spell at Nottingham Forest obviously, and offer me a war chest of £13m. I have a weekly wage budget of £1.2m. All they expect in return is another season of dominance in Serie A.

At first glance, Inter's squad looks sensational. In places, it's like a who's who of international delight. Patrick Vieira rubs shoulders with Esteban Cambiasso in central midfield. Honduran international David Suazo battles against Adriano and Crespo for the right to partner Zlatan Ibrahimovic up front. Christian Chivu fills in at left back. He's got some freedom on the flank, what with Zidane-baiter Marco Materazzi and Walter Samuel standing like giants in the centre half slots. Hell, it's a wet dream of a line-up.

Chart showing the age of the Inter first teamOr is it? One thing that leaps out immediately is the age of my playing personnel. Inter's average age is 28, comparable with the codgers over at Milan but clearly a side of biddies when up against Fiorentina (25), Roma (26) and Lazio (25). Within a continental context, we contrast alarmingly with Arsenal, who bring an average age of 23 to the table, and their side's already top class! The signs are clear enough - Inter put together much of their squad whilst the players were at their peak. Most of them still are, and mightily so, but slowly I am going to have to replace them, or face an ageing team that commands little value within the transfer market. Little wonder that the club itself is valued at a mere £69m, making Internazionale the 17th richest in the world and trailing behind the likes of Celtic, Portsmouth and Hamburger SV. That's right - we're poorer than a team named after a meal at McDonalds.

The chart above shows how grim things will get if I don't invest suitably in my squad. Of my entire first team, only Luis Jimenez is under 25, and he's here on loan. Put it another way, the minimum length of time that Stage One will take to complete is four years. By then, the majority of my 30+ players will have retired, whilst the middle column will almost entirely have shifted to the right.

Another potential pitfall for the side is in terms of its nationality. The chart below tells the story of which countries contribute to the first team:

Chart showing the nationality spread at InternazionaleThere are six Argentine players turning out for us, and four Brazilians. And just two Italians! One of these (Toldo) is a confirmed substitute, meaning in reality only Materazzi will be playing regularly in front of anything like native crowds while we fight for the title. Now, I know what you're thinking. Nationality isn't everything, and this game isn't a nationalist challenge. Call me old fashioned, but I like to see a squad of mainly homegrown players fighting for my side. I think they make a difference in terms of pride, and if we can't get youth players from the Inter Academy to make the jump, which we haven't so far (despite the club's ‘excellent' facilities), then something is going very wrong.

Therefore, my spending policy is made clear. There's no need to rush out and sign superstars who can make an immediate impact. Inter have an excellent roster, which I intend to enhance with people who can enter as squad rotation types and gradually make their presence felt more on first team affairs. If I can ensure that some of these people are Italian, then all the better. The key is sorting out Inter's dynasty, perhaps looking to shuttle the likes of Bolzoni and Acquafresca up from the Under 20s over the next couple of years.

As we move towards our first friendly match of pre-season, against Belgian side Antwerp (you know, the ones who get landed with all Manchester United's crap), I make my initial signing, a low-key affair that has our supporters neither purring or rumbling with discontent. It's Leandro Rinaudo, the 23-year old centre back from Palermo, who arrives in a £2.3m deal. Apparently, the end of having to wear pink shirts was a big factor in his decision to move to cultured Milan. With any luck, he'll grow as he gets more used to the side. Rinaudo looks like a tank of a defender, a strong, hard tackling and intelligent specimen whose presence means we can relegate Nelson Rivas to the reserves.

As for Royal Antwerp, the game ends 4-0 to Inter. Ibrahimovic, Suazo, Adriano and Crespo all find the net, and there's even time for Chivu to miss a penalty. Luxuries, huh?Did you know that Internazionale are the only Serie A club to have spent their entire existence in Italy's top flight? You did? All right, please yourselves. Today, the Don is busy settling himself into his job at the Giuseppe Meazza (‘San Siro' to you or me), signing new players and carefully guiding his charges through pre-season.

Inter's sequence of friendly matches goes as well as expected. I stay with the side's ingrained 4-4-2 structure, meaning I don't have to retrain players for new positions or seek out any fresh signings for immediate starting places. Apart from a defeat on penalties in the meaningless ‘Friendly Cup' to Bordeaux, I have no concerns with the players. Morale is high. For once, my Assistant Manager informs me that the squad is of sufficient depth and quality to meet its expectations.

As noted on Day One, my aim during the campaign is to sign people who can settle in, get used to being part of the Inter set-up and enjoy limited first team chances as they steadily phase out the current lot. A good thing too. We can't afford stars, unless we pay for veterans who would do nothing for the squad's average age. Besides, I'm happy with what I've got, seeking only to pad out the side with potentates. First in is Fernando Belluschi, the Argentinian right winger from River. We beat off a number of rival suitors to net the 24-year old for £4.3m, partly because of our status, but mainly I suspect due to his salary, which I set at around three times what he demands. Belluschi could stroll into most first elevens, but not ours. The place he covets is held by a certain Javier Zanetti, veteran of the Argentine national team, claimant of over 100 caps for his country and our club captain. He does however usurp Luis Figo in the rankings. The Portuguese icon is due to retire in 2008, and I want to depend on him as little as possible. Of all my new faces, Belluschi therefore is most likely to get in some decent playing time, particularly if Zanetti needs to cover at right back.

Now I know what you're thinking - hold on Don, what was all that about making the team more Italian? Well, Belluschi does hold dual Italian nationality if that counts. Unfortunately, this ambition doesn't carry much weight with Inter's purse, meaning I can try as far as possible to go for a homegrown option, but it won't always work out. My next arrival doesn't even speak da lingo. 19-year old Ever Banega joins from Boca, setting us back £4.4m. He's all potential, raw you might say, and he'll have a job on his hands to stake his place in a midfield featuring Vieira, Dacourt and Cambiasso. Then again, given two of those players are over 30, maybe it won't take so long.

For my final signing, I stay within the confines of Italia and snap up Parma's Luca Cigarini, another central midfielder. He costs £6.5m, and at the age of 21 is happy to be involved with his national team's Under-21s set-up. The price tag shows just what we're up against when attempting to get our hands on homegrown talent. We either need to choke up the Euros, or take our cash abroad.

I don't expect any of my newbies to become instant hits with the supporters. None of them are expected to feature heavily for some time yet, as the following chart shows:
Internazionale's squad 2007/08But hey, as long as the results are in the right direction, who cares?

The Ultras want success from pretty much every competition in which we participate, starting with a victory in the Suppercoppa final against AS Roma. Vieira and Cambiasso are both injured for this one, whilst Materazzi is a long way from recovering from a nasty looking set of torn knee ligaments. Stankovic, Dacourt and Samuel are in, and we tear into the Romans from the whistle, racking up chance after chance. Here's a rough idea of what happens - we attack, Roma defend, we attack, Roma defend. All the while, I'm keeping one eye on Danile De Rossi, the opposition's 24-year old midfielder who is the subject of a gushing recommendation from my chief scout, Ivan Zammorano. In total, we knock together 20 solid chances, compared with Roma's three. And quite naturally, we put none of them away, even after the 30 minutes of extra time. Fortunately, things improve during the shoot-out, when a combination of Cesar's superlative goalkeeping and the sort of spotkick taking that even the England squad wouldn't study from Roma's players gift us the trophy.

We find an extra £2m in the bank thanks to Inter's Suppercoppa win. Hmm, if I'd known about that beforehand I would have planned my squad a little more thoughtfully. The league calendar opens with a fairly straightforward home tie against Siena. Ibrahimovic is shocking upfront as the game stays tied at 0-0 in the 62nd minute. I introduce Julio Cruz for the turnip Swede, who promptly scores two and secures the points. Aterward, I tell my opposite number Andrea Mandorlini that I'm sure he's the man to keep his team in Serie A, but it's a political statement. In reality, I'm not sure anyone can.

Next, Inter travel south for a tough trip to Napoli. Materazzi aside, we're back to full strength for this one, and it shows as we brush the Neapolitans aside in a 3-0 thumping. Maxwell is simply fantastic on the left wing, setting up Suazo's opener and then scoring one of his own. Cruz adds a third to shut the mouths of those 63,972 gobby southerners who have suddenly gone very quiet.

That leads us nicely into the international calendar and a job well done. Even better, as September dawns we find that we haven't had to sell any of our first team players. Chelsea were sniffing around Maicon and Stankovic, but I hiked their prices up to the sort of levels that meant Avram Grant would have to be serious about spending Roman's roubles. He wasn't. A world removed from our modest investments, AC Milan struck the two biggest deals in Serie A. Two bids of £11m fired at Dinamo and Werder Bremen brought in Luka Modric and Torsten Frings respectively, which at least shows they're serious about fighting for the title. Maxi Rodriguez's £16m move to Arsenal was the largest worldwide transfer of a modest summer.I was hoping to provide at least one update from midway through the 2007/08 season, instead this reaches you at its climax. I’m afraid in this instance I found myself enjoying playing the game rather than writing about it. Purists might tell you that’s just how it should be. What the hell is a purist anyway, and how does one join their mystifying ranks?

The Thing, and friend Back to the Giuseppe Meazza, and a first campaign that ended in success on two fronts. We won the Scudetto in my inaugural season, and when I say ‘won’ what I mean is we pissed it. Serie A was a bit like a brick wall, and my team something along the lines of The Thing from off of the Fantastic Four. ‘It’s clobbering time!’ I would bellow, and out would come two thudding blows from the feet of Ibrahimovic and Suazo to bring that wall down. It was easy, too easy in fact, and one of the joys of not adding a mid-season update is to spare you the tiresome list of win, followed by win, followed by win.

Don’t be fooled into thinking I’m suddenly the bee’s knees of a manager. I’m not. As it happens, I used exactly the same tactics as I applied with spectacularly poor results to my last game, where I guided Middlesbrough to Championship glory. In Inter’s case, they just seemed like the right tactics to use, and I guess they were. Then again, I get the impression that the only way we weren’t going to destroy Serie A was by fielding ten strikers and a goalie. All of which suggests that we claimed the Scudetto virtually by default, which I believe to some extent is true. I expected more of a challenge from Milan, Roma, Juventus or Fiorentina, and all four were competitive in head-to-head games. Elsewhere, however, they were models of inconsistency, dropping points here and there and letting us steam towards a 20-point gap, by which point we were unassailable.

Serie A - 2007/08 (opens in a new window)

The final league table shows the extent of our dominance. No one hates winning, but I’ve rarely done it so assuredly. At times, the title race was actually quite dull, and I couldn’t wait for it to be over (which it was by the end of March) so that I could start pitching in some of Inter’s youngsters. Six Nerazzurri players featured in Serie A’s Team of the Year - Julio Cesar, Maicon, Christian Chivu, Walter Samuel, Maxwell and Zlatan Ibrahimovic - and that was probably about right. Fernando Belluschi might also have made the all-star side, had he featured more prominently than merely starting for the entire second half of the season after Javier Zanetti went out with a torn calf muscle.

In all, it was a superb achievement. The Serie A trophy went nicely alongside our Italian Cup, which we clinched after trouncing Fiorentina 3-1 in the final. Marco Donadel gave the Viola a first-half lead, but my impassioned speech about doing it for the supporters during the break, barked out to the soundtrack of tea cups smashing against changing room walls did the trick. Suazo’s brace and a headed goal from Ibrahimovic completed a breathless second half.

Valencia badge, but why the bat? Things were less cheerful in the Champions League. Having conquered our group with some ease, we were tied with Valencia in the First Knockout Round. Difficult but not impossible, I thought, as we took a 2-2 result back to Italy for the second leg. Chivu scored from the spot to make it 3-2, but Silva’s equaliser, and David Villa’s goal ‘out of nothing’ in injury time handed the tie back to the Spaniards. It was perhaps the one black mark on my season, and was caused primarily by injuries. Seven of my regular first eleven were able to play the home leg, with two more knocks during the match turning my crack outfit into crocks.

Oh well, there’s always next year, and I don’t suppose a mere double in my first go constitutes a failure. Added to that was a good year for the books, with Inter’s value soaring to £151m and making us the world’s fifth richest club. The Board couldn’t be anything but delighted with them sort of apples, right?

To finish, here’s a quick stroll through the squad, divided for your ease of use into status.

The Untouchables

Julio Cesar (Position - GK, Nationality - Brazilian, Age - 28, Appearances in 2007/08 - 54, Goals - 0, Man of the Match Awards - 1, Average Rating - 7.04) - played every minute of every match, and was a towering presence in goal. I don’t think I will need another starting keeper during my tenure with Inter - he’s all that.

Walter Samuel (DC, Argentinian, 30, 44, 3, 0, 7.11) - the thinking man’s defender, with Southgate’s positional sense and Cannavaro’s ability to time the perfect tackle. ‘Sammy’ started the year as the defender liable to be dropped to the bench once Materazzi returned, and ended it in total command of his position.

Christian Chivu (DL, Romanian, 27, 50, 2, 0, 7.16) - had an exemplary season at left back, hardly ever got injured and never stopped making me grateful for his presence. Chivu is valued at £14.5m, but what sort of price do you place on defending perfection?

Maicon (DR, Brazilian, 26, 51, 0, 2, 7.27) - possibly even better than Chivu, and wanted by a string of clubs. He can talk to anyone who’s willing to pay £30m or more for the privelige. Maicon is a superb crosser of the ball, which helped him to claim his six assists.

Javier Zanetti - he's got, er, ballsJavier Zanetti (DR/MR, Argentinian, 34, 26 (2), 3, 1, 7.54) - the team captain and totem was a revelation on the right wing, a workhorse with endless stamina who inspired all around him. A shame I couldn’t have had his services ten years ago, because he’s bloody brilliant. Javier spent four months from mid-January to mid-May injured.

Maxwell (DL/ML, Brazilian, 26, 38, 5, 6, 7.42) - one of my personal favourites, an eternally optimistic presence on the wing who managed 13 assists. Excellent numbers in passing, technique and his off the ball play ensured he was a midfielder par excellence. The only downside was an irritating tendency to pick up niggling injuries, not to mention collect referees’ cards, and I don’t mean the good kind.

Esteban Cambiasso (MC, Argentinian, 27, 25, 0, 0, 6.92) - the number of appearances says it all. When he played, Cambiasso was excellent. Don’t be put off by the sub-7.00 rating - we always won when he was in the side. Unfortunately, 15 yellow cards, one red, and five separate injuries made him an increasingly occasional figure.

Fernando Belluschi (MR, Argentinian/Italian, 24, 27 (8), 5, 5, 7.37) - during the early months of his Inter career, ‘Ferdy’ was the single reason for the fans’ dissension. They thought he sucked, having moved here for £4.3m and putting in the odd substitute’s appearance. Then Zanetti got injured, his understudy stepped up and was transformed into about the best player we possessed. The impression he made was such that he was voted runner-up in the ‘Overseas Player of the Year’ award. His value has doubled also.

David Suazo (FC, Honduran, 28, 42 (1), 27, 8, 7.28) - Hondura’s favourite son was an object of desire for the Inter Ultras also. The 27 goals tell their own story. Suazo’s partnership with Zlatan was so potent that it sometimes seemed the pair were betting on themselves to see who would end as the team’s top scorer. Fantastic pace.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (FC, Swedish, 26, 52, 36, 9, 7.25) - Zlatan’s season started slowly, but once he got going his work was a joy to behold. Quite simply, the Swede is in the same class as Torres and Villa as a top drawer scorer of goals. Dribbling - sublime. First touch - perfecto. Technique and Off the Ball - things of beauty. His stamina was a bonus also - Zlatan missed naught but a week of first team football due to a thigh strain. Machine.

Redoubtable First Team Players

Nicolas Burdisso (DC, Argentinian, 27, 7 (3), 0, 0, 7.30) - didn’t get a lot of time in the side, and didn’t waste a minute of it when he did. ‘Nic’ didn’t complain about the time he spent on the bench, or idling in the dugout. He got on with being squad rotation fodder like a man, and worked like a demon on the odd occasion when injuries or suspensions forced him onto the pitch.

Ivan Cordoba (DC, Colombian, 31, 43, 0, 0, 7.07) - about to enter his testimonial year, and an excellent club servant. Cordoba got to spend much of his season playing alongside Samuel in the starting line-up, and though he wasn’t quite as promethean he did a good job. Signs of decline are just beginning to appear in his game.

Patrick Vieira (MC, French, 31, 39 (’6), 1, 0, 6.80) - I had never considered the French giant to be anything other than indispensable, so to find him playing considerably below his Arsenal levels was a crushing blow. The 19 yellow cards collected didn’t help. Still, a sub-par Vieira is still better than most players, and I couldn’t sell him yet.

Luca Cigarini - looks just happy to be hereLuca Cigarini (MC, Italian, 21, 15 (18), 1, 0, 6.73) - signed by me to settle into first team affairs at Inter, Cigarini started getting his chance once injuries and suspensions ( ) took their toll. He definitely grew as a player, and was given an extended run in the first eleven at the back end of the season.

Dejan Stankovic (MC/ML, Serbian, 29, 27 (21), 3, 1, 6.83) - not quite as effective as I’d hoped, ‘Stanko’ was nevertheless a flexible midfielder who could fit in on the left wing if Maxwell was unavailable. I never really considered him to be an essential member of my squad, and am wondering whether to cash in should the right offer come along.

Ivan Rakitic (MC, Croatian, 20, 14 (5), 1, 1, 6.68) - the Inter Board were good enough to hand me £11m to spend during the January transfer window, and I spunked it on this Schalke midfielder, considered to have the potential to be a thing of quality. He started well, proving to be generally busy in the heart of our engine, but faded later when a worrying series of niggling injuries took over. I’m left with the following dilemma - Rakitic, Cigarini, or someone else?

Adriano (FC, Brazilian, 26, 15 (25), 21, 4, 6.95) - how do you solve a problem like Adriano? On the one hand, look at how many goals he scored, many of which came from substitute appearances and were vital to the cause. On the other, it’s clear he isn’t the powerhouse striker that his early potential hinted at; too many games saw him play anonymously and adjacent to the action. I’m tempted to cut loose if the right offer comes in.

Young Pretenders

Leandro Rinaudo (DC, Italian, 25, 9, 0, 0, 7.11) - I thought I’d signed a real dud here - early appearances were notably worse than his fellow centre backs, and there were frequent moans about his lack of playing time, in spite of the fact he was told quite clearly he was my back-up. A late run in the side changed all that, and suddenly the Palermo defender who cost me £2.3m deserves his place once again.

Ever Banega (MC, Argentinian, 19, 2 (17), 2, 0, 6.37) - very young, and it showed with a string of petulant, card-happy turns that saw him consigned to the reserves for a time. Towards the end of the campaign, Banega returned and showed some improvement. I need to keep the jury out on a player who cost the club £4.4m. Rumour has it that he shows more than you would ever want to see when placed before a webcam - nice.

Mario Balotelli (FC, Italian, 17, 0 (7), 2, 0, 6.71) - Balotelli scored 38 goals in helping the Under 20s win their group, and enjoyed the benefits of tuition from Zlatan. I gave him some limited opportunities during the back end of the season, and was quietly impressed with what I saw. His development will have to be monitored closely, and I think Balotelli might benefit from a promotion to the reserves.

Too much, too old?

Francesco Toldo (GK, Italian, 36, 0, 0, 0, 0) - it wasn’t Toldo’s fault that Cesar was so good in goal, but he never really warranted a sniff, and should move when the first opportunity to get him off the payroll presents itself.

Marco Materazzi (DC, Italian, 34, 8 (3), 0, 0, 7.18) - Zidane-baiter Marco missed the first four mouths of the season. When he returned, I didn’t feel like breaking up the partnership of Samuel and Cordoba, making for a frustrating season that might just result in his departure. According to his numbers, he is now in sharp decline.

Luis Figo (MR, Portuguese, 35, 1 (5), 1, 0, 7.33) - I treated the Portuguese legend fairly shabbily, making him third choice behind Zanetti and Belluschi and severely limiting his chances. However he was always going to retire at the end of the year, so my cruelty had a purpose (incidentally readers, I meant to post a picture of Figo here to accompany the departure of a ‘ledge,’ but then I found some of his wife - see below.)

Mrs Figo, not a picture of unlovelinessJulio Cruz (FC, Argentinian, 33, 1 (17), 5, 1, 6.61) - a loyal club servant who started the season with some spectacular performances from the bench, yet these early flashes of brilliance soon faded. My coaches tell me he has no long-term future. I agree.

Bags packed. Coat. Hat. Gone.

Olivier Dacourt (MC, French, 33, 4 (8), 1, 0, 6.58) - figured rarely and moaned often. He’s contracted until 2009, but is likely to make the transfer list long before then.

Santiago Solari (ML, Argentinian, 31, 0 (’6), 0, 0, 6.83) - Santi’s contract is up in June, and I’m not going to renew it. This former star of the national team and Real Madrid did little to suggest he warranted anything more than extremely limited appearances, a hunch that turned out to be exactly right.

Luis Jimenez (AMC, Spanish, 23, 1, 0, 0, 7.00) - didn’t do anything wrong, but there always appeared to be players who deserved their places ahead of him. The victim of a crowded midfield, and in any case I had no use for an ‘in the hole’ attacking midfielder. He has since returned to Ternana, his loan deal cancelled.

Hernan Crespo (FC, Argentinian, 32, 0, 0, 0, 0.00) - perpetually injured and the mere relic of a more golden age. I almost shat when I saw we were paying £70k per week for a player who spent enough time on the treatment table to make Louis Saha envious, and shipped him back to Chelsea before he could make more of a toll on our wage bill, the big shyster.