History tells us that winter campaigns in Russia do not always end well for the visitor. Even if the precedents of Napoleon and Hitler are unlikely to weigh heavily on the mind of Inter Milan coach Gigi Simoni as he prepares for tomorrow night's Champions League tie away to Spartak Moscow, he knows only too well that this is one game where his job is definitively on the line.
While European colleagues such as Marten Olsen (Ajax Amsterdam), Arsene Wenger (Arsenal), Bobby Robson (PSV Eindhoven), Louis Van Gaal (Barcelona), Marcello Lippi (Juventus) and Alex Ferguson (Manchester United) all go into Champions League ties tomorrow night with fewer points from their opening three games than Simoni's Inter, none of them risk an immediate sacking if they fail to win.
Simoni, on the other hand, knows what to expect. This is "do or die" week for after tomorrow night's difficult Champions League tie, Inter return to Serie A action in the traditionally keenly contested derby against city cousins AC Milan.
After Inter had slumped to a third consecutive Serie A loss when beaten 3-2 at home to relegation battlers Bari on Sunday, it became clear that a loss to either Spartak or AC Milan would mean the end of the line for Simoni.
That defeat by Bari rubbed salt into the gaping wounds created by a 1-0 defeat by Juventus last Sunday and a 5-3 home drubbing by Lazio two weeks ago. It was the culmination of a wretched autumn which started two months ago with a 2-0 Champions League defeat by Real Madrid and which has gone downhill ever since.
Lest anyone have any doubt as to the sort of pressure Simoni is currently under, just listen to his club's padrone, petrol millionaire Massimo Moratti, spelling things out loud and clear on Sunday afternoon: "Simoni is lucky that he has got two more games (against Spartak and AC Milan) to show just what he is worth. These are two important games. To start causing a rumpus now and ring (coaching) changes doesn't seem to me an adequate response even if the fact that we've lost three games in a row means we now have a real crisis on our hands. However, it's difficult to find a solution in 12 hours. . ."
As guarantees about security of job tenure go, the above leaves something to be desired. In terms of an ultimatum, however, it is stark and clear. Win now, or else. . .
Coaching Inter Milan tends to be a job with a limited future. Since exJuventus, ex-Bayern Munich and current Fiorentina coach Giovanni Trapattoni left in 1991, Corrado Orrico, Luis Suarez, Osvaldo Bagnoli, Ottavio Bianchi and Roy Hodgson have all come and gone, hoisted on the petard of a club whose exorbitant expectations tend to be matched more by its exorbitant running costs than by stratospheric results, at least in the 1990s.
In this latter context, the fact that Inter returned a $27.1 million deficit for its last fiscal year probably explains something of the hard line taken by boss Moratti with his coach. Having committed the club to a nine-year investment worth a minimum of $90 million just to secure the continuing services of one player, Brazilian Ronaldo of course, Moratti clearly feels he has not been getting his money's worth this season.
Simoni's task in Moscow tomorrow night is not made any the easier by his being deprived of several first-team players - Roberto Baggio is not yet match-fit after a month long lay-off, Frenchman Youri Djorkaeff, Brazilian Ze Elias, Francesco Moriero and Uruguyan Alvaro Recoba are all injured, while Nigerian Nwankwo Kanu and Frenchman Ousmane Dabo are both cup-tied.
The good news for Simoni, Inter and Moratti, however, is that Ronaldo is finally showing signs of a post-World Cup recovery. Out for a month until two weeks ago, Ronaldo has been improving from game to game as he regains fitness and it was he who provided the only bright note against Bari when both winning and converting a penalty and then setting up Inter's late second goal.
For all of last season, Inter's multinational side really had only one basic matchplan - get it up there and pass it to Ronaldo. Without the Brazilian, Inter have struggled. His return to something like his real self may have come just in time to save Simoni. In that latter regard, tomorrow's fourth series of games in Group C comes at a crucial moment. Three sides, Real Madrid, Spartak and Inter, jointly lead the group on six points, but having put six goals past the hapless Austrians Sturm Graz two weeks ago, reigning European champions Real Madrid should be able to beat them again in Graz tomorrow night. All of which leaves Inter with the uncomfortable knowledge that they had better win against Spartak if they are to save their Champions League campaign and their manager.
