The 2012–13 season was Football Club Internazionale Milano's 104th in existence and 97th consecutive season in the top flight of

Italian football Football ( it, calcio ) is the most popular sport in Italy. The Italy national football team is considered to be one of the best national teams in the world. They have won the FIFA World Cup four times (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006), trailing only Bra ...

Season overview

Inter were confined in the market to only a few purchases, as they were not yet ready for a deeper revolution: the most notable arrival being

Rodrigo Palacio Rodrigo Sebastián Palacio Alcalde (; born 5 February 1982) is a Argentine basketball player and former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is the son of José Ramón Palacio, a historic player of Club Olimpo during the 1980s. ...

, from

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

. For the first three months of 2012–13 season Inter achieved good results, especially in away games. However, during winter times, the side suffered from too many absences:

Diego Milito Diego Alberto Milito (born 12 June 1979) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is currently a sports manager. Milito began his club career in Argentina with Racing Club in 1999, and later moved to Italian ...

and

Javier Zanetti Javier Adelmar Zanetti (; born 10 August 1973) is an Argentine former professional footballer. He is regarded as one of the best players of his generation, and is especially well known for his role in Inter Milan's treble-winning 2009–10 seas ...

- for example - had long-term injuries. As a result, Inter had to use young players who did not have the required experience and skills. It was Inter's worst season since 1993–94, finishing ninth in the league and missing out on European football. On 24 May 2013, Stramaccioni was sacked by the club, with successful former

Napoli Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

coach

Walter Mazzarri Walter Mazzarri (; born 1 October 1961) is an Italian former footballer and head coach, most recently in charge of Serie A club Cagliari. After a 14-year playing career with Italian clubs including Reggiana and Empoli, Mazzarri coached several ...

taking over the next day.

Month-by-month account

June

On 6 June,

Goran Pandev Goran Pandev ( mk, Горан Пандев, ; born 27 July 1983) is a Macedonian former professional footballer who played as a forward. After establishing himself at Lazio, Pandev moved to Inter Milan in early 2010. While playing for the ''Ne ...

, who was on loan with

on the previous season, signed a permanent contract with them for a fee of €8 million, lasting until 2015. One day later, Palacio's transfer become official when he signed a three-year contract worth €2.7 million per season. Later on 29 June, Inter announced that

Lúcio Lucimar Ferreira da Silva (born 8 May 1978), commonly known as Lúcio, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. A tall and physically strong defender who excelled in the air, Lúcio was known for his long, sur ...

would be leaving Inter after it was agreed to cancel the final two years of his contract by mutual consent.

July

After a failed first season in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

Diego Forlán Diego Martín Forlán Corazo (born 19 May 1979) is a Uruguayan professional football manager and former player who played as a forward. Regarded as one of the best forwards of his generation, Forlán is a two-time winner of both the Pichichi T ...

agreed to terminate the final year of his contract on 5 July. One day later, the club signed Matías Silvestre on loan from

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

with an option to make the move permanent for €6 million. On 9 May, Inter announced with signing of Slovenian goalkeeper

Samir Handanović Samir Handanović (born 14 July 1984) is a Slovenian professional footballer who serves as captain and plays as a goalkeeper for club Inter Milan. Before moving to Italy, Handanović played in his home country of Slovenia. In 2004, he was acqui ...

reported €11 million cash on a co-ownership deal, as well as co-ownership of

Davide Faraoni Marco Davide Faraoni (born 25 October 1991), known as Davide Faraoni, is an Italian professional footballer who captains and plays as a right back for Serie A club Hellas Verona. Faraoni is a former Italy U-21 international. Club career You ...

.F.C. Internazionale Milano S.p.A. ''bilancio'' (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2002, PDF purchased from Italian C.C.I.A.A.(in Italian) On 12 July, the team played its first friendly of the new season by easily achieving a 6–0 win against Trentino Team. Three days later, they won the second one, defeating

Koper Koper (; it, Capodistria, hr, Kopar) is the fifth largest city in Slovenia. Located in the Istrian region in the southwestern part of the country, approximately five kilometres () south of the border with Italy and 20 kilometres () from Triest ...

2–0. On 20 July, Inter announced that they had signed

Gaby Mudingayi Gabriel "Gaby" Mudingayi (born 1 October 1981) is a Congolese-Belgian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Career Early years Mudingayi moved to Belgium at a young age and started his career at the third division club Uni ...

from

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

on loan with an option to purchase for €750,000. A day later, Inter won its first pre-season trophy, the

TIM Trophy The TIM Trophy is a football pre-season tournament that was firstly contested in August 2001. It is not sanctioned or recognized by official football bodies since the gameplay rules do not correspond to IFAB/FIFA laws of football. For the first twe ...

, by beating

Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...

and

to claim their eighth success. On 24 July, Inter continued with their winning streak in friendlies by defeating

Como Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label=Comasco dialect, Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Its proximity to Lake Como and ...

3–2 at

Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia is a multi-use stadium in Como, Italy. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Como 1907. The stadium holds 13,602 people. The stadium was completed in 1927 and was built on precise ...

. On 28 July,

Luc Castaignos Luc Castaignos (born 27 September 1992) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a forward for club 1. FC Magdeburg. Club career Early career The roots of Castaignos' family are located in the département of Landes, one hundred kil ...

was sold to

Twente Twente ( nl, Twente , Tweants dialect: ''Tweante'') is a region in the eastern Netherlands. It encompasses the most urbanised and easternmost part of the province of Overijssel. Twente is most likely named after the Tuihanti or Tvihanti, a Germ ...

for €6 million. The same day, Inter draw 1–1 with

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

Celtic Park Celtic Park is the home stadium of Celtic Football Club, in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, Scotland. With a capacity of 60,832, it is the largest football stadium in Scotland, and the eighth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom. It is also ...

, as their winning streak came to an end.

August

Inter played its first competitive match on 2 August by comfortably winning 0–3 at

Hajduk Split Hrvatski nogometni klub Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split () or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian professional football club based in Split, that competes in the Croatian First League, the top tier in Croatian football. Since 1979, t ...

for the first leg of

2012–13 UEFA Europa League The 2012–13 UEFA Europa League was the 42nd season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 4th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League. The final was played at the Amsterdam Aren ...

third qualifying round Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hig ...

. In the returning leg one week later, Hajduk Split caused an upset by winning 0–2 at

San Siro Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, commonly known as San Siro, is a football stadium in the San Siro district of Milan, Italy, which is the home of A.C. Milan and Inter Milan. It has a seating capacity of 80,018, making it one of the largest stadiums in ...

but nevertheless Inter progressed 3–2 on agreegate. On 18 August, Inter played their first friendly ahead of the new season by defeating

CA Bizertin Club Athlétique Bizertin ( ar, النادي الرياضي البنزرتي) or CAB is a football club from Bizerte in Tunisia. It was founded on June 20, 1928. CA Bizertin have won the Tunisian League four times, the Tunisian Cup three times, ...

3–0 at

Locarno , neighboring_municipalities= Ascona, Avegno, Cadenazzo, Cugnasco, Gerra (Verzasca), Gambarogno, Gordola, Lavertezzo, Losone, Minusio, Muralto, Orselina, Tegna, Tenero-Contra , twintowns =* Gagra, Georgia * Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic ...

. Three days later, Inter and Milan reached an agreement over an exchange deal involving

Giampaolo Pazzini Giampaolo Pazzini (; born 2 August 1984), nicknamed ''Il Pazzo'' ("The Madman") after his surname, is a former Italian professional footballer who played as a striker. He spent most of his career in Serie A with Atalanta, Fiorentina, Sampdoria, ...

and

Antonio Cassano Antonio Cassano (; born 12 July 1982) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a forward. A talented and technically gifted player, he was usually deployed as a supporting forward, but could also play as an attacking midfield ...

, with a compensatory sum of €7.5 million in favor of the Nerazzurri. In play-off round, Inter faced

Vaslui Vaslui (), a city in eastern Romania, is the seat of Vaslui County, in the historical region of Western Moldavia. The city administers five villages: Bahnari, Brodoc, Moara Grecilor, Rediu, and Viișoara. History Archaeological surveys indicate ...

. On 23 August in the first leg, Inter achieved a comfortable 0–2 away win thanks to the goals of Cambiasso and Palacio. This was also the last match of Maicon in an Inter shirt. The same day,

Álvaro Pereira Álvaro Daniel Pereira Barragán (; born 28 November 1985) is a Uruguayan former footballer. After starting out at Miramar Misiones he went on to play for a host of clubs in several countries, mainly Porto and Inter Milan, winning eight major ...

accepted a transfer to Inter from Porto for total fee of €10 million by signing a contract until June 2016. Inter kicked off

2012–13 Serie A The 2012–13 Serie A (known as the Serie A TIM for sponsorship reasons) was the 111th season of top-tier Italian football, the 81st in a round-robin tournament, and the 3rd since its organization under a league committee separate from Serie B. ...

with a perfect 0–3 away win at newly promoted

Pescara Pescara (; nap, label= Abruzzese, Pescàrë; nap, label= Pescarese, Piscàrë) is the capital city of the Province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 119,217 (2018) residents (and approxim ...

with Sneijder, Milito and Coutinho scoring the goals. On 30 August, Inter officially qualified in the UEFA Europa League group stage after a 2–2 home draw in the returning leg in

. On the last day of the month, the

Treble Treble may refer to: In music: *Treble (sound), tones of high frequency or range, the counterpart of bass *Treble voice, a choirboy or choirgirl singing in the soprano range *Treble (musical group), a three-piece girl group from the Netherlands *T ...

heroes Júlio César and Maicon were respectively sold to

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...

and

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

September

Inter started September with a 1–3 home defeat to

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

with Cassano scoring his first Inter goal. The team bounced back by winning the third matchday 0–2 away at

Torino Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. T ...

. Cassano and Milito were the goalscorers. On 20 September, Inter played its first match in Europa League group stage, equating 2–2 to

Rubin Kazan FC Rubin Kazan (russian: Футбо́льный клуб Руби́н Каза́нь, ''Futbolny klub Rubin Kazan'' , Tatar: Рубин Казан) is a Russian professional football club based in the city of Kazan. They play in the second-tier ...

with goals from

Marko Livaja Marko Livaja (; born 26 August 1993) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Hajduk Split and the Croatia national team. He has represented his country at every level from the under-15s to the senior team. Club career ...

and

Yuto Nagatomo is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a full back for Japanese club FC Tokyo and the Japan national team. A graduate from the Meiji University, Nagatomo started his professional career with FC Tokyo in 2007, quickly establish ...

. Back to Serie A three days later, Inter slumped into a 0–2 home defeat to

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centuri ...

. With goals from

Pereira Pereira (Portuguese and Galician for "pear tree") may refer to: People * Pereira (surname) Places *Brazil **Pereira (Bahia) (est. 1534) in the present-day Barra neighborhood of Salvador in Bahia **Pereira Barreto, municipality in São Paulo **Pe ...

and Cassano, Inter achieved an important victory against

Chievo Chievo (4,500 inhabitants) is a frazione of Verona located to the west of the city, around from the historic city centre, on the shores of the river Adige. It is best known for its football team, A.C. ChievoVerona, which competes in the second ...

in the matchday 5. In the last match of September, Inter defeated

Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional football club based in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while the actual club was refounded in August 2002 fo ...

through Milito and Cassano goals at the first half, recording first home win in all competitions after five games without a win.

October

On 4 October, in the second game of Europa League group stage, Inter won 3–1 at Neftçi Baku with goals of Coutinho, Obi and Livaja. In the first

Derby della Madonnina The Derby della Madonnina, also known as the Derby di Milano (Milan Derby, in English), is a derby football match between the two prominent Milanese clubs, Internazionale and A.C. Milan. It is called ''Derby della Madonnina'' in honour of one of ...

of the season, on 7 October, Samuel's early goal were enough to clinch the points for Inter despite playing with 10-man for about 40 minutes. Inter continued their fine form by winning 2–0 home versus

Catania Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...

, with Palacio and Cassano scoring, and also beating

FK Partizan Fudbalski klub Partizan ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Партизан, ; en, Partizan Football Club), sometimes known as Partizan Belgrade in English, is a Serbia, Serbian professional football club (association football), football ...

thanks to the winner of Palacio in Europa League group stage matchday 3. In the ninth round of league, on 28 October, Inter played

away. Ranocchia, Cambiasso and Milito were all in the scoresheet for the team, with the latter scoring his 100th Serie A goal, as Inter recorded their 5th consecutive league win. Inter continued their solid appearances in Serie A by extending their win record up to six matches after a 3–2 home win over

Sampdoria Unione Calcio Sampdoria, commonly referred to as Sampdoria (), is an Italian professional football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, ...

November

Inter started November by ending

' 49-game unbeaten run with a 3–1 victory at

Juventus Stadium Juventus Stadium, known for sponsorship reasons as the Allianz Stadium since July 2017, sometimes simply known in Italy as the Stadium ( it, Lo Stadium), is an all-seater football stadium in the Vallette borough of Turin, Italy, and the home o ...

. Diego Milito scored a brace before Palacio sealed the win with a late goal. Matchday 4 for Inter in the Europa League against FK Partizan ended in a 1–3 away win, which ensued Inter progression to

knockout phase A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...

. On 11 November, after seven consecutive league wins, Inter was defeated 3–2 away by

Atalanta Atalanta (; grc-gre, Ἀταλάντη, Atalantē) meaning "equal in weight", is a heroine in Greek mythology. There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene and who is primarily known ...

which also ended Inter's longest winning away record (10). Palacio and Guarín scored the goals. One week later, Inter were stopped 2–2 by

Cagliari Cagliari (, also , , ; sc, Casteddu ; lat, Caralis) is an Italian municipality and the capital of the island of Sardinia, an autonomous region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name ''Casteddu'' means ''castle''. It has about 155,000 inhabitant ...

at home, despite taking an early lead with a Palacio goal. A young Inter side were defeated 3–0 away by Rubin Kazan in Europa League matchday 5. Back in Serie A, Inter was defeated again, this time by

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...

, slipping to 3rd position in the process.

December

In its first match of December, Inter won 1–0 at home against

thanks to a Santiago García owngoal. On 6 December, in the final matchday of Europa League group stage, Inter drew 2–2 Neftchi Baku at home thanks to the brace from

, which secured them the second position in Group H and progression to the

. Three days later, Inter won its second consecutive match by beating title contenders

2–1 at San Siro. Fredy Guarín and Diego Milito scored the goals. A goal from

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

Miroslav Klose Miroslav Josef Klose (, pl, Mirosław Józef Klose; born 9 June 1978 as Mirosław Marian Klose) is a German professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the head coach of Austrian Footb ...

in the last minutes were enough to beat Inter in Serie A matchday 17 on 15 December. To begin its Coppa Italia campaign, Inter played in the round of 16

Hellas Verona Hellas Verona Football Club, commonly referred to as Hellas Verona or simply Verona, is a professional Italian football club based in Verona, Italy, that currently plays in Serie A. The team won the Serie A Championship in 1984–85. His ...

of Serie B. The match finished in a 2–0 home win thanks to the strikes of Antonio Cassano and Guarín. This match was also notable for

efforts. He played as a goalkeeper for the final 15 minutes due to an injury of

Luca Castellazzi Luca Castellazzi (born 19 July 1975) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He serves as the goalkeeper coach of Milan young team under 17. Club career Early career Castellazzi began his career at Monza. He the ...

, keeping a clean sheet and also making two saves. Back in Serie A, Inter didn't go more than a 1–1 draw with

at home, with Cambiasso scoring the only goal. Livaja missed a clear chance, shooting the post of an open goal.

January

On 4 January 2013, the fourth day of the winter transfer window, Inter announced an agreement with

for the transfer of Italian striker

Tommaso Rocchi Tommaso Rocchi (; born 19 September 1977) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as striker. He spent a large part of his career with Lazio and is the club's sixth highest goalscorer of all time, three behind Bruno Giordano. A ...

. The transfer fee was €250,000 and the player signed a contract until the end of the season. The new year for the team began with a 3–0 devastating defeat to

Udinese Udinese Calcio, commonly referred to as Udinese, is a professional Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, that currently plays in Serie A. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a sports club, and on 5 July 1911 as a fo ...

; Inter finished the match with 10 players. Again in Serie A on 13 January, Inter returned to winning ways after three consecutive league defeats by clinching a 2–0 home win over

. Fredy Guarín and Rodrigo Palacio scored the goals and also the youngster

Marco Benassi Marco Benassi (born 8 September 1994) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Cremonese, on loan from Fiorentina. Club career Early career Born in Modena, Benassi began his career at his local club Modena. In Ja ...

made his league debut. Back in Coppa Italia for the quarter-finals, Inter achieved a hard-fought 3–2 victory over

after an

Andrea Ranocchia Andrea Ranocchia (; born 16 February 1988) is a former Italian professional footballer who played as a defender. Club career Early career Born in Assisi in the province of Perugia, Ranocchia started his career at Perugia then in Arezzo. Ranocch ...

goal in the last minute of extra time. On 20 January 2013,

Wesley Sneijder Wesley Sneijder (; born 9 June 1984) is a Dutch retired professional footballer. Due to his elite playmaking ability, Sneijder was considered one of the best midfielders in the world during his prime. A product of the Ajax Youth Academy, he sta ...

was sold on controversial fashion to

Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...

for €7.5 million. On the same day, Inter didn't go more than a 1–1 away draw against

with Palacio canceling Totti's penalty. Against the same opponent three days later, now for the first leg of Coppa Italia semi-final, Inter was defeated 2–1 with Palacio again scoring against capital club. One day later, Alfred Duncan was loaned to

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...

. On 26 January, the young talent

Philippe Coutinho Philippe Coutinho Correia (born 12 June 1992) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Premier League club Aston Villa and the Brazil national team. He is known for his combination of vision, ...

was sold to

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

club

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

for €10 million. The transfer was made official on 30 January. On 27 January, Inter were held by

who earned a 2–2 draw at

. Chivu and Cambiasso scored Inter's goals. On 30 January,

McDonald Mariga McDonald Mariga Wanyama (; born 4 April 1987) is a Kenyan retired footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Mariga made history as the first Kenyan footballer to play in the UEFA Champions League, for Internazionale on 16 March 2010. In ...

was sent on loan at fellow Serie A club

. Also,

was transferred to

as part of

Ezequiel Schelotto Ezequiel Matías Schelotto (, ; born 23 May 1989) is an Argentine-Italian footballer who plays for Aldosivi in the Argentine Primera Division. A versatile player on the right flank, he started his career as a winger and was later converted into ...

's transfer at Inter. One day later, the final day of the January transfer window period,

Juan Pablo Carrizo Juan Pablo Carrizo (born 6 May 1984) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He started his professional career with River Plate, where he played until 2008, winning the 2008 Clausura. His performances earne ...

was signed from Lazio for €250,000. Hot prospect

Mateo Kovačić Mateo Kovačić (; born 6 May 1994) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Chelsea and the Croatia national team. He is usually deployed in a central or box-to-box role, but can play in deeper po ...

was signed for €11 million plus bonuses from

Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb ( en, Dinamo Zagreb Citizens' Football Club, link=yes, italics=yes), commonly referred to as GNK Dinamo Zagreb or simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo ...

. Also

Zdravko Kuzmanović Zdravko Kuzmanović ( sr-Cyrl, Здравко Кузмановић, ; born 22 September 1987) is a Serbian footballer who plays as a defensive or central midfielder. He last played for FC Basel. He represented Serbia in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. ...

joined the team from

VfB Stuttgart Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart (), is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club's football team is currently part of Germany's first division, the Bundesliga. VfB Stu ...

for an undisclosed fee.

February

Inter begun the month with a 3–1 away defeat to

. Cassano scored his team's only goal. On 10 February, goals from Cassano, Ranocchia and Milito ensured Inter three points against

, their first after four three matches. Four days later, in first round of the round of 32 in Europa League, Inter achieved a comfortable 2–0 home win over

CFR Cluj Fotbal Club CFR 1907 Cluj, commonly known as CFR Cluj ( or ), is a Romanian professional association football, football club based in the city of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County, which competes in the Liga I. It was founded in 1907 as ''Kolozsvári Vas ...

with a brace from Palacio. Striker Diego Milito was injured in the seventh minute with a collateral ligament injury, anterior cruciate ligament, and capsule in his left knee. Two days later, Milito announced that the surgery to repair the injury was a success, but the player will not return to the pitch for at least six months, ruling him out of contention for the remainder of the season. On 17 February, Inter fell away to

4–1 in the Serie A matchday 25, with Cassano scoring the Inter goal. In the second leg of the round of 32 in Europa League, Inter easily won 3–0 at Stadionul Dr. Constantin Rădulescu with a brace from Guarín and a goal from Benassi, progressing to round of 16 with the aggregate 5–0. On 24 February, in the second

Stephan El Shaarawy Stephan El Shaarawy (born 27 October 1992) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Roma and the Italy national team. He is nicknamed ''Il Faraone'' (The Pharaoh), as his father is Egyptian. El Shaarawy began his ...

gave

the lead in the first half, only for Ezequiel Schelotto to later equalize, salvaged a 1–1 draw for Inter.

March

On 3 March, Inter achieved a hard-fought victory against

Stadio Angelo Massimino Stadio Angelo Massimino (previously known as Stadio Cibali) is a multi-use stadium in Catania, Italy. It is used mostly for football matches and the home of Calcio Catania. The stadium was built in 1935 by architect Raffaele Leone on behalf of ...

. The team was two goals down at half-time, but a goal from

Ricky Álvarez Ricardo "Ricky" Gabriel Álvarez (; born 12 April 1988) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Álvarez retired from football at the end of 2021. Álvarez began his club career in Argentina in 2008 ...

and a brace from substitute Palacio, including one in the last minute, ensured three points for the ''Nerazzurri''. Four days later, Inter suffered a 3–0 loss at the hands of

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...

in the first leg of Europa League round of 16. The team continued with their unstable from by falling to

1–0 at home. On 14 March, in the returning leg at

, Inter sent the match to extra-time by winning 3–0 at regular time with the goals of Cassano, Palacio and an owngoal from

William Gallas William Eric Gallas (born 17 August 1977) is a French former professional footballer who played as a defender. He played most of his footballing career in France and England before finishing his career in Australia with A-League club Perth Glo ...

. At extra-time, Tottenham got one back with a goal from

Emmanuel Adebayor Sheyi Emmanuel Adebayor (; born 26 February 1984) is a Togolese professional footballer who plays as a striker for Togolese Championnat National club Semassi. He previously played for English clubs Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur ...

, only for Inter to strike back with a header from Álvarez, winning the match 4–1, which was not enough as the team was knocked-out due to away goal rule. The next Serie A match between

and Inter was postponed on 2 April due to bad weather.

April

Inter started the month by winning the postponed match against Sampdoria 0–2 with both goals scored by Palacio, the second in the last moments after an individual effort. Palacio strained his left hamstring, ultimately ending his season prematurely. Four days later, the brace of Álvarez and the goal of Rocchi were not enough as Inter suffered a shock 3–4 home loss to Atalanta. Striker Cassano suffered a hamstring injury that kept him sidelined for a month, thus ending his season. In the next matchday away against

, Inter suffered another defeat, this time 2–0 with both goals coming for the substitute

Mauricio Pinilla Mauricio Ricardo Pinilla Ferrera (born 4 February 1984) is a Chilean former professional footballer who played as a striker. After beginning his career at Universidad de Chile, he signed for Inter Milan at the age of 19, but never appeared for ...

came in the second half and played only eight minutes after suffering e knee injury which ended his season. Also the midfielder

Walter Gargano Walter Alejandro Gargano Guevara (; born 23 July 1984) is a Uruguayan footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for River Plate. Club career Youth career Gargano started playing football aged three and joined the now defunct youth club ...

ended the season due to a thigh injury. This loss descended the team to the 7th position. Manager

Andrea Stramaccioni Andrea Stramaccioni (; born 9 January 1976) is an Italian football manager and former player who last managed Qatari club Al Gharafa. A football coach with experiences as a youth coach of Roma and Inter Milan, he was put in charge of first team ...

dubbed the season as "cursed". In the returning leg of Coppa Italia semi-final versus Roma, Inter initially took the lead through a Jonathan goal, but Roma fired back with a brace from

Destro Laird James McCullen Destro XXIV, usually referred to simply as Destro, is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books, and cartoon series. He is the leader of the Iron Grenadiers, and founder of M.A.R.S. ...

and a goal from

Vasilis Torosidis Vasilis Torosidis (Greek: Βασίλης Τοροσίδης, born 10 June 1985) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a right-back. Club career Skoda Xanthi Torosidis made his senior debut for Skoda Xanthi on 19 April 2003 at ...

, before Inter scoring another one with Álvarez. The match finished 2–3 for Roma and Inter was eliminated with the aggregate 5–3. On 21 April, back in Serie A, Inter won against

with a late goal from Rocchi. The month ended with a 1–0 away defeat to

. The legendary captain

suffered an achilles tendon injury that kept him sidelined for the next six months.

May

The last month of the season begun on with a 3–1 away defeat to

. Álvarez scored the temporary equalizer in the 23rd minute with a penalty kick before Cavani scored another two goals to conclude the match. In the next matchday, Inter suffered another 3–1 defeat, this time at home at the hands of

with Álvarez again scoring his team's only goal. On 12 May, Inter didn't go more than a goalless draw at

in the matchday 37. Youngster Lukas Spendlhofer made his senior debut by playing in the last 13 minutes. The final match of the season ended with a 2–5 humiliating defeat to

Juan Jesus Juan Guilherme Nunes Jesus (; born 10 June 1991), usually known as Juan Jesus or simply Juan or Juje, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a defender for club Napoli. He has also represented the Brazil national team. Club care ...

scored his first goal for Inter, while Rocchi scored another one in his final Inter match, assisted by the returning Palacio. Inter finished the season in the 9th position in league, remaining out of European football for the first time since 1999–2000. This was also Inter's worst finish in Serie A since 1993–94. On 24 May, five days after the end of the season, head coach

was fired and replaced by

Kit

Kit information

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...

continued its supply of the

Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Football in Italy, Italian professional Association football, football ...

kit, a relationship dating back to the 1998–99 season.

Pirelli Pirelli & C. S.p.A. is a multinational tyre manufacturer based in Milan, Italy. The company, which has been listed on the Milan Stock Exchange since 1922, is the 6th-largest tyre manufacturer and is focused on the consumer production of tyre ...

was the current sponsor, dating back to the 1995–96 season. *Home: All-new Inter Milan's home shirt would remain the black-blue traditional stripes but the stripes are slightly wider than previous season. The sleeves of Inter Milan's home shirt was solid black instead of black-blue traditional stripes. The shorts and socks remained black colour. *Home alternate: Same as home but including white alternate shorts. *Away: The away kit was featured a controversially red which was the color of

's city arch-rivals

A.C. Milan Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional Association football, football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 ...

with black-blue stripes in the sleeve-cuffs. The shorts and socks were also red. *Third: Previous season's white shirt with black-blue sash across and also white shorts and white socks confirmed as third kit. *Third alternate: Same as third kit but featured black shorts.

Players

Squad information

Transfers

In

Summer

Winter

Spend : €46.5M

Out

Summer

Winter

: Transfer income: € 31.2M : Co-ownership income: € 8.5M : Total income : € 39.7M

Overall transfer activity

Spending

: Summer: € 46.5M : Winter: € 19.2M : Total: € 65.2M

Income

: Summer: € 32.5M : Winter: € 17.7M : Total: € 50.2M

Expenditure

: Summer: € 14M : Winter: € 1.5M : Total: € 15.5M

Club

Non-playing staff

Pre-season and friendlies

2012 Indonesia tour

The ''Nerazzurri'' played two friendlies during their stay in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

and both took place in

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...

Gelora Bung Karno Stadium Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium ( id, Stadion Utama Gelora Bung Karno; literally "Bung Karno Sports Arena Main Stadium"), formerly Senayan Main Stadium and Gelora Senayan Main Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium located at the center of the Gel ...

, which hosted training sessions. The first match, held on 24 May, saw Inter took on a mixed starting eleven made up of players from the Indonesia under-23 side and the best players from the

Indonesian Premier League Indonesian Premier League (IPL; Indonesian: ''Liga Prima Indonesia'') was the highest level competition for football clubs in Indonesia from 2011 to 2013. This competition was managed by ''PT Liga Prima Indonesia Sportindo'', under supervision o ...

. Inter met the Indonesia senior national team in their second game on 26 May.

TIM Trophy

Other friendlies

Competitions

Overview

Serie A

League table

Results summary

Results by round

Matches

;Notes *Note 1: Postponed from 17 March 2013 due to heavy rains in

Coppa Italia

Round of 16

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

UEFA Europa League

Third qualifying round

The draw for UEFA Europa League Third qualifying round will take place on 20 July 2012. First leg is played on 2 August 2012 and second leg on 9 August 2012.

Play-off round

The draw for UEFA Europa League Play-off round will take place on 10 August 2012. First leg is played on 23 August 2012 and second leg on 30 August 2012.

Group stage

Knockout phase

=Round of 32

=Round of 16

Statistics

Squad statistics

{, class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" , - ! ! style="width:70px;",

League League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

! style="width:70px;",

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

! style="width:70px;",

Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay, ...

! style="width:70px;", Total Stats , - , align=left, Games played , , 38 , , 14 , , 4 , , 56 , - , align=left, Games won , , 16 , , 8 , , 2 , , 26 , - , align=left, Games drawn , , 6 , , 3 , , 0 , , 9 , - , align=left, Games lost , , 16 , , 3 , , 2 , , 21 , - , align=left, Goals scored , , 55 , , 27 , , 8 , , 90 , - , align=left, Goals conceded , , 57 , , 17 , , 7 , , 81 , - , align=left, Goal difference , , -2 , , 10 , , 1 , , 9 , - , align=left, Clean sheets , , 17 , , 3 , , 1 , , 21 , - , align=left, Goal by Substitute , , 6 , , 9 , , 2 , , 17 , - , align=left, Total shots , , – , , – , , –, , – , - , align=left, Shots on target , , – , , – , , –, , – , - , align=left, Corners , , – , , – , , –, , – , - , align=left, Players used , , 36 , , 35 , , 28 , , – , - , align=left, Offsides , , – , , – , , –, , – , - , align=left, Fouls suffered , , – , , – , , –, , – , - , align=left, Fouls committed , , – , , – , , –, , – , - , align=left, Yellow cards , , 84 , , 26 , , 10 , , 120 , - , align=left, Red cards , , 4 , , 1 , , –, , 5 , - Players Used: Internazionale has used a total of – different players in all competitions.

Goalscorers

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align: center;" , - ! width="7%" , No. ! width="7%" , Pos. ! width="7%" , Nation ! width="20%" , Name !

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...

Coppa Italia The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since. History The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

!Total , - , 8 , FW , ,

, 12 , 2 , 8 , 22 , - , 14 , MF , ,

Fredy Guarín Fredy Alejandro Guarín Vásquez (born 30 June 1986) is a Colombian former professional footballer. A versatile player, he was comfortable as a central, defensive or right midfielder. He started his career with Envigado, then had a short spell ...

, 4 , 2 , 4 , 10 , - , 99 , FW , ,

, 8 , 1 , 1 , 10 , - , 22 , FW , ,

, 9 , 0 , 0 , 9 , - , 11 , MF , ,

, 5 , 1 , 1 , 7 , - , 19 , MF , ,

Esteban Cambiasso Esteban Matías Cambiasso Deleau (; born 18 August 1980), nicknamed ''"Cuchu"'', is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. During his career, Cambiasso won 21 official titles, the majority of which were won dur ...

, 3 , 0 , 1 , 4 , - , 88 , FW , ,

, 0 , 0 , 4 , 4 , - , 7 , MF , ,

, 1 , 0 , 2 , 3 , - , 18 , FW , ,

, 3 , 0 , 0 , 3 , - , 23 , DF , ,

, 2 , 1 , 0 , 3 , - , 10 , MF , ,

, 1 , 0 , 1 , 2 , - , 55 , DF , ,

, 0 , 0 , 2 , 2 , - , 7 , MF , ,

, 1 , 0 , 0 , 1 , - , 20 , MF , ,

Joel Obi Joel Chukwuma Obi (born 22 May 1991), known as Joel Obi, is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Nigeria national team. Club career Inter After winning the "Allievi Nazionali" Under-17 championship in 2008 und ...

, 0 , 0 , 1 , 1 , - , 24 , MF , ,

, 0 , 0 , 0 , 1 , - , 25 , DF , ,

Walter Samuel Walter Adrián Samuel (; born Walter Adrián Luján; 23 March 1978) is an Argentine former professional footballer. Samuel has been regarded as one of the best centre-backs of his generation, and as one of football's toughest defenders, with f ...

, 1 , 0 , 0 , 1 , - , 26 , DF , ,

Cristian Chivu Cristian Eugen Chivu (; born 26 October 1980) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Inter Milan's under-19 side. A defender, he began his career with hometown club CSM Reșița before moving to ...

, 1 , 0 , 0 , 1 , - , 31 , MF , ,

, 1 , 0 , 0 , 1 , - , 42 , DF , ,

Jonathan Moreira Jonathan Cícero Moreira (born 27 February 1986), sometimes known as just Jonathan, is a Brazilian professional association football, footballer who plays as a Defender (association football)#Full-back, right back. He also holds Italian nation ...

, 0 , 1 , 0 , 1 , - , 40 , DF , ,

, 1 , 0 , 0 , 1 , - , # , colspan=3 ,

Own goal An own goal, also called a self goal, is where a player performs actions that result in them or their team scoring a goal on themselves, often resulting in a point for the opposing team, such as when a football player kicks a ball into their own ...

s , 2 , 0 , 1 , 3 , - , - bgcolor="F1F1F1" , colspan=4 , TOTAL , 55 , 8 , 27 , 90 Last updated: 19 May 2013 Source
Soccerway
/small>

Clean sheets

''The list is sorted by shirt number when total appearances are equal.'' {, class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align: center;" , - !width=10, !width=10, !width=200, Player !width=50, Serie A !width=50, UEFA Europa League !width=50, Coppa Italia !width=50, Total , - , 1 , 1 , align="left",

, 9, , 4, , 0, , 13 , - , 2 , 12 , align=left,

, 1, , 1, , 1, , 3 , - , 3 , 27 , align=left,

Vid Belec Vid Belec (; born 6 June 1990) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Cypriot First Division club APOEL and the Slovenia national team. Club career Internazionale Signed by Internazionale along with Rene Krhin at ...

, 0, , 0, , 0, , 0 , - , 3 , 30 , align=left,

, 0, , 0, , 0, , 0 , - , colspan="3", Total , 10, , 5, , 1, , 16

Disciplinary record

Includes all competitive matches. The list is sorted by position, and then shirt number. {, class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%; text-align: center;" , - ! colspan="4" , ! colspan="3" ,

! colspan="3" ,

! colspan="3" , Total , - ! width="7%" , No. ! width="7%" , Position ! width="7%" , Nation ! width="14%" , Name ! width="60" , ! width="60" , ! width="60" , ! width="60" , ! width="60" , ! width="60" , ! width="60" , ! width="60" , ! width="60" , ! width="60" , ! width="60" , ! width="60" , , - ! colspan="16" , Goalkeepers , - , 1 , GK , ,

, 2 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 2 , 0 , 0 , - , 12 , GK , ,

, 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 1 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 1 , - ! colspan="16" , Defenders , - , 4 , DF , ,

( C) , 1 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 1 , 0 , 0 , - , 6 , DF , , Matías Silvestre , 0 , 0 , 0 , 4 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 4 , 0 , 0 , - , 23 , DF , ,

, 3 , 0 , 0 , 1 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 4 , 0 , 0 , - , 2 , DF , ,

, 3 , 0 , 0 , 1 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 4 , 0 , 0 , - , 17 , MF , ,

, 0 , 0 , 0 , 1 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 1 , 0 , 0 , - , 14 , DF , ,

, 4 , 0 , 0 , 1 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 5 , 0 , 0 , - , 42 , DF , , Jonathan , 0 , 0 , 0 , 2 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 2 , 0 , 0 , - , 55 , DF , ,

, 3 , 1 , 0 , o , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 3 , 1 , 0 , - ! colspan="16" , Midfielders , - , 11 , MF , ,

, 1 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 1 , 0 , 0 , - , 13 , MF , ,

, 3 , 0 , 0 , 2 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 5 , 0 , 0 , - , 16 , MF , ,

, 2 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 2 , 0 , 0 , - , 5 , MF , ,

, 2 , 0 , 1 , o , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 2 , 0 , 1 , - , 20 , MF , ,

, 0 , 0 , 0 , 1 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 1 , 0 , 0 , - , 3 , MF , ,

, 4 , 0 , 0 , 1 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 5 , 0 , 0 , - ! colspan="16" , Forwards , - , 88 , FW , ,

, 0 , 0 , 0 , 1 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , 0 , - Last Updated: 22 November 2012

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:2012-13 F.C. Internazionale Milano season Inter Milan seasons

Internazionale Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is ...