Inter will kick-start their Serie A campaign against Atalanta next month boasting a multitude of new faces. Wolfsburg winger Ivan Perisic is expected to become the seventh arrival of the summer in the coming days, joining forces with the likes of Geoffrey Kondogbia, Stefan Jovetic, Jaoa Miranda, Martin Montoya, Jonathan Biabany and Jeison Murillo.
Inter, helmed by ex-coach Roberto Mancini, are aiming at a brisk return to the upper echelons of Italian football, with chief executive Erick Thohir stating recently that it is essential that the Nerrazzurri secure a return to the Champions League next term.
Though results paint a contrasting picture, the appointment of the ex-Manchester City boss midway through last season proved a positive reinforcement. His side tasted defeat only twice between February and May, including impressive victories over both Roman clubs, and appeared a more fluid, attack-minded side under the Italian.
With the reemergence of Hernanes, a hitherto disappointment since arriving from Lazio in January 2014, Rodrigo Palacio, Fredy Guarin and Davide Santon under Mancini's tutelage, the Italian has considerable scope for flexibility this upcoming season, should he wish to tinker with various formulas.
Build on the foundations of last season
Inter's impressive form during the spring months was largely predicated on the formation switch from Mancini.
By shifting to a midfield diamond, Mancini was allowed to pair the Argentine duo of Mauro Icardi and Palacio together while deploying a trequartista tasked with both supplementing the front duo and providing the link between the midfield and attack.
Though it was initially January arrival Xherdan Shaqiri who was given the nod, the introduction of silky Brazilian playmaker Hernanes proved the catalyst in Inter's late season surge.
The ambidextrous 30-year-old, signed from Lazio, netted three times and grabbed two assists during Inter's concluding six fixtures of the campaign, with the benchmark performance arriving during Inter's 2-1 victory over Lazio in the Stadio Olympico. The Brazilian netted a first-half free-kick to restore parity before latching onto latching onto a Matteo Kovacic flick and dispatching cooly past Etrit Berisha in the Lazio goal with seven minutes remaining on the clock.
The dash and finish provided the perfect synopsis of the unearthed freedom in Hernanes' game, appearing at his most menacing when he is granted space. Palacio's deft movement, often drifting out wide to work the channels, allows Mancini's side to revert to a 4-3-3 in attack, with Hernanes occupying the centre.
Mancini, moreover, has unearthed the industrious side of Icardi's game. The 21-year-old was often lambasted for his languid play style and reluctance to contribute to his side's build-up play. But under Mancini, who demands maximum commitment from his squad, he has added an extra dimension to his game.
Five of the the Argentine's six assists last term came after the winter break and perhaps no two moments encapsulated Icardi's creative side than his role in Palacio's strikes against Cesena and Verona respectively -- both, coincidentally, came within a fortnight of each other. The ex-Sampdoria forward was released down the flanks and with a quick look across spotted Palacio darting into the penalty area and delivered two tantalising balls across the box.
Incredibly, while shouldering increased creative responsibilities, Icardi managed to grab six goals in seven games towards the end of the season to lay claim to the Capocannoniere award alongside Verona's Luca Toni. Tying the 21-year-old down to a new contract in June must go down as the greatest feat of the Erick Thohir reign thus far.
Perhaps a blemish on Mancini's tenure so far, though, has been the stuttering form of midfield gem Kovacic. It was quite rightly assumed that the Croatian would become an indispensable figure under the Italian, owing much to his growth during the first-half of the season. Inter's displays may have under Walter Mazzarri stuttered but the midfielder's impressive showing's remained relatively constant.
But Mancini never warmed to the youngster. Marginalised after the winter break, the Croatian completed 90 minutes on just three occasions between February and May, reigniting the age-old debate about where the midfielder's future lies and, more pertinently, in what role.
It is true that the Croatian worked himself back into Mancini's plans towards the end of the season, but his influence was still minimal. Deciphering where in the midfield -- in an advanced area or deeper -- the youngster functions best should be of utmost importance to the club ahead of this season.
A reinvented backline
Mancini has acted swiftly in the transfer market to address a problem that has beset Inter since Jose Mourinho's departure in 2010.
Superficially, all three arrivals -- Montoya, Miranda and Murillo -- are upgrades on what Inter have. Miranda, despite being supplanted by 20-year-old Jose Gimenez at Atletico Madrid, was a key component in Diego Simeone's title-winning La Liga side in 2014. In the meantime, Montoya arrives from Barcelona with bags of potential -- unfortunately stunted in his development by Dani Alves -- and Murillo, though an unknown quantity to many, represents an upgrade on his previous incumbent.
At 30, Miranda will be expected to assume leadership duties in the backline and help bed Murillo, expected to partner him in the heart of defence, into the squad. Montoya, it is anticipated, will be arriving into a straight shootout with fellow full-back Daniele D'Ambrosio for a starting berth, while Santon, who has impressed since his arrival in January, should line up at left-back.
Individually, all four represent an improvement on a backline which leaked 48 goals last time out, but the overriding concern remains their period of integration.
Miranda and Murillo will require time to merge an understanding while Montoya, who started only six games for Barcelona last term, may initially struggle with the demands of competitive football.
However, Mancini may take the solace in the fact that Inter begin the new season hosting two sides expected to be battling to avoid relegation, Atalanta and newly-promoted Carpi. League action recommences after the international break with Mancini's side hosting bitter rivals Milan, but it is hoped that by then the back four, and, as a whole, the squad, are more accustomed to performing as a unit.