It was only 16 months ago that Inter were crowned European champions after a long wait of 45 years. But since that triumphant night in Madrid, matters have gone from bad to worse for the club, and it has already gone through three coaches as it seeks to find a suitable replacement for the controversial but successful Jose Mourinho.

Rafa Benitez took over from the Portuguese in July 2010, but only lasted till the end of the year, as he was sacked in spite of taking Inter to the world club championship title, largely because of comments he made about the way he was being treated by the club. He was replaced by Leonardo, who moved from city rivals Milan. The Brazilian manager had spent 14 years as player, administrator and manager with Silvio Berlusconi’s team.

Leonardo was unable to maintain Inter’s run of five league victories, finishing second behind Milan, and winning the Italian Cup. But he was lured away by the millions put at his disposal by Paris St Germain, and left the club five months after taking over. He was substituted by Giampiero Gasperini, but Inter lost four of the first five official games of the season and, after last Tuesday’s defeat at Novara, Gasperini was told to move out and he was replaced by Claudio Ranieri.

The situation is quite similar to one Inter went through in the mid-1990s, when Ottavio Bianchi, Luis Suarez, Roy Hodgson and Luciano Castellini all coached Inter for a short time. At the turn of the century, there was another period in which Inter went through a series of coaches in quick succession - Luigi Simoni, Mircea Lucescu, Marcello Lippi and Marco Tardelli.

They were both phases in which Inter lived in the shadows of Juventus and Milan, and before Inter’s cycle of victories began following the calciopoli scandal that hit Italian football in 2006.

The more cynical are claiming that Inter’s golden period is over because the effect of the 2006 scandal is wearing off – Inter were the club that benefited the most after Juventus and Milan were penalized for their misdoings, although it later emerged that Inter were not as innocent as they portrayed themselves to be.

The more level-headed know that each team has its ups and downs, and football, like anything else, is made up of cycles. There are periods of success which are followed by eras of gloom until the wheel turns a full circle.

What is sure is that Inter president Massimo Moratti has recruited an experienced manager to try to pick up the pieces. Inter have good quality players, many of whom were part of their 2006-2010 triumphs, and they are strong enough to challenge for all competitions.

It will also be a challenge for Ranieri himself. He has led top teams such as Chelsea, Napoli, Fiorentina, Juventus and Roma without much success. Now he has another chance.