We know that things can quickly change in football, one game you are the hero and another one you are the villain, but Geoffrey Kondongbia’s transformation in the last couple of months is something we don’t see very often, and not just in football.

The ugly duckling is finally becoming a beautiful swan, and a big part of this impressive turnaround can be attributed to new boss Stefano Pioli, who's got the French midfielder performing like a €30 million player.
 

The 23-year-old has gained confidence and self-esteem, something that he was missing in his first fifteen months at Inter, and has started to look like the top player the Nerazzurri signed from Monaco in summer 2015.His pace and body language are also different, now Kondogbia covers the pitch with mastery, he knows what to do and where to go and he’s not the back-pass player anymore. No longer so insecure that he couldn’t pass the ball forward, or scared to make mistakes and  be demolished by the critics and the San Siro crowd, that have always been really hard to please.


 

Those same demanding fans supported him when, back in September, former Inter manager Frank de Boer humiliated the Frenchman by substituting him after just 28 minutes: it looked like the end of his Inter career, with the Dutchman claiming that “Geoffrey doesn’t listen to me, he does the contrary of what I tell him, that’s why I changed him”. But the fans, the demanding Inter fans, gave him a standing ovation whilst at the same time, being perplexed at why he was leaving the pitch.
 

Maybe that was a turning point for the Frenchman: the crowd that had always destroyed him even for a wrong pass, was now on his side. The fans were ready to finally encourage this guy that, probably, being just 23, was given too much pressure and responsibility: 31 million plus add-ons was a real weight on his young shoulders, and maybe that day, after being replaced after only 28 minutes, Kondogbia released all the pressure and negative things, knowing that he’d finally gained the fans ‘support. People were noticing his commitment at least, people understood that he was human, not just a big- money flop.
 

The other turning point however, came when De Boer was sacked and Stefano Pioli was appointed. The Italian manager was his saviour, he was able to give the team an identity and tactical organisation, in addition to enthusiasm and personality, choosing to enhance the club’s assets, instead of instigating a revolution and requesting other players on the transfer market. Kondogbia was a BIG asset to re-evaluate, Pioli understood this and was able, in two months, to do what two other more high-profile managers were unable to do in fifteen; he gave the player a clear role, he gave him trust, a team with better tactical organisation and above all, he gave him playing time and continuity that built self-esteem and confidence in him. 


 

This has lead to the French midfielder being one the Nerrazzurri’s best players over the past month: even his stats have improved, with an average of 50-60 completed passes per game, most of them vertically to build the play, no more back passes, no more fear, no more crowd “boos”. Now with the fans’ backing, Kondogbia is even trying some tricks and improving confidence whilst shooting toward the goal.
 

Pioli didn’t even rest him on Tuesday night, when he could have given more space to fringe players in the Italian Cup, preferring to enhance Kondogbia’s confidence and feelings alongside new Inter signing Gagliardini: the pair ended up disputing the Man of the Match prize, with the fans supporting Kondogbia even after his unlucky deflection that allowed Bologna to get back into the game at the end of the first half. Last year, he would have felt guilty, but now the story has changed and Kondogbia is no more the flop that people are ready to criticise at every mistake, the guy that has to justify his substantial fee every time he takes to the field.


 

The young Frenchman could now be an integral part of the club’s future with new owners Suning trying to build a team of top-class young talent as they plan long-term. Now the average age of the team is 25 and three seasons ago they were the oldest squad in Serie A.

A new era is starting at Inter and Kondobgia is now doing everything to fit into their blueprint. If the Nerazzurri can finally welcome him in their team after fifteen months, they have to thank Pioli, their new master and the man who may have found the missing ingredient to make Inter great again.



Francesca Ceciarini