By Aaron West

At the end of the transfer window, it seemed as if Inter Milan had finally found the missing piece of their nearly complete puzzle; a genuine creative force similar to those present in the Special One’s teams of the past. Wesley Sneijder’s signing was hailed as the answer to Inter’s creative problems going forward. However, it would appear that despite Sneijder’s obvious qualities, he is not the type of player to help Inter bridge the gap to greatness, especially in Europe.

With FC Porto, Mourinho could count on Brazilian born midfield genius Deco to conjure up a bit of much-needed magic. With Chelsea, Mourinho relied on the likes of Arjen Robben, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba to wriggle, blast or power through obstinate sides.

Unlike Mourinho's previous successes, this workmanlike Inter squad is built around graft and determination rather than craft and flair. With his most recent charges at Inter Milan, it would appear that Mourinho is missing enough of that sort of creative influence. As Sneijder’s recent exploits against Udinese proved, he is a class player. However, it is my opinion that he lacks the creative qualities, and indeed the mindset required by Inter to drive them to the heights expected by Massimo Moratti and the Nerazzuri tifosi.

Although Sneijder is a phenomenal passer of the ball and a fearsome deadball threat, he is more of a withdrawn midfielder dedicated to keeping possession; something of what has become Xavi Hernández’s trademark at Barcelona. While he is more than capable of playing an exquisite final ball or chipping in with his fair share of goals, he is not the player to shoulder the creative responsibility in this manner.

Simply put, while Sneijder is a great midfielder, he’s not the complete answer to their problems. If paired with another relatively offensive-minded midfielder as Deco was at Porto with Maniche, at Barcelona with Xavi and Ronaldinho, as well as with Frank Lampard at Chelsea (though with lesser success), the little Dutchman could flourish. However, with the workmanlike partners of Thiago Motta, Esteban Cambiasso and Sulley Ali Muntari to support him, his burden will be too much to bear in tougher tests than Serie A.