After another disappointing season, Inter retained Giovanni Trapattoni and acquired German footballers: Brehme, a fullback, and Lothar Matthäus, a box-to-box midfielder, signed for the club. For the role of centre-forward, the first choice was Rabah Madjer: when he met physical issues, however, he was replaced by Ramón Díaz. The attacking couple, completed by Aldo Serena, proved to be very regular in scoring. The departure of Alessandro Altobelli was not critical, despite an early elimination from the Coppa Italia.