Inter Milan manager Andrea Stramaccioni wasted no time making a mark in his first full season in charge at the San Siro.
Rodrigo Palacio, Antonio Cassano and Samir Handanovic were among a host of summer signings as Inter's squad was given a complete overhaul.
Strong away form allowed Inter to make a much-improved start to the Serie A campaign, with the return of Champions League football a possibility for the Blue and Black half of Milan.
Here, Sports Mole analyses the first five months of the season for a new-look Inter side.
August
Inter opened their campaign with an impressive 3-0 win at Pescara as Wesley Sneijder and Diego Milito got on the scoresheet.
Safe passage to the Europa League group stages was also secured thanks to a 4-2 aggregate victory over FC Vaslui.
September
Three wins and two defeats saw Inter suffer an inconsistent September, lurching from sublime to the ridiculous.
Zdenek Zeman's attacking brand of football proved too much as Roma ran out 3-1 winners at the San Siro to shatter hopes of a prolonged unbeaten start.
Inter recovered to beat Torino 2-0 as Cassano netted his first goal for the club.
Three days later they were held by Rubin Kazan in the Europa League before being stunned 2-0 by Siena to slip to successive home league defeats.
A welcome return to the road saw Inter maintain their strong away form with a comfortable win at Chievo.
A first home win of the season finally arrived at the end of the month as Fiorentina fell thanks to goals from Milito and Cassano.
Ocotber
Six successive wins saw the Nerazurri enjoy an unbeaten October and establish their credentials as title contenders both at home and in Europe.
A fierce Milan derby was settled by Walter Samuel after four minutes, with Stramaccioni taking the plaudits of a frenzied Inter faithful in memorable post-match scenes.
Victories against Partizan and Catania followed before a 3-1 success at Bologna was capped by a strike from Esteban Cambiasso.
Three days later a strike 10 minutes from time by Freddy Guarin saw Inter edge Sampdoria in a 3-2 thriller.
November
Reigning champions Juventus were dismissed 3-1 in a win which signalled Inter's return to Serie A's elite in a fine away display. Milito scored a brace before Palacio wrapped up three vital points in stoppage time.
Palacio scored a double of his own five days later against Partizan to all but secure a place in the Europa League last 32.
Atalanta put a dent in Strama's title plans as Inter were edged 3-2 to end a run of 10 games unbeaten.
Dropped points at the San Siro stayed an early-season theme as Inter drew 2-2 with Cagliari before losing ending November with a disappointing defeat at Parma.
December
A mixed run of December form saw Inter head into the winter break among the chasing pack waiting to seize on any dip by runaway leaders Juventus.
A narrow win over Palermo was followed up by a big result against Napoli in a top-of-the-table clash at the San Siro. Guarin and Milito built an early lead, which Inter clung onto in the closing stages after Edison Cavani reduced the deficit.
Cup progress was secured before Christmas as Inter saw off Verona to book a place in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals.
Miroslav Klose brought Inter's run to a halt at the Olimpico before Cambiasso salvaged a point at home to Genoa in Inter's final match of 2012.
Liam Power
