Milan Derby The Derby della Madonnina is always one of the most anticipated matches of the season in Italy. While domestic matches between top sides are usually boring, with each team not wanting to sacrifice their defensive posture for gambles in attack, the Milan derby rarely ever disappoints.
Take this corresponding fixture from last May, for example. Milan came out knowing that nothing less than a victory would do, as they were battling with Fiorentina for that fourth place in the standings that brings with it Champions League football and the huge financial windfall (which they ultimately did not obtain).
Inter, on the other hand, were close to securing the Scudetto for the third consecutive time. Amazingly, however, manager Roberto Mancini decided not to field his strongest first-eleven. It didn’t really make any sense at all, given that they had already been eliminated from the Champions League and had no obvious reason to rest players. If anything, it was intended as a slight toward Milan, with Mancini showing that he believed he could beat Milan without having to use all of his best players.
He was sorely mistaken. Milan came out with all guns blazing, and won the match 2-1. Kakà was his usual brilliant self, and Filippo Inzaghi tormented the Inter backline. Nevertheless, Inter still made it a good game.
When all was said and done on the season, Inter did manage to capture the title on the final day.
Taking It One Game At A Time
Milan have now built upon the 4-1 demolition of Lazio last Sunday, which was their first win of the season. On Wednesday, they got an important three points on the road by defeating Reggina by a score of 2-1.
Two-straight wins has removed all the pressure off of Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti’s shoulders, after it seemed to be only a matter of time before he would be sacked. Now, Milan are playing with confidence and are sure of what they must do, yet they are not overeager toward their cause. This has been voiced this week by none other than club captain Paolo Maldini:
“This derby is not a decisive game. It's an important game but being at the beginning of the season, it doesn't matter if it goes wrong because there is still plenty of time to recover. The league always brings apprehension but we want to try and change things for the better.”
Clearly, the mood of the club is relaxed at the moment, and they are not getting ahead of themselves as to what a win or loss in this match would mean. Even manager Ancelotti has spoken in an unenthusiastic tone of this fixture, saying that he gave more thought to his side’s recent encounter versus Lazio.
Whether or not this attitude backfires on the Rossoneri remains to be seen, but you can bet that pre-game butterflies will not be rampant in the dressing room.
Making a Statement
While Milan are relaxed in the lead-up to this match, Inter seem to be a bit more determined, and well they should be. Despite winning on Wednesday at home against Lecce, their performance was quite unconvincing, as the match ended at 1-0.
Inter struggled to break down Lecce, and were only saved embarrassment by the efforts of Julio Cruz, who came on as a substitute and scored with ten minutes remaining.
Although they disappointed on the opening day 1-1 away draw to Sampdoria and the narrow 2-1 home victory over Catania (in which they got two own goals), it was enough to see them reach first place in the standings. Coming into this match, the side is confident of their abilities. Central midfielder Patrick Vieira said:
“We are much stronger than Milan and we are in a moment where we are winning our games by playing well. I am happy with the way things are going and I am hoping it continues that way.”
While Vieira’s comments about playing well may be a bit misleading, it shows that Inter do feel that they have the upper hand heading into the derby. Whatever the case may be, they are the reigning champions, and it almost goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway) that it’s never easy to knock the champions off of their perch. Surely, winning this match would go a long way toward helping Inter to start playing better football.
You also have to factor in the affect that injuries have on the side. Players such as Luis Figo and Walter Samuel are not easy to replace, even when you have the bankroll of Massimo Moratti supporting you. Manager Jose Mourinho has brought in some star names this summer such as Ricardo Quaresma and Amantino Mancini, but neither of those players has a reputation as being very consistent in their performances.
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