Unpacking The Milan Derby

Serie A had an exciting time this past weekend. Fiorentina managed to flip from atrocious attrition into smooth ruthlessness. Teacher’s pets Sassuolo dirtied their report card yet again by letting another two goal lead slip. Joe Hart’s Torino™ (and Andrea Belotti in particular) continue to raise expectations purely so they can shoot them down a week later.

Juventus managed to extend their lead to seven points. but lost another striker in the process, Gonzalo Higuain now out and set to miss important games. But, truth be told, everyone’s attention was always in Milan.

The Derby della Madonnina. The battle of the San Siro. Look anywhere else in the world and there’s few more star-studded, historically rich showdowns between genuine global superstars. At least, that used to be the case. These days, the gleam has come off the fixture ever so slightly. Inter, as has been extensively detailed on this website and elsewhere, continue to enthusiastically shoot themselves in the foot.

Milan, like their inevitably-erstwhile owner’s political career, remain a big name without much clout. Both sides are staggering, losing their relevance on the world stage. But Sunday’s match was still incredibly exciting.

Now, an exciting ninety minutes of football is all well and good, but with the dust settled, what have we really learned from the match? This was the first time Pioli has faced a proper challenge after being crowbarred into his firefighting role. Likewise, this Milan side have been growing into the season.

A watershed moment against Juventus was followed up with an immediate loss against a mid-table side. This was a chance for either side to issue a statement, to announce themselves amid the faltering teams expected to top the table.

Juventus, already, seem to be too far ahead. But behind them is a vacuum. Roma lost to Atalanta this weekend. Napoli have not only had to deal with the loss of Higuain, but the subsequent injury to Milik which threw them off-kilter. Torino are riding an enthusiastic wave, Lazio are quietly creeping up the table, and Fiorentina are a mystery even unto themselves.

If ever there was a year that either Milan side could make a run on the Champions League spots, this is it. So, we ask, what have we learned? Is either side well placed to mount such a challenge?

Picking out the pieces of the Milan Derby is tough. Really, the two sides are operating at opposite ends of the footballing spectrum. Inter seem content to pump money into the club while Milan are reliant on cheap acquisitions and the bountiful joys of youth. Inter are struggling to settle on a manager while Milan are more than happy with Montella’s gradual process.

Inter are under-performing, Milan are over-performing. But, as is the way with footballing cliché, all such matters are thrown out of the window on derby day.

To borrow a term from the world of sports entertainment, Sunday’s game was a real slobber knocker. One time Liverpool wonder kid Suso opened the scoring just before the half time break. Stefano Pioli’s former Lazio ally/nemesis Antonio Candreva scored a screamer to equalise. Barely five minutes later, Suso scored again to edge Milan back in front.

Inter huffed and puffed but failed to blow the house down. It was starting to look like a memorable victory for Milan and Montella’s young lads, right before Ivan Perisic found space deep into injury time, bundling home from a corner. The derby ended 2-2.

But just as we’ve blown up the balloon of expectation, we must suddenly deflate it with the pinprick of reality. That late goal changed everything. Milan are the settled side. It would be easy to anoint them as not only the winners of the derby, but as the side most suited to snatch second. But then Perisic happened.

The goal exposed the major flaw in Milan to a large extent. It wasn’t just a defensive error, but a reflection of the fact that this team is still young, still learning. Even the first Inter goal came when several of the Milan players were busy arguing with the referee. In time, the required discipline and focus will arrive, but Milan’s youthful vivacity is both their major strength and their major weakness.

For Inter, it is a similar story. Their primary strength is their players. On paper, in a many positions, Inter have the personnel to measure up to anyone. But it is not a shrewdly assembled squad. Despite spending hundreds of millions of euros, Inter looked lost without the calming influence/barely contained violence of Gary Medel. After the aging Chilean went off injured, Pioli’s side struggled to impose themselves on the game.

They should not be this dependant on an old, make shift centre-back. They might have the players, but trying to find a plan to bring the best out of them is the major issue facing the manager. Well, that and all the others.

Maybe the biggest questions came from off-the-pitch antics. When questioned, for example, Silvio Berlusconi left reporters unsure as to whether he would remain on as Milan’s chairman following the proposed Chinese takeover. The match might have been a fine swansong for the maligned former-despot, but Perisic’s goal changed that.

Before the game, Suso had confidently stated that — if he scored two goals — he would be happy to walk home. At full time, he revealed that this would only have been the case if Milan had won. The late goal denied another story.

One of the biggest questions related to the kits. How could the Italian football authorities allow both sides, whose strips feature thick black lines, to line up in their home shirts? The late goal meant that few people mentioned it the next day.

Perhaps the sheer range of questions which remain unanswered after the game can provide all of the answers we really need. For those questioning whether either side has the mettle to mount a serious challenge for the top spots, such a result reveals the huge flaws that Milan and Inter will both have to overcome. A resounding win, a lucky victory, or a fluke triumph might have painted over the cracks and hidden such flaws for the time being.

For now, however, we are exposed to the raw reality of the situation. For both of these teams, the real questions remain unanswered. The real problems still persist. The first side to successfully address these issues will likely be well placed to bring even the smallest amount of glory back to Milan.