GdS: ‘A lot at stake’ – why Inter vs. Milan already has a strong Scudetto flavour

There is a lot on the line in the first Milan derby of the season, but that in itself is something that should be celebrated.

La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) speaks about the essence of tonight’s derby with a simple phrase: whoever wins takes the city. Inter can extend their lead to five points over Milan, the Rossoneri can overtake them by a point. But there’s much more at stake than the Navigli.

Is it too early to talk about the Scudetto? No. It’s too early to say who will win it, but, given the 11 games played and the stumbling blocks of the competition (Juve, Napoli and Roma faltering so far), we can already say that these two teams will most likely race to the finish for the title.

So, yes, this is a Scudetto derby. Milan have suffered a couple of negative draws (Pisa, Parma), but their last defeat dates back to August 23rd (Cremonese), which means one loss in 13 games played. Inter have won 11 of their last 12 games in all competitions.

The derby is a collision between two competing planets, each aiming for the top spot in the table. Milan are aiming to build on last season’s five derbies without defeat, while Inter are aiming to start a streak like the previous six (all won).

Massimiliano Allegri’s men have already defeated Napoli and Roma, while Inter lost to Juve and Napoli, so the Rossoneri are more consistent in head-to-head matches. The derby will have to confirm or reset this notion.

The coaches

Cristian Chivu wants to give Inter fans ‘a Monday without teasing’, while Allegri wants to his fans ‘a week of serenity’, so their goals are the same. They’re also comparable in their ability to give their respective teams a solid identity in a short time, even if they have different principles.

There’s already a Milan under Allegri and an Inter under Chivu, both unrecognisable from their previous models. It’s more understandable for Max, given his experience and charisma; more surprising for the debutant Cristian, who has impressed with the certainty of his ideas and choices.

Forgoing his training camp at the first derby is no small feat. He explains: ‘Anxiety is a lie, you shouldn’t listen to it’. The Romanian strikes with profound concepts, he’s always talking about smiling and putting a positive spin on things.

The two coaches obviously differ tactically. Allegri isn’t ashamed to sit deep and defend, then striking at the other end. Chivu has raised Simone Inzaghi’s pressing line and streamlined the vertical movement of the ball, without sacrificing their ability to pass the ball.

Max will have studied how to best evade the Nerazzurri’s piranhas, aided by Maestro Modric, to unleash his deep-lying attackers. Cristian will have mastered the preventive tracking back, a necessary condition for successfully exploiting the attacking pressure.

It won’t be enough for him to simply focus on the usual suspects, because Allegri also frequently releases Strahinja Pavlovic, one of the Milan players who has clocked up the most kilometres in dribbling.

The stars

Given the magnitude of the game, it’s easy to see the stars on the derby posters. Calhanoglu-Modric is a summit of brains and orchestration of the game, with echoes of Rivera-Suarez from back in the 1960s. The Turkey international is the top scorer (5 goals), and will go with Lautaro to press the Croatian to disrupt the Rossoneri’s circulation.

Adrien Rabiot’s return after more than a month is a blessing for Allegri, who has Milan on his back. Not just a galloper, he’s also one of the best at attacking without the ball and recovering it. “The first derby will be electrifying,” Adrien prophesied during the week. His plan is to make it coincide with his first goal as a Milan player.

Christian Pulisic scored twice in last season’s derbies. He has the pace and the agility to snake in short spaces that the heavy Nerazzurri defence can struggle with. Rafael Leao showed what he can do in the Supercoppa last January, and has been involved in seven goals versus Inter: three goals and four assists.

The boost for Chivu is the return of Marcus Thuram as a starter after 57 days. The Biscione hope for him in the version of the first derby (16 September 2023) when he fired a screamer into the top corner in a 5-1 win.

Unlike Milan, Inter will have a real centre-forward in the heart of the area, ready to create spaces and link up. Lautaro (nine goals in derbies) is looking for double figures which would put him behind only Nyers (11) and Meazza (12).