1 week ago
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AC Milan have four league games before the derby against Inter in early March, and their mission is simple: to cut the gap.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) report, Inter currently have an eight-point lead over Milan but they have played one game more. The numbers will only balance out (more or less) after Milan-Como next Wednesday.
Inter will still play more games than the Rossoneri, given their Champions League play-off commitments, which will take the Nerazzurri first to Bodo, beyond the Arctic Circle, and then to San Siro for the return leg.
These are international fixtures that Milan wants to put back on the calendar as early as next season. In the meantime, resting between weekends could allow them to attempt to climb the Serie A table with lighter muscles.
Massimiliano Allegri and his team must resume their climb tomorrow in Pisa and then continue their push for the top spot. The goal is to close the gap on Inter by taking care of their own business, and seeing how things are on the second weekend in March.
One game at a time
Without thinking too far ahead, Milan must first beat Pisa in their third consecutive away game in the series. Only then can they take advantage of the schedule that features both Inter-Juve and Napoli-Roma.
There are head-to-head matches to follow on TV: the game at San Siro kicks off on Saturday evening, when the Rossoneri’s result in Tuscany will be known 24 hours earlier. If Allegri is five points behind on Friday, he can hope for a draw in the Derby d’Italia.
Napoli and Roma will also take points from each other, another advantage in the Champions League race. The starting point remains the same: Milan must add three points to their standings before looking at the other positions, and that’s certainly not a given.
Pisa are one of the lesser teams that has proven to be a real threat. In the first leg, the Rossoneri only got a draw in the final seconds. This is an example of the slow pace against lower-ranked teams that needs to be corrected in the decisive phase of the season.
The strategy
The gap could be closed further soon. On Wednesday the 18th, while Inter will be seeking glory in Norway, Milan will play rescheduled league match against Como, which was postponed last weekend due to Olympic commitments at the San Siro.
This direct clash for the Champions League could reopen the door to the Scudetto, which has been deliberately kept closed until now. The usual basic premise: Milan must continue to climb the rankings, in this case leaving Cesc Fabregas’ side further and further behind.
This is by no means an easy task, as the first leg demonstrated: Allegri countered Como’s virtuosity with great pragmatism, and the strategy proved successful. Como are still a very dangerous side though, as they showed by knocking Napoli out of the Coppa Italia.
Before the March derby, Milan have two more theoretically easy matches: Parma at home and Cremonese away. The reality proved different in the first two meetings: the former came from 2-0 down to get a draw, while the latter are so far the only blemish on the Diavolo’s record.
Objective: Europe
There are four games until the derby therefore, equally split between home and away. None of the other major European leagues currently sees two teams from the same city between first and second place.
LaLiga is close between the powerhouses Barcelona and Real Madrid, the Premier League between London (Arsenal) and Manchester (City), the Bundesliga between Bayern Munich and Dortmund, and Ligue 1 between the usual PSG and Lens.
It will be Milan’s ‘home’ game on March 8, and the recent derby record is now favourable. Pulisic scored in the first leg, 0-1. The February 2022 derby, with Olivier Giroud’s decisive brace against Simone Inzaghi’s Inter, launched the Scudetto comeback.
The Rossoneri are actually six unbeaten against their city rivals. Allegri, however, remains of a different opinion, or almost: “The objective is to return to the top four.”
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