3 hours ago
23
Fabio Capello has offered a preview of the upcoming derby between Inter and AC Milan, revealing his hopes that it is an entertaining spectacle.
The two Milanese teams will contest the first Derby della Madonnina 10 days from now on November 23rd. It may only be early in the season with less than one-third of the games gone, but there is already the feeling of it being a six-pointer, with the two sides of the city separated by two points.
Inter have conceded 12 goals so far, Milan nine. The Nerazzurri are decidedly more attack-oriented, while the Rossoneri have been very well protected in their bunkers up to a certain point, and then some alarming creaks came against lesser sides.
The Nerazzurri are currently top of the pile but Massimiliano Allegri’s men have been good in the direct clashes so far, and can overtake their cousins one week from Sunday. Capello spoke to La Gazzetta dello Sport and in his interview published this morning he analysed the upcoming derby.
Let’s start with the strengths…
“Inter score a lot, but they also concede a lot. Acerbi gives good direction, I like Akanji because he has personality and is good with the ball at his feet. Bastoni is also good with his feet, but a little less so when he has to mark: sometimes he loses his man, he’s more effective in the attacking phase.
“And then Inter have great strengths on both flanks, they make excellent changes of play, Milan will have to be careful about this. As for the Rossoneri, I like Pavlovic, even if he sometimes loses his man in the box. He and Tomori are still key players.
“I’d call it a good defence, but it needs a good filter. The real strength of the defence is… the midfield, when everything works and all the starters are present, obviously: Modric and Rabiot are two great filters, both have quality, and Rabiot also has strength. I see Bartesaghi doing well, too, I’d give him my trust.”
The weak points?
“Concentration in the box on crosses applies to both. They lose their man in that area. Milan also have some specific problems on the left, and even Saelemaekers loses his man at times. Gabbia does his part, but as a central defender directing the defence, something more is needed.”
What are the most delicate areas for the two defences?
“Milan have Pulisic, who gets in well, with quality, and plays between the lines. Inter relies heavily on their wingers, while Milan moves more centrally. Milan, with three at the back, play zonal marking. Inter have been doing a bit more man-marking lately. We’ll see if there will be any special marking.”
In terms of the three-man back line, which one do you see as more reliable on paper?
“Inter are the best for timing. All three are better with the ball than Milan because they can build from the back.”
Milan don’t have a true centre-forward and on the other side there’s Acerbi, someone who thrives against No.9s, could that be a problem?
“When an opponent has the ball, Acerbi will charge at him, maybe foul him, but he can’t chase down players like Leao and Pulisic. So we’ll need to be extremely careful in preventive marking.”
Overall, however, Inter still have lapses in concentration at the back…
“They have moments when they fall asleep and revel in the game and the advantage. Something Chivu knows very well.”
Chivu is also satisfied with having moved the line hgher…
“He realises that it has benefits, so he knows that the ideas have been absorbed and not ‘contested’.”
It’s an Inter that are more foul-prone than Inzaghi’s.
“When you play further ahead, you are forced to stop the game early if you don’t want to find yourself in serious difficulty…”
Allegri, on the other hand, is philosophically focused on staying deep and preferring to attack. But isn’t it risky to sit too deep against an attacking force like Inter?
“He doesn’t follow those who talk about modern and ‘different’ football. His intelligence lies in making the team play according to the players he has. Those who copy systems without having the players will fail.”
Milan, defensively speaking, started well but lately they’ve been losing their way. What is the explanation?
“The midfield filter is missing. Ricci did his part, but Rabiot isn’t the one defending and playing the ball over. Fofana also had some lapses, even though he’s become very good at getting into the box. It’s just that his aim… But that’s another story.”
The Rossoneri also have a very small squad, which in certain situations is a limitation…
“Yes, but given the small roster, I’d say it’s better if everyone does a little more.”
Is Allegri right when he says that the Scudetto comes when you concede no more than 25 goals?
“You can concede even more, but you also have to score many more than usual. Milan conceded nine, but of those nine, six came against Cremonese, Pisa, and Parma.
“If you conceded one, in theory it was already too much…. At certain moments, I repeat, the filter was missing, then I saw significant lapses in concentration and superficial play.”
Modric, however, is also amazing when not in possession…
“He’s incredibly intelligent; he senses the game’s development beforehand and can therefore get there early. Italian football is so slow that by the time he passes the ball, he’s already read the book and closed it. The only problem for the Croatian could be Inter’s changes of direction, which can get him out of the way.”
But do you think it will be a good derby?
“I just know I want to see entertaining attacks.”
English (US) ·