Losing the derby and the Scudetto
Diego Milto is a relentless forward
INTER 4 MILAN 2
Milan have played several derbies for pride recently. But the “derby della madonnina” on Sunday night was a derby of gargantuan proportions. Pride and glory aside, several financial and managerial matters were at stake. A loss against Inter would win Juventus their first Scudetto since the Calciopoli. This game would ascertain a shift in power within Italy. What transpired revealed Rossoneri’s worst fears.
Andrea Stramaccioni fielded a 4-3-2-1 Christmas tree formation with Ricky Alvarez and Wesley Sneijder playing behind Diego Milito. Five midfielders numerically outnumber four midfielders, don’t they? That is essentially what happened. Inter dictated the proceedings in midfield, with Milan’s lone resilient force also being an Inter player, ironically. Inter exercised a great deal of energy closing down Milan’s players all over the pitch, choking Milan sufficiently to surrender possession. Failure in open play transcended into set-pieces as well. Milan’s centre backs entered snooze mode on the fourteenth minute. Their shambolic state of awareness created Inter’s opener. Amateurs would bury their heads in shame after conceding in similar fashion.
Milan defended very deep in the first half and refused to close Inter down. Inter’s players, Freddy Guarin and Sneijder in particular, unleashed venomous shots from distance, threatening Christian Abbiati repeatedly. Daniele Bonera, being played at left back in a game of this importance, hobbled off injured on the twenty second minute, to be replaced by Mattia Di Sciglio. Abbiati provided Milan with a fighting chance eleven minutes later. He produced a remarkable save from Esteban Cambiasso’s header of another set-piece. The save, mind-numbingly brilliant as it was, was the last piece of action Abbiati displayed, before limping off through injury. The stuttering Marco Amelia took his place between the sticks, occupying the second substitution within thirty five minutes of the match.
Surprisingly, the referee being entirely fed-up by the one-sidedness of the affair gifted Milan a penalty just before half time. Kevin-Prince Boateng’s miserable first touch took the ball away from him, which was then cleanly swept from beneath his feet by Julio Cesar. But, the referee thought otherwise. Zlatan Ibrahimovic stepped up, and tucked away a superbly executed penalty to level the scores. Both teams headed into the dressing room, knowing the game could swing either way, but also being aware of Inter’s dominant superiority.
Milan returned with a bang in the second half. Zlatan scored Milan’s second by taking the ball away from his markers with a splendid first touch, created the angle, and chipped Cesar. Robinho had let the ball run through his legs before Zlatan weaved his magic. The joy was short-lived, though. Ignazio Abate and his clumsy defending arrived at the party six minutes later. He pulled down Milito in the box for no apparent reason, presenting the forward with a chance to score his brace and draw the teams level. And Milito did.
Inter played with a great deal of urgency. They appeared hungrier to grab the coveted third spot, than Milan, who seemed resigned to lose the Scudetto. The game opened up in the second half, with neither team parking the bus, nor defending deep. Both sides played high-octane end-to-end football, with a strong semblance to the English game. Sulley Muntari played a stellar game in midfield. It remains unclear about who the hard-tackling midfielder was trying to impress, being owned by one club while playing for the other on loan.
Seventy five minutes had passed. Stramaccioni had already introduced Giampaolo Pazzini and Joel Obi in the second half, but Massimiliano Allegri retained his trump card, Antonio Cassano, on the sidelines. ‘Peter Pan’ finally made his appearance two minutes later, for Milan’s best player of the night, Muntari. Oddly, Inter struck next. Alessandro Nesta’s adventures inside the box continued, this time, with him handballing a shot. Milito bagged his hatrick with his second penalty. Then on, Milan began their free fall. Inter retained their control over the match, adding their fourth eight minutes later with Maicon, rubbing salt to Milan’s injury. Milan, in ninety minutes, had been humiliated in the derby, and conceded the Scudetto to Juventus.
Call it my bias or logical thinking, but starting three defensive midfielders and a forward destroyer in a must-win match makes absolutely no sense. Having decided to employ a banal, gritty midfield, starting Bonera at left-back, being fully aware of his limitedness in attack is confounding. Furthermore, waiting for seventy-five minutes to engage Milan’s most creative player is fool-hardy. One man is responsible for these decisions. I do not want to sound repetitive by mentioning his name again. But his incompetence and stubbornness have ultimately cost Milan the title and their dignity.
Line-up (4-3-1-2)
Christian Abbiati (GK)
Daniele Bonera (LB)
Mario Yepes (CB)
Alessandro Nesta (CB)
Ignazio Abate (RB)
Sulley Muntari (LCM)
Mark van Bommel (CDM)
Antonio Nocerino (RCM)
Kevin-Prince Boateng (CAM)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (ST)
Robinho (ST)
Substitutions
Di Sciglio for Bonera 22?
Amelia for Abbiati 35’
Cassano for Muntari 78’
Scorers
Inter – Milito 14’, pen 52’, pen 79’ Maicon 87’
Milan –Ibrahimovic pen 44’, 46’