People
are still talking about the closing of the sale of Milan, as well they should
be. Particularly since we are getting our first look at the new management
today with the big press conference. But like the evil, all-knowing eye of
Sauron, my focus has turned completely to the Derby. Because, hello? It’s the
Derby. And not just any Derby. One that will likely matter if one team gets a
Europa League spot or not. One that finds both teams on the opposite ends of
the spectrum when it comes to both their quality of players and their form. A
tale of the lowly Biscione, or
serpents, and the mighty (if a bit downtrodden) Diavoli, or devils. The Derby is always a tasty treat, but this one
is shaping up to be spectacular.
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| Artwork from the wall in the tunnels of San Siro shows how the story is supposed to end |
Inter
have spent the week in ritiro because
of their recent form. After destroying Cagliari 5-1 and Atalanta 7-1, they drew
2-2 at Torino, lost 2-1 to Sampdoria at home, then lost 2-1 away to Crotone
last week. Personally, I don’t see the problem. Seems like they are in perfect
form these past two games. But I also thought De Boer was doing the perfect job
with them earlier this season. Whatever.
Ritiro is like getting detention at
school… if that detention means you have to stay overnight with your teammates
all week & not see your family. It’s used mostly in Italy when coaches
don’t know what else to do. And Pioli certainly doesn’t know what to do. He’s
got all the players. They’ve shown that they can win. So how do they lose 2-1
to Crotone? What Pioli failed to realize when he took the job is that Inter
only really succeed when wiretapping
and creating scandals to tear down their rivals. So I’m not sure his
little ritiro slumber party is going
to work.
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| I would be absolutely fine with this score again. |
For their
delicious loss to Crotone, Pioli lined up Handanovic; Medel, Miranda, Murillo,
Kondogbia, Banega, Ansaldi, D’Ambrosio, Icardi, Perisic, and Candreva. It looks
like he is only missing Gagliardini to injury, so he really has no excuses.
Personally, I don’t care who he lines up to face us, as long as they all have
the same mentality or worse than they did in their losses to Samp and Crotone.
Montella
has a very different climate coming into this match, as the sale of Milan
finally happened on Thursday. Whether that is a distraction to the team or
whether it is a massive boost in morale is up to Montella. I suspect it will be
the latter, particularly after Milan shook off their little slump with a
convincing 4-0 win against Palermo on Sunday. Plus the mentality has really
been Montella’s thing this year, especially shielding the team from off the
pitch distractions.
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| Don't mind re-creating this image, either. |
For the
Derby, Montella will unfortunately be missing Pasalic to suspension. Also out to
injury still are Abate, Bertolacci, Bonaventura, and Montolivo. The latter will
actually play with the Primavera, as he is just approaching match fitness.
Which is another plus for Milan in the Derby. Yet another advantage is that we
got Suso back from injury last week. Not only was he the MOTM on Sunday against
Palermo, but if you’ll recall, it was his brace in November that gave Milan
the 2-2 in that Derby. Hoping he’ll be fired up and on target yet again.
This
match is perhaps the most important match for both teams this season, at least
so far. Like when you shake a soda can and the pressure created makes it ready
to explode, this match is likely to see a similar effect. Even if it’s
frustrating for much of the match, at some point, look for it to explode. And
hopefully explode past Handanovic. This isn’t just a familial rivalry. It’s not
about two now Chinese-owned teams facing off. Nor is it just a potentially
decisive match for a possible Europa League spot. This is about justice, about
heart, and about triumph. All of which I hope belong to Milan at the final
whistle. Because when we speak of serpents and devils, ideally the devils
always come out on top.
This match inspired
by the music of INXS’ “The Devil Inside”
il Derby della
Madonnina
Inter vs. Milan
Saturday, April 15 •
12:30 CST (6:30 EDT)
This match will be
shown on RAI and BeIN Sports in the U.S.
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