AC Milan beat their city rivals Inter in the Derby della Madonnina which means the two clubs now sit fifth and sixth with the same amount of points and games played.
The win is huge for several other reasons too. For example, Milan had lost the last six derbies and because of the win Paulo Fonseca will probably keep his job, for now at least, following a dreadful defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League, which left him in a very tough situation meaning the derby was a must-win.
Inter were then allowed a bit more space and the Diavolo were comfortable defending, perhaps too comfortable, though, and in the 27th minute, the hosts got their equaliser.
This is where the game flipped, as the Nerazzurri became the more lively team of the two in the following half an hour. However, Milan raised the intensity in the final third of the game and started creating some good chances all of which were denied by Yann Sommer who had a brilliant game.
Nevertheless, the Swiss international was helpless in the 89th minute when Matteo Gabbia showed some great aerial strength, heading the ball into the back of the net and giving Milan the lead, and above everything, a massive win.
One would hope this becomes a turning point for the Rossoneri as it was definitely their best game of the season so far.
Things started well for the Rossoneri, playing with good intensity and it was rewarded in the 10th minute when they took the lead after a brilliant individual moment courtesy of Christian Pulisic. After dribbling past several players he slotted the ball into the back of the net.
We did see a bit of Fonseca’s vision during pre-season but since the beginning of the season, his ideas had faded slightly. When better to bring them back to life than the Derby della Madonnina?
The coach switched to a 4-2-4 – which sounds quite aggressive, and in fairness, it was when the team pressed high – but when on the ball, Alvaro Morata played like a second striker dropping deeper to connect with the midfield and drive the ball forward.
Youssouf Fofana and Tijjani Reijnders were the two in the middle. The Frenchman doing the dirty work allowed the Dutchman to be the creative force and this played out perfectly as Reijnders was one of the best on the pitch, and was constantly causing trouble for the opposition.
At the back, we finally saw stability, despite the conceded goal, and the decision to replace Strahinja Pavlovic with Gabbia proved crucial as the Italian scored the winner. He also played a very solid game defensively.
Lastly, we could argue that Rafael Leao was isolated amidst all the positives, but we did see him get more involved in the second half. Furthermore, we need to take into account the class of the opponent, so we can’t expect everybody to have an outstanding game.
Looking forward, Fonseca is now tasked to build on this and he should maybe stick with this formation for a while since it worked wonders.
2. Man of The Match performance.
Gabbia was given the chance to start replacing Pavlovic in the Starting XI and he produced a masterclass of a performance, winning our MOTM in our post-game ratings. The Italian has had many ups and downs in the last couple of seasons, and even when he played well for a continued period he ended up on the bench for unknown reasons.
Against Inter though, Gabbia proved a point as he played fantastically at the back, both in the build-up phase, where he was composed, and in defending, where he made some very crucial interceptions and tackles.
To top it off, he went on to score a brilliant header and with a performance like this he should be guaranteed more playing time.
. An engine in the middle of the park
Whilst Pulisic and Gabbia picked up the goals, Reijnders was the engine of this side, and he bossed the midfield for the majority of the game. He had multiple successful dribbles as he seemed to be able to dribble past players easily, but also provided the midfield with a cool head.
The Dutchman knew exactly when to pick up the pace or go for a forward pass. In addition to the lovely cross for Gabbia’s goal, he should’ve probably picked up another assist after a brilliant through ball to Tammy Abraham, but the Englishman failed to convert.
Tijjani also worked hard in the defensive phase, and it was a masterpiece performance. We saw everything from defending to great vision, passing and dribbling.
Mixed performance by the front four.
There are some critical points to go around too, unfortunately.
For one, Leao struggled to get on the ball throughout the first half and at times in the second half. The Portuguese winger didn’t really involve himself in the game, which is more worrying really as he should be able to move around and pick up the ball rather than waiting for it.
In all fairness that could be down to the coach’s tactics, but it’s not the first time we’ve seen this either. When he did get on the ball more in the second half, he showed a lack of urgency and then failed to make more of a few good opportunities he had. Not a great game by the number 10.
In contrast, Pulisic managed to pick up a great solo goal – his 31st contribution since joining the club – in the first half and combined well with both Tammy and Morata on several occasions. However, he then faded a bit in the second half when Milan shifted to the left, but the American continued to work hard in both phases of the game which was important for the result.
Finally, we have Abraham and Morata, who were great when pressing up front – both were very lively and showed great work rates. The Spaniard also followed Fonseca’s instructions well, dropping deeper to help in transitions, picking up the ball on a few occasions and driving it forward.
Tammy also had a good game, and the only thing that hurt his overall performance was the miss towards the end. It really should’ve been a goal really as he was left 1v1 with Sommer, but the overall performance was very positive against an Inter side that are known to be very good at the back.
5. Improved but not optimal
Emerson Royal and Fofana were the players other than Leao who were probably not at their best.
The Brazilian had a fairly decent game, to be honest. He was solid and the back, and had a couple of good moments going forward. However, he is slightly to blame for Inter’s goal as he left Dimarco to try and close Lautaro, which was probably not needed.
Emerson Royal and Fofana were the players other than Leao who were probably not at their best.
The Brazilian had a fairly decent game, to be honest. He was solid and the back, and had a couple of good moments going forward. However, he is slightly to blame for Inter’s goal as he left Dimarco to try and close Lautaro, which was probably not needed.
The full blame shouldn’t go to him, though, as Fofana was nowhere to be found and he should’ve been the player to help steal the ball from Lautaro, but he was jogging back instead.
Overall, it was bad from both of them for the goal. Aside from that, they both had decent enough performances after that to help Milan win the game. Certainly a night to build on for both new signings, though.
