With the Rossoneri plastering red and black all over Milano, what was the key to their success? Consistency and unity says George Rinaldi.
First of all, welcome back to another AC Milan Club Focus courtesy of Forza Italian Football! It brings me great joy to detail a wonderful Sunday night fixture that saw the Derby della Madonnina greet us with open arms. Predictions had been made, with many 0-0 and 1-0’s around various sources, leaving everyone with the expectation of a feisty affair lacking in the goals department. The previous seven fixtures between the two opponents has tossed up just nine goals, with only May 2012 seeing both teams find the score-sheet in a 4-2 win in favour of Inter.
But this derby had it all. A tasty amount of goals were scored, coaches were sent to the stands and penalty kicks were missed. Italian football put on a show for the world to see, leaving each individual open-mouthed until the curtain closed. Well, maybe all bar the Interisti.
It looked as though the pattern of the game was going to see Inter attack the most with the majority of the possession, leaving Sinisa Mihajlovic’s side to counter when they saw best. In fact, the tactics deployed against Fiorentina were expected to be in motion throughout this fixture.
Mihajlovic altered a few telling areas however. He kept the same formation, 4-4-2, that has served the Serbian well in the past few matches and finally pinpointing a structured and organised line-up has paid dividends. Juraj Kucka was brought in to replace Andrea Bertolacci, allowing a stronger presence in the centre against a side who have the likes of Gary Medel and Marcelo Brozovic bearing down on them.
The alteration was one that worked wonders, allowing the Slovakian to consistently and successfully engage with a number of powerful runs directly through the middle. It caught Roberto Mancini’s team by surprise, something that wasn’t even nullified come the second period. Maybe the real shame here, and arguably the only negative, is that Kucka seems to lack the ability to get a shot on target, or as a matter of fact, shoot in general.
But it was the 28-year-old’s drive in the midfield that real set the tone for the rest of the game. Prior to his contribution, Juan Jesus had given Eder the perfect debut present, a cross right on his head, but the former Sampdoria man was unable to direct it on target.
This draws onto the argument of Milan’s unity posed above. The back-line of the Rossoneri has been met with a lot of hostility during this season, ever since Rodrigo Ely was dismissed early on in the campaign along with Cristian Zapata’s inability to defend. However, more recently the back four have remained the same quartet as before, giving a perfect balance of power (Alex) and drive (Romagnoli).
It may appear clichéd to state the following, but having that mixture, or balance as you will, of a hard-hitting older head in the Brazilian next to a younger but hungrier Italian, the results tell the story.
Despite the 2-2 draw with Empoli, the two aforementioned players have only conceded more than one goal in one other match out of the past 11 games (4-2 victory over Frosinone). Results where they have conceded absurd amounts, such as against Napoli (4-0) consisted of just one player in the back-line from the recently consistent defence: Luca Antonelli.
Having the same old defence playing week in week out has been of the utmost value to Milan. Yes, Alex can have his wayward moments, slicing a clearance on Sunday and hacking down Mauro Icardi as prime examples, but so can everyone. The two centre-backs work well with one another and it is something the Milanisti will be joyous about.
It was the four valiant and resolute players that really set the tone for the derby. Eder was virtually unheard of, albeit a few nippy runs as the game progressed, but Antonelli dealt with his leggy runs along with Adem Ljajic impressively.
Romagnoli may not be the fastest defender on the planet, but he certainly earned his place on the field today, playing for the name on the front of the shirt and not the back. With Romagnoli learning the tricks of the trade from Alex, aside from the karate-kick foul in the box, the youngster has all the attributes to grow into a Milan favourite.
Of course, to finish up on a wonderful night of football, plaudits must be given to Carlos Bacca. It wasn’t his most influential game, somewhat lurking in the shadows at points, but when the chance fell to his feet he took it.
Grazie Carlos and grazie Mihajlovic. It may not be a Scudetto or even a European qualification deciding victory, but for at least the rest of the season Milano is red and black.
