AC Milan vs Inter: Which Prince Will Leave As King?

Date: 15th January 2012 at 6:18am
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As we look forward to Week 18’s Derby della Madonnina between city rivals Internazionale and AC Milan the heat is certainly intensifying in the cauldron that is Serie A. Defending Champion’s Milan lead the table after a run of 12 consecutive unbeaten games, while Ranieri’s revival of Inter has seen them roar up the table to fifth on the back of five consecutive victories now only eight points off the leaders.

Enjoying their best run of form since the days of the Special One, Inter look a far cry from the disastrous side that started the season under Gasperini and languished in 17th after five games. As both sides enjoy excellent form in recent weeks a potential deciding factor, in this the 205th edition of the Milan derby, may well come in the form of a Prince! With El Principe Milito returning to the scoresheet over New Year and Kevin Prince in talismanic form since his return from injury, which Prince will reign supreme on Sunday evening?

The defining moment of Milan’s season so far came in Week 8; an early morning kick off at Lecce on the 23rd of October. The Rossoneri lay 13th in the table after a dreadful start to the defence of their Serie A crown and by half time in Lecce, things appeared to be getting a whole lot worse; 3-0 down to a Massimo Oddo led side, Mister Allegri’s Milan appeared a shadow of the side that had won the Scudetto the season previous. They struggled for inspiration and creativity, with Ibra, Binho and Cassano all flattering to deceive against a side who now sit rock bottom of the table. In the absence of Gattuso, still suffering from a rare eye condition, there was no driving force pushing Milan. Well, that was until half time when Milan’s returning Ghanaian Prince Boateng was unleashed to rally his subjects.

Within 18 minutes Kevin Prince had Milan level, literally bashing and smashing his way to a stunning hat-trick. The Prince had came to Lecce on the bench, saw his Milanese teammates being taken apart and decided it was time to return to battle and conquer Lecce by himself. Boateng was absolutely sensational on the day, taking on the roles of motivator, creator and scorer. “Our comeback was incredible. Also, for me it is a huge satisfaction and I am taking the match ball home as a trophy. I started on the bench because of a knee problem, but the coach decided to give me a chance”. K.P. changed the whole complex of the game as with his introduction Milan dominated the second half and scored a late winner through Yepes.

“A comeback win like this is very important. We got ourselves into a bit of a mess and we did little in the first half, we were too slow, although I had faith we could fight back. I’m happy for Boateng,” noted manager Allegri after the game. He realised that the win and Boateng’s contribution could provide the catalyst for improvement and a turnaround in Milan’s season. Allegri was spot on. Milan, with this win built on the previous week’s thrashing of Palermo to start a run of form that would see them lead the table on the back of ten wins and two draws. The Prince has since continued his scintillating form scoring seven goals in 15 appearances in all competitions to become one of the first names on Allegri’s teamsheet featuring as the crucial box to box midfielder in Allegri’s Milan.

His link up play resembles that of a Trequartista as he uses his subtle touch, and sublime skill to unlock defences and create for the Milan attack, however possibly even more importantly is his work ethic and brute strength. He is a real warrior on the pitch, resembling a Genghis Khan type royal, fighting alongside his fellow Milanese in search of nothing less than victory. Tireless worker, creative figure, and at times darn right inspirational, the dynamic midfielder will surely have a key role in deciding the derby come Sunday as he roars confident of leading his troops to a important victory at the battleground San Siro, “We are the strongest team and we want to take Inter out of the Scudetto equation”.

However, pre-Boateng’s oddly constructed move to Milan via Genoa there was only one Prince in Milan, Diego Milito. The crowning jewel in city rival’s Inter Milan’s Tripletta capturing side, the former Genoa hitman joined the Special One’s restructuring of Inter’s attack as the replacement for outgoing Ibrahimovic. Many questioned whether the then Prince of Genoa would be able to rise to the occasion and provide the leadership needed to steady Mourinho’s assault on the Champions League with Inter. Thirty-two goals later, a brace in the 2010 Champions League Final and helping the Nerazzurri become Serie A’s first ever Tripletta lifting side, few could question El Principe’s title as the Prince of Serie A.

Nevertheless, struggling for form and fitness throughout 2011 had seen Milito ravaged with criticism, written off as past it and unable to lead the Inter line anymore. Following recurring knee injuries and lengthy goal droughts the Argentine appeared to be losing his grip as Inter’s Prince, let alone Serie A’s. The former Capocannoniere’s year was typified by winning the Bidone d’Oro, Serie A’s award for the worst player for 2011 subsequent to the dip in form that seen him amass a mere 15 goals in 52 games since his Tripletta season. Still Milito finished off 2011 with a slight glimmer of hope going into 2012 by scoring, strangely enough, like Boateng, against Lecce in the final fixture of 2011. Few however tipped Milito’s contribution against Lecce to inspire a revival in his fortunes. Written off as the fallen Prince so many times in the last 12 months the Rocky Balboa lookalike certainly had a 2011 to forget about.

But with a New Year comes a new start, and that’s exactly what Milito has brought to 2012. Well more precisely a return to the back of the net! Like Balboa readying for his bout with Clubber Lang Milito changed his style in preparation for his battle with Serie 2012. Playing in an ever so slightly more withdrawn role against Parma in Week 17, Diego produced a wonderful performance reminiscent of his days under Mourinho, scoring two predatorily taken strikes; one an exquisite volley following world class movement and workrate to get in front of two Parma defenders at the front post, the second an instinctive header from a Maicon cross.

Milito added further to his performance with a brilliant assist for Pazzini as he ran onto a through ball, passed his marker with ease and slotted a daisycutter pass for Pazzini to chip home. It was the first time Milito had been directly involved in three goals for Inter in Serie A for 28 months and having now scored in consecutive games for the first time this season, Milito’s consistency is growing just in time for the Derby as he looks to reclaim his throne as the Prince of Inter and repay the fans for their faith in him.

“I’m staying that’s for definite. I’m very happy here in Milan at Inter. I have no intention of leaving. I thank the club and President Massimo Moratti who have always supported me. I feel wanted. Thanks for that.” What cannot be overlooked however is that Milito’s performance came against a Parma side who have not won in 7 games and conceded 15 goals during the same period, yet you still get the impression that Milito has turned a new leaf over New Year and may finally be ready to express himself again in the derby as the prolific, hard working striker that inspired Inter’s first Champions League success for 40 years back in 2010.

Looking to Sunday evening with renewed confidence he explained, “The Rossoneri are a great team, but like all teams they have weaknesses that can be taken advantage of. It’s a wonderful match to play, and we’re hoping to play a great game and win it”.

Both Princes in Milan are spearheading their respective sides into the Derby della Madonnina in good form. A resurgent Milito has returned to the scoresheet just in time for the derby whilst Kevin Prince has been the crucial driving force behind the Rossoneri’s midfield ever since his return from injury to demolish Lecce. Come Sunday the City of Milan will witness the homecoming of the Princes at San Siro, with each talismanic figure looking to lead their half of Milan to a memorable victory in the battle for the 2012 Scudetto.

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