Losing 5-1 to Inter in the Derby della Madonnina on Saturday night, AC Milan manager Stefano Pioli was asked if he should apologize to the fans.
Inter had just achieved a historic feat by beating their city rivals for the fifth consecutive time this year, scoring 12 goals and conceding just one goal in the process.
By win this derby Inter have proven once again why they are the favorites to win Serie A and even though Romelu Lukaku and Marcelo Brozovic are gone, they continue to find ways to exert their excellence. However, Pioli’s curious tactical decisions and the way his team folded in the final quarter of the match sparked plenty of criticism and melodramatic reactions.
Until suffering their heaviest derby defeat in decades this weekend, Milan performed beyond expectations at the start of the season to allay any concerns about their summer revolution. Allowing club legend and beloved manager Paolo Maldini to leave and then selling stalwart Milan player Sandro Tonali led many to question whether new owners Red Bird understood the club’s culture.
Ten new signings later and Milan were delighting spectators with overwhelming attacking play patterns that left us wondering how Pioli was able to integrate so many new signings so quickly. Christian Pulisic and Olivier Giroud, two former Chelsea players, immediately displayed their familiarity, creating and scoring goals together. The dynamism of Tijjani Reijnders, who frequently made intelligent runs into the box, combined with the vision, energy and willingness to cover the ground of Ruben Loftus-Cheek makes us believe in this new Milan.
The team was no longer left behind, hoping that Rafael Leao would work some magic on the left or that someone would deliver a good ball to Giroud. There were now options all over the court and on the bench.
However, on the defensive level, certain questions remained. Milan may have won their first three games of the season, scoring eight, but the two goals they conceded caused concern. Fikayo Tomori was sent off against Roma and even if the Rossoneri still won that match, the defender would miss the derby. A huge loss.
Even in his presence, the vulnerable-looking defense sparked concerns about how Milan would cope with better attacking teams. We saw the baseline exposed far too often last season and we were yet to figure out if they had fixed that problem. Most of the incoming transfers were made to strengthen the attack and not to solidify a defense that conceded 43 goals to Napoli’s 28 last season.
Would this midfielder offer enough filter? Tomori’s performances in his first season attracted a lot of praise as he took a lot of confidence from the racing put in by Franck Kessie and Tonali in front of him. Last year his performances were less complimented when the midfield became more overwhelmed and overworked.
However, Tomori is Milan’s best central defender and without him, not only did Malick Thiaw collapse, but the Rossoneri defense collapsed. Inter’s physicality, repeated understanding of how to double and their density in midfield served to negate any opposing attacking threat while allowing themselves to continually threaten in transition.
Before the derby, Milan were confident in their attacking prowess on the pitch due to the abundant number of attackers capable of competing one-on-one. However, Inter proved their pre-season fears were correct by denying Milan that space and forcing them to operate in tight spaces against physically imposing players.
Milan lost 5-1 and deserves to be criticized but not exaggeratedly questioned. This is a team made up of 10 new players who have not yet understood their limitations and their true strengths. It’s only the fourth game of the season and nothing big can be achieved this quickly. Inter can boast more experience and the continuity of a project that resulted in an impressive performance in the Champions League final. They too have changed but not to the same degree and are rightly favorites for the Serie A title and will always be the toughest opposition for this new Milan to face.
Pioli is adamant his team is resilient enough to weather this psychological storm. 2023 has proven to be a difficult year for the Rossoneri in these derbies, but it is worth remembering that Pioli won two Serie A derbies in a row in 2022 and was the first manager to manage it since Massimiliano Allegri in 2011, so it should’ there’s no doubt about it…for the moment.
Milan host Newcastle in the Champions League on Tuesday and the Italian side will be eager to repent. The Rossoneri are still delightfully expansive and will have Tomori back in defense to hopefully ensure a more balanced performance.
The club are quietly confident of their chances of escaping what is currently being labeled a group of death. Champions League success is a priority for this team for financial reasons as well as reputation. Only Real Madrid have won more trophies than Milan in this competition and will be hoping to progress to the knockout stages to demonstrate their expected maturity.
Questions from readers
Demarcus, Harrogate: Do you think we will ever see a repeat of [a club like] Did Porto win the Champions League in 2004 with the money of the major championships today?
Everything is possible but perhaps somewhat improbable. With such heavy fixture lists and players expected to play so many extra minutes, the depth of the team and the quality of that depth will make the difference. It unfortunately takes money, but the reason we love the sport is its unpredictability.
However, almost every year we see at least one great Champions League story, and while the less wealthy may not win the entire competition, they can still compete until the end. Inter made £261 million in revenue in the previous season according to the Deloitte Football Money League, ranking 14th in terms of revenue in Europe. Milan was ranked 16th and yet they made the semi-final. Inter were excellent in the final and according to Pep Guardiola, they were unlucky not to win.
Juventus reached the Champions League final in 2015 despite a small budget. In fact, even Schalke earned more commercial revenue than the Italian giants. Interestingly, the more income they gained, the more difficult it was for them to compete in the later stages of the competition. Money is an advantage, but the absence of it allows for innovation and well-managed teams will always compete.
Ifeanyi Elekwachi, Nigeria: What do you think of Mourinho’s chances of shining this season at Roma? Are management and fans still happy with him?
His importance to the club cannot be adequately quantified. When José Mourinho was announced as Roma’s new coach, AS Roma shares soared more than 21%, while the club’s brand continued to grow thanks in large part to its name and reputation. It is often said in Italy that he is one of the main reasons why players like Paulo Dybala and now Romelu Lukaku chose to play in Rome.
Winning the club’s first European trophy since 1961, the 2022 Europa Conference League, further elevated their status, not to mention reaching the Europa League final a year later. He has brought added value to the club and the supporters often sing his name. Sold out stadiums (which equates to revenue) are what we expect from Roma and whatever his antics, he is much loved and respected by the fans and the club. Outside of Rome, he has his critics and questions have been asked about his team’s style of play.
He seems committed to the club last year, his contract ends in June 2024 and it is worth mentioning that he turned down more lucrative deals with Saudi Arabia to stay on Roma’s path and for that they are grateful to him.
Bill, Cumbria: Who do you think are the next big young talents in Serie A?
In Serie A, several and let’s hope that the league manages to keep them!
Michael Olabode-Kayode is one to watch and is the current right back of Fiorentina. He started Fiorentina’s season opener against Genoa and dazzled on the pitch, but was then reportedly struck down by tonsillitis and has not played since.
He is also the player who scored the only goal of the match to secure Italy’s success at the UEFA European Under-19 Championship.
Smart runs coupled with neat passing and a strong mentality, coach Vincenzo Italiano will look to play right-back quite often during this busy season. He is a fearless player and his athleticism is exactly what the club needs moving forward.
Giorgio Scalviniis an Italian central defender who plays for Atalanta and the Italian national team. At only 19 years old, he is incredibly stylish, very technical but will never turn down the opportunity to engage in a physical battle. He’s big and strong and will make sure his opponents know that, but he’s also someone who knows how to spot a smart pass and keep the team moving up the pitch.
Luciano Spalletti is already counting on him to try to guarantee Italy’s qualification for the next Euro.
Samuel Iling-Junioris a much admired Juventus winger. The Englishman recently had his contract extended and is someone who always seems to know how to make an impact on the pitch. In Juventus’ Champions League match against Benfica last season, the Italians lost 4-1. After Iling-Junior entered the game, he not only assisted Arkadiusz Milik’s goal to make the score 4-2, but also sent a key ball into the box to help Juve take the lead. score at 4-3.
Tactically intelligent, dynamic and able to easily outrun opponents to deliver delightful passes, his introduction is what helped Juve salvage a point against Bologna when they were 1-0 down two weeks ago, delivering the pass decisive for the arrival of Dusan Vlahovic.
Mina Rzouki is a European football journalist and presenter writing for BBC Sport this season. If you have a question about European football that you would like to ask her, fill out the form below and she will answer a selection of these in the following columns.
