Inter flies to the final. That’s why Inzaghi can win it

It went as it should go. Inter pass, racing to the final in Istanbul, and this was quite obvious. But he wins again, one to zero, and this one was maybe less so. It’s just that the gap between the two teams is too clear this year, The results say it all, four defeats in a row for Milan in the derbies, from that three to zero in Riyadh, without ever being able to score the pittance of a goal. And this already means something. Then the state of form of the two teams judged it, masked for a time only by the defensive attention of the Rossoneri who dreamed of repeating the matches against Napoli. As soon as they had to push to win there was no story.

Pioli can console himself, because few opponents today would have managed to get the better of this Inter. Inzaghi is now waiting for the outcome of the other semifinal. If the roulette will tell Manchester City we are increasingly convinced that he has a great opportunity to bring the Cup back to the city of the Madonnina, by repeating the final won by Tuchel’s Chelsea against Guardiola. If Real faces him it will only be tougher because Ancelotti is a fox who doesn’t fool him easily, but he still wouldn’t start beaten. That Cup would be slammed in the face of all those supporters and supporter journalists who they insulted him by already driving him away from Milan. On the other side of the fence, Pioli did what he could in this return challenge. The problem with him is that he was forced to win it. And so it became an impossible climb to tackle. Too much difference, with Leao crushed and without Bennacer.

The forecast is all for Inter

It’s not that Milan had much hope, despite the usual ritual declarations on the eve. You found yourself crossing arms against an Inter in almost perfect form, having set up all your training with the goal aimed almost exclusively at this season finale. Furthermore, Pioli must give up Bennacer, the most important element of his midfield, and he is forced to field a Leao only in mid-serve, which he will hardly be able to break quickly with the risk of aggravating his elongation. On the other hand, if we analyze the data of the last two months, as Corriere della Sera did, the comparison between the two challengers is merciless.

The numbers of the last ten matches show that Milan brought home three victories, against 5 draws and two defeats, both remedied in the last matches without scoring a single goal in the box, while the‘Inter boasts 8 victories, coming to the derby from seven consecutive wins, a draw and a defeat, 26 goals scored and six conceded, with a remarkable goal difference of more than twenty, even heavier if compared to that of the Rossoneri (9 goals scored and six taken: plus one) . If we then add the data from the first leg to all this, Milan really had no choice but to hope for a miracle. Confirming the different state of form, the numbers on the distance covered by the two teams indicate that Inter ran for almost 118 kilometers against the Rossoneri’s 114.2, marking a notable difference which becomes even more illuminating when compared to the data on tackle (9 to 4) and on recovered balls (43 to 26) as well as on cleaning up the counter with 17 successful clearances against nine.

First half many chances few goals

But in football you never know and hope is the last to die. In his declarations on the eve, Pioli had let it be understood that the important thing is not to concede goals, especially at the beginning, which would suggest a very defensive match, such as those against Napoli. But Inter is something else. And then the four points lined up contradict this impression. The formations are those announced. For Inzaghi the same eleven of the first leg, with Dzeko and Lautaro and Brozovic on the bench. The Rossoneri with Leao and Messias, Krunic instead of Bennacer and Thiaw who replaces Kjaer. In the first minutes two tricky shots over the crossbar, one by Theo and the other by Barella.

Then the match begins to take on its own physiognomy, with the Rossoneri who they crush Inter in their area. The Nerazzurri defended themselves with full strength, Dzeko and Lautaro blocking the back. Tonali forcefully goes all the way to the baseline to unload behind up Brahim Diaz looking for the corner from the spot, but the shot is slow and Onana gets there. Inter responded immediately on the counterattack, again Barella and Maignan saved himself with his leg: however the action was marred by an offside by Dzeko. It’s a good start to the match and at least up until now, Milan seem very different from the one in the first leg, more reactive and more determined to play the game.

On the other hand, however, Inter can count on some men in great shape, especially Dzeko Lautaro and Barella. In the 24th minute Mlhitaryan on the side of Dzeko, slightly high, and immediately after Dzeko again slots into the space Dumfries who looks for Lautaro in front of goal, but Thiaw intercepts for a corner. Inter again: it’s up to the Nerazzurri to push Milan into their three quarters, Lautaro tries, chest stop and volley blocked by Tomori. After the initial sprint, Milan seems to have disappeared, but suddenly Leao who had not existed up to that moment makes the Leao, goes away to Darmian, wedges himself into the area and kicks to cross by touching the post.

The Inter’s response is vehement, on a penalty Dzeko heads the ball and Maignan denies him the goal with a miraculous save. Lautaro tries again, but by now the first half is running out. Mkhitaryan stops, Brozovic enters. Forty-five minutes without goals, despite the fact that the opportunities are flocked quite numerous. Milan resisted the impact, they no longer seemed to be the team at the mercy of their opponents in the first leg, and they also created some danger. However, the impression that, beyond everything, Inter is stronger remains intact. He defends in eleven and restarts with many elements, even setting up the game with apparent ease.

In the Nerazzurri ranksthe whole defense participates in the construction, and the midfielders and forwards they are able to always press the opponent, thus exercising total control of the field. It is undoubtedly an expensive system that requires a great state of form of the protagonists, but which bears fruit. When all is said and done, Milan’s opposition seems too light. Leao despite his number that scared Onanais a distant relative of the player who shakes the defenses with his bucking, Theo Hernandez is almost never seen forward and Diaz, harnessed as he is by Inter’s pressing, is unable to turn on the light.

There is no story the strongest wins

Il second half begins as Milan finished. But the hourglass is running down inexorably and the Rossoneri look like they would like to but can’t. They would also like to attack, only that Inter is too scary and perhaps they are also right because a goal now would be a sentence without appeal. After a quarter of an hour spent looking at each otherin the end Pioli’s team tries to take charge the reins of the game. Except that the limits mentioned in the first half now become heavy boulders. Leao wanders around the field without sinking, but again he heads a ball for Messias, anticipated by Onana, which is the only vaguely dangerous action in the first 25 minutes of the second half.

The reality is that as soon as you have to play to win, whoever wins is the strongest. I mean Inter. Lukaku and Lautaro do everything, pass the ball to each other in the area and pass it back to each other until Toro widens and slips Maignan. From here to the end there is no story. There are only the Nerazzurri on the pitch. Inter is close to doubling, with Lukaku, who seems to have returned to what he was two years ago on this magical night. One to zero, but that’s enough. Inzaghi has never closed in defending the double advantage of the first leg, he has always played it trying to build, closing Milan for long stretches close to his own area. He also deserved for this. We go to Istanbul. And now stop always underestimating Inzaghino, Mister Dispiaze.