In its usual bottom up The Sports Gazette, Arrigo Sacchi spoke about the imminent Milan derby scheduled after the break: “At San Siro there will be all the ingredients to attend a spectacular match: Inter and Milan are going to the match in excellent form, they are at the top of the standings and are giving emotions, this means that they are fine also from a psychological point of view. I don’t know how it will end, but I know that the team that aims to play its game will win, considering it the best antidote to stop the opponent”.
On what Pioli will have to do to cage Inter: “You need a short and aggressive Milan to put Inter in difficulty. The Nerazzurri could suffer from rather high pressure, if done with the right timing. It’s a question of designing a team that knows how moving in a compact and organized way: eleven men in an active position with and without the ball. This must be the goal that Pioli sets in mind. Otherwise, if when Inter advances, Milan’s three forwards don’t return, everything gets complicated and you run serious risks.”
On Inzaghi’s team: “Inzaghi’s team, a good coach and excellent tactician, has its strong point in defensive solidity. After three games they have not yet conceded a single goal, and this is no small merit because it means that there is it is communication between the departments, that everyone helps and collaborates. However, in terms of overall maneuvering, we must admit that the Nerazzurri focus a lot on the counterattack: they have the right elements for that type of game. Speed, power and then, once lost the ball, immediately return to the defensive position without paying too much attention to the pressing”.
In closing: “Last season, Inter’s dominance in the many derbies that took place was clear. A dominance that also stemmed from an evident athletic superiority. Well, it seems to me that Milan have now slightly corrected their course and that he has added muscle to the team. However, if there isn’t the right compactness and if the group is not short and aggressive enough, muscles can do very little”.
