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Sergey Shevchenko – on the showdown between the two leaders of Serie A.
Today’s derby is special. For the first time in many years, both Milan giants have settled at the top of the table and even slightly ahead of other competitors. Milan were in the lead for most of the distance, but had previously lost to La Spezia in one round, giving the compatriots the front row. The Rossoneri, however, are only one point behind. A personal meeting is an excellent opportunity to return to leadership.
Inter, the favorite of the season?
Before the New Year in Italy, a survey was conducted among the Serie A head coaches. They suggested, in particular, naming the favorite in the championship race. Inter obtained the most votes; It is ironic that Stefano Pioli, the Milan manager, also voted for the Nerazzurri victory (Conte and Pirlo refused to vote). An example is no less illustrative than the quotes from the bookmakers, where the “interistas” are also in first place.
Today’s Inter has everything for the “scudetto”. An experienced coach with a champion mentality, leading players in excellent form (Lukaku, Barella, Hakimi), a long bench, and finally a timely exit from the European cups. However, periodic failures for a long time did not allow Conte’s barriers to rise to first place. The Derby is an opportunity to reinforce the leadership, at the same time as it takes revenge of the match of the first round, when Inter played very unevenly and suffered problems in defense. Judging from the cup derby, “Nerazzurri” is really making progress, but only the championship result will show it.
Milan’s chance to recover
Milan is not as cheerful and carefree as it is in the fall. The losses to Atalanta and La Spezia are a blow to the champion’s ambitions, and it’s not just about losing points. The team’s play leaves a depressing impression: the defense has lost its reliability, the main midfielders are exhausted by injuries, the winter reinforcement in the person of Meite and Mandzhukich was not shown in any way (Tomori is a pleasant exception). In 2021, the Rossoneri lost every match head-on: Atalanta and Juventus in the championship, Inter in the Cup.
The team is falling and another loss will fit organically in this row. The derby, however, has its own somewhat irrational laws. Fights with Inter with Stefano Pioli at the helm of Milan are always action-packed: suffice it to note that in each of the three games, the Rossoneri scored first. Milan will have a fight for the right to be considered Inter’s main competitor, and only a victory will reaffirm this status. Otherwise, the main candidate to compete with Inter will automatically become Juventus, a club that a priori cannot be ruled out, despite the lag in the table.
Ibrahimovic vs. Lukaku
The Clash of the Titans that led to the trial and inspired artists to create massive street art near San Siro. Ibrahimovic and Lukaku in the cup match staged an exciting confrontation, where both shone with charisma and competed in the sophistication of insults. Now they will have a new match, where everyone will have the opportunity to prove their case by playing and scoring goals against the rival. Don’t forget that they, among others, are vying for the Serie A top scorer title. Lukaku is still two goals ahead.
The Belgian picked up speed: two Lazio goals on the final matchday, another double against Benevento two rounds earlier. It is true that Romelu also had unsuccessful matches, for example the Cup response with Juventus. But can the Milan defense play so reliably? As for Ibrahimovic, they looked after him on the eve of the derby, giving him a break in the Europa League game. Zlatan is also used to shooting doubles this year: we are talking about goals against Crotone and Cagliari.
Unstable Gamemakers Showdown
No less important will be the duel in midfield, where there are many details: for example, the derby will be an opportunity for Sandro Tonali, who will probably appear on the starting line due to Bennasser’s injury. Algerian was injured in the match with Red Star. Of particular interest is the showdown between the two Trequartistas, as both are now highly unpredictable.
Chalhanoglu is Milan’s undisputed leader and its best assistant, but only when it is gaining shape. After the injury, Hakan has yet to play, but success in the derby is the best argument in the Turk’s long negotiations over a new contract. As for Eriksen, even in the fall, his tenure at Inter seemed pointless. This was confirmed even by the Inter Marotta athlete. However, in the new year, the Dane suddenly proved useful and even scored the decisive goal for Milan in the Cup, effectively breaking a free kick. “Gazetta” believes that Christian will be released from the first minutes.
Who is the best goalkeeper in the league?
Correspondence competition of two excellent goalkeepers. There is a 15-year age difference between Donnarumma and Handanovic: despite this, both have become an integral part of their teams’ image. These are the goalkeepers who, with some reservations (Schensny, Musso), can be called the best in Serie A.
Donnarumma is more stable this season. As he grows up, he makes less and less obvious mistakes, but his ability to throw “dead” balls doesn’t go away anywhere. Minor flaws remain, such as playing off starts and rough catching the ball. As for Handanovich, the years are slowly taking their toll. Increasingly, the Slovenian brings – for example, with Verona at the end of December, when he dropped the ball in a harmless situation. On the other hand, Samir can make the most of the game (eg 1: 0 with Napoli), and his ability to reflect penalties ideally overlaps with Milan’s abundance of misses from the “point”. By the way, in the first round, Handanovich overcame the kick from Zlatan, who, however, immediately finished off the ball at the net.
Bonus: no spectators, but with fans
The game in front of empty stands, alas, has become commonplace, but tifozi has not gone anywhere and they are trying to convey their support to the players by all means available. For example, when Inter took on Juventus, fireworks erupted profusely behind the stadium stands, lighting up the atmosphere during the match.
On the eve of the derby, the fans of both teams plan to accompany the buses with their players: these processions look spectacular and the flags with pyrotechnics recall the traditional atmosphere of Calcio, something forgotten last year. Also, Milan ultras abandoned by his team’s trainingto support her on the eve of such an important match. Now, when playing soccer in absolute silence, it is especially important for players to understand that there are many thousands of loyal fans behind them.
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