Dour and inconsequential – The Milan derby of 19th April, 2015

The Milan Derby ended as a goalless draw at San Siro.

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The Derby della Madonnina might lack the sheen of its glorious past, but it still holds significance for thousands of fans who identify themselves with the two Milanese giants. The derby last night would not decide the Serie A crown and had little implication on European qualification for both the sides involved. Nonetheless, pride was at stake. Raw, unadulterated pride.

So, you can imagine the annoyance I would have felt about Filippo Inzaghi setting up his side to avoid defeat, instead of attempting to triumph over our cross-town rivals. A clear indication of intent can be revealed by considering the statistics.

Inter had more shots at goal (17-7), were more successful in aerial duels (58%-42%), won more tackles (27-16) and had a greater share of the ball than Milan (55%-45%).

Player performance ratings via Whoscored.com

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Eyebrows were raised when Inzaghi gave Suso Fernandez and Alex rare starts in the game, albeit the surprise was for entirely different reasons. Suso had never started for Milan in a competitive game, even if he warranted a starting spot weeks before the derby. Alex was returning from an injury lay-off, displacing (arguably) Milan’s best defender this season (Gabriel Paletta).

That Philippe Mexes and Alex gave their best performances in a Milan shirt is secondary. Surely, Inzaghi did not anticipate Alex to perform at the level that he did?

Milan were set up to play on the counter. With Jeremy Menez playing as a ‘false 9′, exploiting Milan’s speed up front made ample sense. But, whenever Milan countered, their attackers had little idea about what to do with the ball or how to construct a coherent attack. Predictably, every onslaught fizzled like a damp firecracker.

The front three offered very little movement and Milan’s frustratingly slow tempo allowed Inter to settle into their shape, preventing any penetration whatsoever. Milan mostly passed sideways and sometimes, even backwards, only to be challenged by Inter’s relentless pressing.

Icardi celebrates the goal that was never scored!

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Giacomo Bonaventura was woeful as a winger. He exploded as soon as he was moved into the midfield-three in the second half. He had more key passes than any other Milan player and also blocked more shots than his comrades. Bonaventura isn’t a winger and has repeatedly demonstrated more influence in the centre than out wide.

He is the only midfielder Milan have, who is confident on the ball and can carry the ball into attack. He gets fouled often due to his attributes and is a perennial threat as a direct midfielder. Playing him out wide marginalises his skill-set considerably, a lesson Inzaghi should have learned by now. Milan were anonymous in the second half, with only one team truly taking the game by the scruff of its neck.

Inter were adamant in their attack with Hernanes and Matteo Kovacic driving much of their play. Assane Demoya Gnoukouri was splendid in his work-rate and kept the ball rolling, an instruction which he delivered upon uncompromisingly.

If not for Philippe Mexes and Diego Lopez, Milan might have conceded a few goals, changing the complexion of this result. Both players were on top form and denied Inter repeatedly. They were resolute and determined, almost Gandalf-like in their approach of ‘You Shall Not Pass’. Yet again, Inzaghi and Milan escaped by the skin of their teeth.

While some Milan fans might feel that the result and the performance was justified, some others, such as myself, would lament on the cowardly approach taken by the team and the coach. Inter are not an infinitely superior team to Milan and are very much beatable.

Still. over the ninety minutes, Inter appeared decidedly better than Milan and can feel hard done by the final score. Milan were further aided by some fortuitous refereeing, even if laudably accurate.

For a person whose thesis dealt primarily on the topics of motivation and psychology, Inzaghi is sending out a strong message of being overwhelmed and impuissant, traits not reflective of Milan’s stature. The club is in crisis and no one is denying that. The personnel, however, are unquestionably better than they are presenting themselves to be. Perhaps its time for Inzaghi to spin this differently, to infuse dignity back into a shirt which seems to have been soiled by failure.

This article has been contributed by a member of the SK Featured Bloggers Club. It was originally published on the blog Milan and Me; The Love Affair’ blog here