Coppa Italia: Milan-Lazio 4-0, it will still be a derby with Inter

It will be fun and everyone is already rubbing their hands. The Inter fans, for whom the opportunity to take revenge does not seem real. And obviously the AC Milan fans, who want to confirm the city’s supremacy after a crazy and exciting second round in the league. Derby, still very strongly derby. In the plural, because we are in the semifinals and it will be round trip. The Milanese smash the Romans and Milan respond – with interest – to Inter’s 2-0 over Roma: at San Siro the Rossoneri walk over Lazio 4-0 in a game without history where Sarri’s men have practically not gone down. field and Milan proudly wanted to reclaim their strength after the accusations of an undeserved victory in the derby. To assign the crown to the queen of the city it will therefore be necessary to wait for March 2 (outward) and April 20 (return). Meanwhile, the Devil – under the eyes of Mancini – enjoys a sumptuous victory, embroidered with personality and skill, brought home by crashing an opponent back from a triumphant three to zero in Florence and above all from four games in a row without conceding a goal. Another proof of maturity by Giroud and his companions. Yes, Giroud: another brace for Pioli’s 9, slammed in the face of his former coach Sarri with whom he had won a Europa League in London. A brace inflated by Leao and Kessie’s goals. The Lazio of the Franchi, on the other hand, was wiped out in a few days. Slowness, zero ideas, an approach that at times gave the impression of arrogance: a team that confirms itself as unreliable and fails to give continuity to performance. A total thud: there is nothing to save and this is the third consecutive elimination in the quarter from the national cup.

The choices

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In recent days, Pioli has found important men like Tomori and Rebic, both on the bench (Tomori already in the derby, Rebic is a happy news). On the right in defense Calabria won the ballot with Florenzi, in front of Messias the one with Saelemaekers, behind Giroud next to the recovered Diaz and Leao. In the middle Tonali and Kessie, who returns to his areas of competence. Compared to Florence, Sarri has put his hand above all to the median, changing in one fell swoop Lucas Leiva and Luis Alberto with Cataldi and Basic. Milinkovic is the only survivor. In front, to the right of Immobile, as expected Felipe Anderson in place of Pedro, with Zaccagni on the other side. In goal the former Reina, who in the first 45 minutes saw the Rossoneri jerseys emerge everywhere. A domination at times almost embarrassing by Pioli’s men, in all respects: technical, tactical, athletic and mental in front of a Lazio soft as a pudding and unable to keep the ball between their feet in the other half of the field. In Milan, however, everything worked out. Team mechanisms and individuality, the ones that were missing in the first hour of the derby. When the Rossoneri wiped out the opposing median – Kessie on Milinkovic, Diaz on Cataldi and Tonali on Basic -, the match was channeled one way. Timing to take possession of the game: about ten minutes. Countermeasures from Lazio: not received. But a sort of resignation in witnessing an endless list of balls that ended up in the void of the Rossoneri defense after bizarre attempts to trigger Zaccagni’s speed and Immobile’s depth. Brainy and definitely slow. A predictable maneuver that has never managed to ignite Felipe Anderson’s inspiration and where Milinkovic has been put in a double-throw cage since the dawn of the match by a Milan with a leg, clear ideas and a desire to have fun. He was seen in the plays of Messias, Diaz, Hernandez and Leao, protected by the dam erected by Kessie and Tonali. However, he has an unforgivable mistake on his conscience: on 22 ‘a voluntary withholding on Zaccagni (Lazio was restarting, but was still in his half of the pitch) cost him the sacrosanct warning that will make him miss the first round of the derby. It will be a heavy absence.

Property ko

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The only flaw of the first half where for the Devil it was all really too easy. A little on their own merit, of course, but Lazio have put in (a lot) of theirs with a horror film defensive phase. On Leao’s first goal (24 ‘, a magnificent assist from Romagnoli) Hysaj first kept the Portuguese in play and then made a mistake in reading his movement. Rafa rejoiced while surfing, the phone call home is now a thing of the past. On the second (41 ‘) a wrong support from Basic triggered Diaz, then Leao who jumped Luiz Felipe like a pin and deposited the ball on Giroud’s feet. On the third, Hernandez’s low cross cut across the area, ending up again on the Frenchman’s feet with the entire Biancoceleste defense motionless (Marusic in particular) watching the development of the action. Three to zero and playing in the safe for Milan, even if at the beginning of the second half Sarri tried to run for cover with heavy artillery: Lucas Leiva for Cataldi, Luis Alberto for Basic and Pedro for Anderson. Pioli included first Bennacer for Tonali and then Rebic for Giroud and Tomori for Calabria. Lazio lost Immobile due to injury at half-time (clash with Kalulu): the 19-year-old Moro in his place. But the match was already over before the break and the recovery only served Milan to deliver the coup de grace with Kessie, who reiterated on the net a botched rejection of the Lazio defense. Less than a month, and it will be derby again. Fortunately derby.