Inter, Skriniar promoted after the derby, Inzaghi aims for it

In words, the conditions were all there. The confirmation of the trust of Simone Inzaghi and Giuseppe Marotta – with a reference to professionalism -, as well as the reassurances of the Curva Nord in a press release which dismissed the voices of protest. Then, however, the time would come for the facts, for the pitch and in particular for a very delicate derby at the end of the transfer market: Milan Skriniar is there, his mind is totally focused on Inter and will be the backbone of the Nerazzurri until the last minute of game. This is the verdict of Giuseppe Meazza.

The fans

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The first exam for the Slovak was San Siro: the 27-year-old had missed Cremonese in the league due to disqualification and Atalanta in the Italian Cup because he was “distracted” by the possible departure to PSG. He therefore had to find his audience again after the expulsion against Empoli and after two weeks of storm for the confirmation of the agreement with the French with a possible immediate farewell. Before the match, the Curva Nord unveiled through its magazine the content of the meeting with Skriniar and the explanations of the protagonist who convinced the ultras, reiterating their total support for the team and therefore also for the defender: the unknown, however, was all the rest of the stadium – the majority – and the possible boos aimed at the Slovak once he’s seen back on the pitch with the Nerazzurri colors on. None of this, the charge for the derby had the understandable priority and the rusts were put aside. Applause and celebrations therefore accompanied his punctual interventions and he was able to play with serenity. Of course, in the event of an insufficient performance, the Meazza’s reaction would have been different, but this goes for any teammate.

The field

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Well, there was a risk of a crash with the slide in the second half, a ball lost in one’s own trocar that could have been fatal. Apart from this episode, the aforementioned serenity allowed the 27-year-old to manage a certainly not inspired AC Milan attack with authority and confidence. It is the first drop of a four-month long river, the last of Skriniar in Milan before the influx of petrodollars from PSG. The hope at Inter is that the Slovak can behave like Franck Kessie – who won the Scudetto at Milan as a betrothed from Barcelona – or, better, like Ivan Perisic: irreplaceable driver of Inzaghi’s team during his last weeks in the Nerazzurri. The Croatian was actually still grappling with the negotiations for the renewal of the contract and only later would Tottenham intervene, but the natural comparison is this. Once the refusal of the extension and the consequent farewell has been metabolized, it is, moreover, natural that the public declarations of the coach and the CEO are received by the whole environment as full of meaning and not just as words of circumstance: Skriniar is always He has been a serious professional and until 30 June he is an Inter player, which is why we expect the usual contribution from him to protect André Onana. As happened against the Rossoneri cousins: Milan’s work in the Nerazzurri is not over yet.