The German is the negative protagonist in 3 out of 5 goals. The Dane is in difficulty against Lautaro Martinez and Thuram. The defensive phase doesn’t hold up
Thankfully 2023 is over. The derby one, of course. Five slaps one after the other, which began in January in the Super Cup and ended on a terrible September evening under the downpour: the real one and the goal-scoring one. Five of these too, which in a derby – albeit at the beginning of the season – leave their mark on the soul. Especially 72 hours after the first act of Champions League.
red dot
—
The problem is that it becomes useless to add kilos and centimeters if there is no intensity. The problem is that it becomes useless to end the first half with over 70 percent ball possession if the revs never pick up. The problem is that it becomes useless to place Calabria in the midfield and widen Loftus-Cheek – two of the new tactical moves that had paid off until yesterday – if the team is as static as on a Subbuteo pitch. But, in particular, everything becomes more complicated if the defensive phase does not hold up. A problem that emerged quite clearly over the summer and unfortunately for Pioli is still topical. In the first three days, practically everything had worked from the navel upwards and Milan had taken very relative risks. This time Inter were the usual monobloc that the Devil seems incapable of eroding. The balance of goals from this horrible 2023 derby says twelve goals scored and one scored. A fact that clashes with the Rossoneri’s ambition of reaching the second star before their cousins. It’s true, Pioli saw himself deprived of two defenders in the space of a few days. Two potential starters: Tomori, who served a suspension that was foolishly remedied in Rome; and Kalulu, who technically lost his place this year to Thiaw, but at the center of defense he is the very first of the changes. Yep, Thiaw. Malick deserves – so to speak – a few lines aside because it was an evening to forget across the board. The German international remains the bright future of the Rossoneri defense, but matches like this are red flags. Viewing prohibited at football schools.
lucidity
—
Inter’s first goal, in particular, is the gravest sin. Obviously because it directs the challenge towards the Nerazzurri – only five minutes had passed – but above all for the dynamics. To keep Thuram’s incursion on the wing at bay, Malick positions himself correctly between the ball and the opponent, putting himself in an advantageous position. But he makes the mistake of overestimating his physical coverage capacity, with Thuram at a certain point taking away his support and slipping away. The Nerazzurri’s number 9 was a particularly exciting evening, and Thiaw struggled to get the measure of him: after 24 minutes he was already booked for knocking down the Frenchman who was lunging towards Maignan. Malick also appears negative on the second Inter goal, the first from Thuram, who escapes him on the left and then finds a shot to include in the bulletin board of exploits. Is it over here? Well no. Thiaw also had a hand in the third Nerazzurri goal, deflecting just enough to defuse Mkhitaryan’s shot from Maignan. Here, it must be said, it’s just bad luck, which obviously sees very well on evenings like this. And there was also little clarity on the fifth goal, that of Frattesi: the blue did not depend on his marking, but the reactivity on Mkhitaryan’s vertical through ball is not that great. Not just Thiaw, however in the dock. Kjaer, making his first start of the season, had great difficulty with both Lautaro and Thuram: an at times embarrassing difference in pace, which Simon managed to overcome partly thanks to experience. Hernandez completed the gallery of horrors with the penalty on Lautaro. There’s something for everyone, and no acquittals are foreseen. After a 5-1 in a derby, it is not possible to concede them.