One of the greatest Azzurri players of all time and legendary one-club man Sandro Mazzola currently works as a football commentator and analyst on Italian broadcaster RAI.
The Torinese was undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with in his prime, as he reminisced his days leading upto the Derby della Madonnina and gave his thoughts on the much awaited derby on the coming weekend.
The Nerazzurri, who was part of Helenio Herrera’s Grande Inter team of the 1960s, shed light on the first Milan derby of the season in an exclusive interview with Italian outlet DerbyderbyDerby.it.
When quizzed on what kind of match he expects and his thoughts on the Scudetto race, he said: “In my opinion, the ranking will not count on Sunday”. For what reasons? Because the derby is a game unto itself. I remember when I played it in my day: I was only thinking about winning against Milan, because I knew how much the fans cared about it. It’s too early to say. In any case, for me the Scudetto is played by Inter, Milan and Napoli.”
He further praised Simone Inzaghi and Edin Dzeko’s presence in the team, having replaced Antonio Conte and Romelu Lukaku, saying that the former duo are not making Inter regret getting them.
“I like it very much. I know Inzaghi personally. He’s a good guy. Prepared and temperamentally tough. He is not making Conte regret, and yes, when Dzeko was at Roma I thought he would be perfect for Inter,” he commented.
But Mazzola still feels that Inter needs a midfield reinforcement, someone who can complement the role of Croatian ace Marcelo Brozovic, and that rivals Milan are doing well in their own right.
He said: “We need a reinforcement in January in midfield. Inter could use a vice-Brozovic. Milan are doing a great job. Great merit goes to Pioli, a very prepared coach,” he ended.
The Milan giants face each other in the first Derby dello Madonnina of the season, as Inter sit seven points behind league leaders Milan, who are unbeaten on top with 31 points alongside Napoli.