There is no doubt that this season’s second edition was the most thrilling and captivating derby we have witnessed in quite some time. With Inter sitting at the top of the table very comfortably, Milan knew that securing all three points were crucial in order to keep their title hopes alive.
While it seemed that the fixture was all Inter’s to claim, the Rossoneri bounced back as they scored two goals in quick succession to derail the Nerazzurri and snap their eight-match unbeaten streak. With the city of Milan glistening in Black and Red this evening, here are three key things that we have grasped from the classic Derby della Madonnina.
Olivier Giroud Is Far from Finished Within His Career
At the beginning of the season, many individuals doubted whether or not bringing Olivier Giroud to the Stadio San Siro was the right decision due to the fact that he is towards the back end of his career. Despite a slow start to his life as a Rossoneri, the French international proved his worth tonight and that he still has that killer goal-scoring instinct within him.
The marksman displayed a masterclass performance as he dominated within aerial duels against Inter’s last line of defense. In addition, the 35 year-old striker used his physicality in a brilliant manner as he created one-two combinations through his top-notch hold-up play as a target man.
While it seemed an Inter victory was written all over this derby after the Beneamata’s dominant first half performance, Giroud took manners into his own hands to turn the storyline of the fixture around. The French talisman scored a brace within quick succession as he got to the end of a cross towards the second post and made a sublime turn to beat Stefan De Vrij and strike the ball past Handanovic.
Giroud was undoubtedly the man of the hour at the San Siro this evening as the marksman’s impressive display saved Il Diavolo from crashing out within the race for the Scudetto.
Re-Signing Marcelo Brozovic Is a Must for Inter
Although Beppe Marotta, the CEO of Inter, has claimed that renewing Marcelo Brozovic’s contract is a huge priority for the club, his performance against Milan has amplified his importance to the club more than ever.
The Croatian international was arguably the best player on the pitch this evening as he dominated the central area of the pitch through his magnificent anticipation of the game and his spectacular long-range passing ability. The 28 year-old orchestrated Inzaghi’s midfield as he used his aggression and defensive qualities to constantly win the ball back for the Nerazzurri and create threatening counter-attack scenarios.
With the box-to-box midfielder’s contract expiring at the end of the season, Inter must shift into third gear and accelerate negotiations with Brozovic as they cannot afford to lose such a valuable asset within their squad as a free agent next summer.
Inzaghi Might Be the Cause of His Own Downfall
Although Milan improved drastically within the second half as they were possessing the ball more comfortably and were much more creative within the final third, Inter was still doing a brilliant job defensively in order to hold off the Rossoneri and keep a grip on their lead.
However, Inzaghi believed that tactical adjustments were necessary with twenty minutes left as he added Federico Dimarco, Arturo Vidal, and Alexis Sanchez and removed Ivan Perisic, Lautaro Martinez, and Hakan Calhanoglu. Unfortunately for Inter, the Italian tactician’s attempt to fix something that was not necessarily broken was arguably the cause of Inter’s downfall and Pioli’s triumph at the San Siro.
The 34 year-old Chilean failed to add defensive stability within the midfield, making it very easy for the Rossoneri to break Inter’s lines when on the break. Moreover, Dimarco failed to cover the flank as tightly as Perisic, allowing Davide Calabria to have enough space out-wide to make runs and distribute the decisive pass that allowed Giroud to win the derby for Il Diavolo.