Fabio Capello believes that AC Milan do not currently have what it takes to push Inter all the way in the Scudetto battle.
The most recent round of Serie A matches concluded last night (even though the Verona-Udinese match clearly wasn’t influential in the running for the top spot) and some obvious conclusions came from it.
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Inter’s comeback against Pisa, Juventus’s resounding victory against Napoli and the draw between Roma and Milan at the Stadio Olimpico were the big talking points. Three results that favored Chivu’s Nerazzurri, who are now five points clear at the top and at risk of pulling away.
Capello spoke to La Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview published this morning, offering an in-depth comparison of the two Milanese clubs in their duel for the Scudetto.
Are Inter pulling away?
“Inter started with a stronger squad, while Milan, at least on paper, are aiming to get back into the European competition, even though there are always those who expect something more.
“I believe that at least as of now, the Serie A standings reflect the strengths of the leading teams, especially those who will be competing for the title between now and next May.”
So do you think Inter can maintain this pace until the end?
“Chivu’s team have now taken a very clear direction; I see a remarkable, deep-seated belief among the players. And the new coach has done a good job of getting into his players’ heads, especially after the difficult end of last season.
“He rotates a lot, and he does it well because he has a decent squad, a strong team, and few weak points. Except for the right flank: Dumfries’ absence is weighing heavily and will continue to weigh heavily…
“I think all the criticisms leveled at Sommer in recent weeks are overblown. He’s an experienced goalkeeper. I notice that the Nerazzurri defenders trust him blindly, and he’s very good with his feet, despite the serious error he made in last Friday’s match against Pisa. Perhaps it was due to overconfidence…”
The closest to Inter are Milan, currently at -5. Can they catch Inter?
“Personally, I see a very passive team, unlike the Nerazzurri, who often change pace depending on the moment of the match. Even when they lost against Arsenal in the Champions League, for example, they had plenty of chances on the counter-attack.
“Milan has a major flaw: their attacking play is acceptable, but when they have to defend, the two forwards don’t provide any support to the team when they have to retreat. Leao and Nkunku don’t do that, nor do Pulisic and Fullkrug. You can’t just hope to win the ball back and counterattack.”
Yet the Rossoneri haven’t lost in 21 consecutive games – wouldn’t you even bet a chip on a Pioli-style comeback?
“No, because something is still missing: definitely a defender, and then there’s something else. Milan needs something more, someone who can make a difference, someone who can force a change of pace, even when coming on as a substitute.”
Like Dimarco against Pisa?
“Exactly. It changed the game. And Inter are too confident, too superior to Milan. But there’s something else to add: the Diavolo needed to be revitalised.
“They’re a team under construction that first needs to get back among the four teams that qualified for the Champions League. Even though everyone thinks they can reach much higher heights…”
Will Inter’s longer squad be a factor?
“Certainly: Chivu has the opportunity to rotate more despite having to play in more competitions.”
Another factor, Milan’s absence from any other competitions?
“At this point, I don’t think that’s the case anymore. Roma also plays in cup competitions. I thought they’d suffer particularly from fatigue against the Rossoneri, but that wasn’t the case.
“In fact, they showed the freshness, competitive spirit, and determination I expected to find in Milan. If there’s one team that’s struggled, it’s Allegri’s.”
Don Fabio knows his stuff.
Milan look like the team playing 3 comps. Lazy, unimaginative, mistakes, no pressure, no desire
How many more decades do we need before we can have some basics
A manager capable of defending and attacking
A scout who can actually find a striker
A director who recognises the value of a player and doesnt sell
An ownership willing to back a winning project
with the squad we have we should be in 4th or 5th place. This team is massively over performing. We have the 3rd best offense in the league based on GF and the 2nd best defense based on GA, and are sitting just 5 point back of Inter. People who find their way to criticizing Milan’s season so far have lost the plot.
Spot on buddy.
But People in here would complain anyway.
On the other hand… 5 points is not alot. It’s still a two game swing. That being said we’re also a two game swing to being out of European spots (the more meaningful ones). So it depends on which side of the glass you’re looking at… Half full or …
2nd best defense and 3rd best offense in the league with a bare bones squad. Who from our starting 11 walks into the Inter first team besides Maignan? Modric maybe??? People who think we are underperforming this season are only using their heads for a hat rack and nothing more LOL
You are proving my point. We need to stop selling our best players if we are to build something.
We also need a manager that will allow the team to evolve.
Allegri is a quick fix, not a solution.
This is Milan, not Brighton
Wrong on both counts. The Reijnders deal was done before Tare came in. The business done by him since has been overwhelmingly positive save for maybe Nkunku deal. You might even argue that one of Jovic or Abraham should have been retained and I would agree. We can judge the market moves in summer when we have hopefully attained European qualification.
Allegri a quick fix? He is among the top 3 winningest managers in Italy ever. Full Stop. 2nd most league wins, most cup wins, and several UCL finals. Judging on trophy cabinets alone he is the best manager currently in Serie A. You may not care for his brand of football but let’s not pretend he isn’t an elite level manager.
Trappatoni is the most successful. Would you want him?
No because he is an out dated manager like Allegri.
Football has moved on, even in Italy
He criticizes Milan or its players every week, and Sempre Milan dutifully publishes it. But he’s becoming a grumpy grandpa who focuses on the glass half empty.
Any Milan fan, if asked at the end of last season, would be happy to be where we currently are. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to agree with him that Inter is a better team. But the good news is, we have played ugly, without chemistry, and through injuries and are still in second. It is very much possible that chemistry can still develop. But Allegri needs to stop the ridiculous over-rotating the lineup and start the players who got him this far (and Füllkrug). We’re not deep enough to rotate like Inter. I believe we have played our worst recently and things will get better.
tbh I am content with the current position, it’s over achieving the target actually. but quite jealous with inter also, with how they managed to rotate in 3 competitions and still in the first place in the league (for now) and how the new coach can do good things in his first year while milan destruct themselves with fonseca and sergio.. and based on coaching experience I rated fonseca & sergio above chivu.. but that’s football.. you need to find your own medicine.. and milan are getting better with allegris corto musso as I see now.
Well Inter have a group that played together for years. You could even argue they been underperforming and should have won alot more trophies the Last 6 years.
Inter have lost their last three games in the champions league. Now the competition isn’t the same, but the story could’ve been different had that been in serie A.