On Saturday evening, Milan and Inter will compete in the most anticipated and important derbies of recent years, with the two teams both level at the top of the table on nine points.
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As MilanNews write, the matches between the sides in 2023 so far have shown that Stefano Pioli and his team have suffered quite a bit from Simone Inzaghi’s side and their set-up, with Inter having won all four games and with Milan having not scored in over 360 minutes.
The Nerazzurri’s winning weapon in the last derbies was the 3-5-2 which allowed them to have a five-man midfield line and to create numerical superiority down the flanks, also exploiting the deep runs of the midfielders and having the two strikers one on one.
All of this was achieved while maintaining an enviable defensive solidity because of the three centre-backs and the one midfielder dropping back (Brozovic or now Calhanoglu) to facilitate build-up play.
In short, Inter could easily find themselves outnumbering Milan in the key areas of the pitch, especially given that the Rossoneri often lined up in a 4-2-3-1 featuring two deeper midfielders and an attacking midfielder.
The problem for Pioli was linked to the characteristics of the players on the pitch, because Sandro Tonali and Ismael Bennacer were orphans of Franck Kessié’s physicality given the Ivorian was crucial in covering all areas of the pitch.
Brahim Diaz was often used in the attacking midfield spot and while he is very quick and technical, he lost virtually every physical battle and it was often like playing a man down.
Thus, this left the Diavolo open to the runs from Mkhitaryan and Barella, and the Rossoneri full-backs were forced to mark Dimarco and Dumfries in a more advanced position, leaving Lautaro and Dzeko two-on-two with any two of Tomori, Kalulu, Kjaer and Thiaw.
The summer gave signs that Pioli understood the issue as the midfield was overhauled and now Milan have a similar department to Inter, with a defensive midfielder (Rade Krunic) and two powerful and dynamic midfielders (Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tijjani Reijnders).
This trio seems much more suited to facing the Nerazzurri at least on paper, but the field will give the answers. The aim is to put Inter in more positional difficulty and to get Theo and Leao in more dangerous positions, which Pulisic on the right will help with by spreading the threat.
