Arrigo Sacchi has admitted that Inter are big favourites for the derby on paper, but insisted AC Milan could still emerge victorious if they get several key things right.
In truth, everything points toward Sunday being another long night in the derby for Milan after a start to the season which has seen them win just one of five games, conceding nine goals in the process and still appearing plagued by the same problems from last season.
The pressure is mounting on Paulo Fonseca to engineer a quick turnaround, and there has already been suggestions from numerous sources that he might be sacked if a positive result does not arrive tomorrow.
Sacchi wrote a column for La Gazzetta dello Sport which was published on the eve of the game and he spoke about the contrasting moods surrounding the two teams plus what Milan can do to increase their chances of success.
“The feelings with which Inter and Milan approach the derby could not be more different. On one side, a team and an environment in full euphoria, after the beautiful draw achieved in Manchester against Guardiola’s City,” he began.
“On the other, however, there are the Rossoneri who are going through a very delicate period, and the clear defeat at San Siro, in the Champions League, against Liverpool is the clearest testimony of this.
“What can come out of a duel between these realities is, however, a mystery, because it is known that the derby can provide surprises and the upsets, which in other circumstances would seem at least strange, in the super challenge at San Siro are to be expected.
“Of course, the Inter team seen in Manchester, and also in the first four games of the league season, are in great shape. I think Simone Inzaghi is doing a great job: he has given courage to the whole group, he has grown a lot and he leads the team with confidence.
“You don’t go to play against City with that decision and that determination if there isn’t the knowledge that the coach has been able to transmit at the base. The Nerazzurri played on equal terms against the team that has dominated the Premier League for years and is a point of reference for all of European football.
“This was possible because today Inter is a top-level team, that can aim to be a protagonist both in the championship and in the Champions League. They know how to attack with many players and are formidable on the counter-attack, they know how to build dangerous actions through reasoned ball possession, they defend compactly, they don’t leave spaces for the opponents, they have players of exceptional talent and considerable experience.
“In essence, they are a truly complete team. It’s easy to talk about the attacking duo Lautaro-Thuram, or the direction of Calhanoglu and the incursions of Barella, or the solidity of the defence. The truth is that Inzaghi has succeeded in the most difficult task: transforming a group of excellent players into a real team, that fights together and, united, moves on the field.
“The same cannot be said of Milan. I saw them against Liverpool and it was painful. The Rossoneri, at the moment, lack everything and finding it again in a few days is not easy. In the league they have won only one match, against Venezia: too little for a club that wants to become a leader in world football.
“It is true that Fonseca is in his first season, it is true that he must be given time to work, but it is also true that, at least from what we have seen in this start, Milan are not a team. Eleven players scattered around the field, that’s what they are.
“They do not know what they have to do in the build-up phase and in the defensive phase, they are not a single block, there is no synergy between the departments. And it is logical that the result of this situation is a deep feeling of discouragement that also involves the fans.
“At this moment it is necessary for the club to support the coach, to give him protection and trust. I say this because I experienced first-hand the help that President Berlusconi gave me at the beginning of my adventure at Milan.
“There is only one way out of this problem: work. And, even before work, clear ideas are needed. From the managers who must transmit them to the coach, who must then be able to communicate them to the players. This is the chain that Milan must follow.
“It is easy to blame Fonseca, as I hear around. But then I say: why not blame this or that player? The truth is that there is not just one culprit: everyone is responsible and all together must be able to find the key to returning to being a top-level team.
“The derby can represent a turning point for the Rossoneri but one match, even if played well, is not enough to say that the patient is cured. Continuity of performance and results is needed.
“Inter, on the other hand, must avoid the danger of feeling like they have already arrived: there is still a long way to go before the finish line. Both in Italy and in Europe.”