The Derby della Madonnina could well be won off the bench, and if that were the case then it is far more likely to be in Inter’s favour.
As Corriere dello Sport (via PressReader) write this morning, when Cristian Chivu stands in the dugout on Sunday evening, he’ll have a treasure chest to guard. The haul is already impressive, considering we’re not even at the halfway point of the season: six league goals from his substitutes so far.
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Bonny was the latest, with the game-winning goal against Lazio, but he’s also the one who’s provided the most: four in total. He’s joined by Pio Esposito, who broke new ground against Cagliari, and Piotr Zielinski whose gem landed in the top corner at Hellas Verona.
The secret and the comparison
To find the ‘treasure’, the Romanian coach didn’t need a map, he simply followed his instincts and pressed the right buttons. Despite his limited experience as a first-team coach, he naturally navigated the pitfalls of a summer that brought with it many challenges and few certainties.
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️⚽️ "Chivu, golden bench. Inter, the reserves scored six goals: double those if #ACMilan." pic.twitter.com/ezjqYva5c5
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Chivu worked hard, especially on the minds of the players, to build a solid foundation from which to build. He also extended it to the entire group, not just the core of the squad, and that is why the substitutes believe they can be decisive.
The importance of these resources is also evident when compared to their cousins: compared to the Nerazzurri’s substitutes, the Rossoneri’s have so far provided Max Allegri with half as many goals in Serie A, just three.
Zachary Athekame, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Samuele Ricci are the players who have netted off the bench for Milan. The comparison among the reserve forwards is particularly merciless: five goals for Bonny and Esposito, zero for Nkunku and Gimenez.
Allegri obviously has fewer resources at his disposal, because of a squad streamlined due to a lack of European competitions. However, looking ahead to the next 90 minutes, the bench options are certainly a candidate for being a key factor in the final victory.
This is also because there will still be energy management to be had on the pitch: both coaches will have to take into account the fatigue of the past few days that various internationals have accrued.
Furthermore, Chivu will have to fly with his players to Madrid three days later to face Atletico, where precious points are up for grabs in order to secure a direct qualification to the Champions League round of 16.
Much, therefore, will also depend on the contribution of those thrown into the fray during the match. In that treasure trove just a stone’s throw away, the Inter coach will be able to find everything he needs to win the derby and consolidate his position at the top of the league.
Sure that’s true but this derby I don’t know last season I thought we would lose all of them and get crushed every time now it feels unusual that I don’t know cause Inter are messing up in big matches and Milan have won all of them without the Juve and Atalanta ones where we should have won against Juve and sure Atalanta match we got a lucky goal and then defended poorly but I just want to say to all journalists that Milan are messing up against small teams but when we had Rabiot we won 3-0 against Udinese, 2-0 and 3-0 vs Lecce, 1-0 vs Bologna… why I think cause we had Rabiot he make Modric the best midfielder in the serie a and make Fofana look like a Milan level player. I love him so much for me he is more important then Modric and how much ground he covers. I think Milan will win all the next seven games and if we lose the derby we’ll win six cause we have Rabiot who brings i don’t know what it is maybe calm but with him we should have won all games. Sure a top club cant rely on one player but Milan does it and it’s not good someone else need to step up or just bench Fofana cause Fofana doesn’t work without Rabiot I would love to try Jashari, Modric and RLC sometime.
Two good squads with solid players on the field and on the bench. Hopefully Milan can edge this six pointer.