AC Milan – Internazionale: Milan Still Has The Edge Over Vulnerable Inter (3-2)

A spectacular, end-to-end Milan derby at San Siro saw AC Milan pounding on Inter Milan’s defensive fragilities, despite a late resurgence from Simone Inzaghi’s men. Stefano Pioli’s plan to win the ball high up the pitch allowed his team to win the battle in the midfield and create problems for Inter's defensive line.

Tactical analysis and match report by Giovanni Cesaroni.

The Milan derby is back to its glorious days. The battle between AC Milan and Inter was the main theme of the last Serie A’s season and, despite coming in early September, this clash promised more fireworks between the old city rivals.

Both AC Milan and Inter have encountered some problems in the approach to this game, with under-par performances which have made experts question whether it could be a Milan-only dispute for the title, considering the renewed ambitions among the other competitors like Juventus, Napoli and Roma.

Though still unbeaten, Milan were not particularly at their best in the last mid-week game against Sassuolo, ending in a goalless draw: they lacked sharpness and patience in the build-up, causing Pioli to call for more collective effort and tactical efficiency in the upcoming games.

Inter, by contrast, had a positive result in the mid-week against Cremonese but showed some worrying defensive issues throughout the start of the season, often conceding too much space between the lines and losing individual duels.

Milan confirmed their best lineup with the return of Pierre Kalulu, Davide Calabria, Sandro Tonali and the new signing Charles De Ketelaere from the start, in the classic 4-2-3 . . .