INTER V AC MILAN: OPPONENT REVIEW

It’s time for the derby and for the third consecutive season, it comes very early on in the football calendar: on matchday 5 in 2022/23, matchday 4 in 2023/24 and again on matchday 5 of Serie A 2024/25. The Rossoneri have started the season with highs and lows and come to the derby off the back of the defeat to Liverpool in Europe. It’s a totally different mood for Inzaghi’s side who walked away with a good draw against Manchester City, putting in a convincing performance, especially in defence. In the Serie A standings, the sides are separated by three points (8 for Inter and 5 for AC Milan) and, despite the contrasting form, have a number of similar statistics. 

AC Milan and Inter are two of the top three sides so far this Serie A season in terms of goals scored (both nine, equal to Napoli), possession (60.5% for the Nerazzurri, 59.2% for the Rossoneri), accurate passes (90.1% or Fonseca’s side and 89.3% for Inzaghi’s team), and expected goals (7.6 for AC Milan, 7.3 for Inter). These are the ingredients for a balanced game where the Rossoneri will be looking to turn around a sub-par season so far whilst the Nerazzurri will be hoping to continue down the same path.

AN ESTABLISHED GROUP
Inter are the second side in Serie A in terms of “longevity” of the squad, behind only Atalanta. The ranking is based on the average number of days that players have been part of the squad, a side effect of an established system that works well and a shared understanding that grows every season. Many hours together have allowed the midfield to grow, as well as welcome new arrivals - Zieliński this year - into the fold.

The same can be said for the attacking duo, Thuram and Martínez, who totalled 37 goals in Serie A between them: the way they complement each other is helped by their approach to both link-up play and getting into space. This year, the Frenchman bagged a brace against Genoa on opening day, repeating it on matchday 3 against Atalanta, whilst the Argentinian is still looking for his first goal of the season. Joining these two is experienced Iranian forward, Taremi, ready to support the starting duo. 

OCCUPYING THE SPACES
One of Inter’s strengths - and perhaps the most noteworthy – is their ability to occupy the spaces in possession. Their build-up play isn’t rushed; on the contrary, the Nerazzurri are usually very patient, and it starts with the goalkeeper, who is continuously involved. This was the case with Onana in 2022/23, and it has continued with Sommer, who completed 53 passes against Manchester City in the Champions League, more than the defenders Bisseck and Acerbi. The three players at the back play a crucial role as Inter start to come forward, carrying the ball and occupying the spaces on the inside.

The man in the middle of the back three (Acerbi or De Vrij) is often subject to opposition pressure. But Inter display fluidity in the way they escape such pressing, being direct with their play and creating advantageous situations in different areas of the pitch. This strength compensates for one of the team’s biggest weaknesses: a lack of dribbles. In fact, last season, Inter were the Serie A team with the lowest numbers in terms of dribbling: on average, Inzaghi’s men attempted 8.58 per match and completed 4.26.

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