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5 months ago
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“We have done what we had to do since July 13. We dominated a championship with a lot of pitfalls”. At a press conference before the Derby della Madonnina against AC Milan, Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi was confident about the outcome of the meeting. If the title was promised to them thanks to their 14 point lead before the 33rd day, the Nerazzurri secured the 20th coronation in their history in Serie A by beating AC Milan at San Siro on Monday evening (1-2). For this decisive display, the Italian coach brought out the heavy artillery with his usual 3-5-2 made up of all the usual starters. Marcus Thuram partnered well with Lautaro Martinez in attack while the other French international, Benjamin Pavard, formed the three-way defense with Alessandro Bastoni and Francesco Acerbi. On the other side, Stefano Pioli had slightly reshuffled his starting lineup, leaving Olivier Giroud on the bench. The French Yacine Adli and Mike Maignan were nevertheless well established this Monday evening, as were the executives Rafael Leão and Christian Pulisic. The first period of the 237th Derby della Madonnina was full of twists and turns. Everything came to a head quickly with many small opportunities on both sides.
In this start marked by a high pace, it was the Nerazzurri who opened the scoring thanks to a powerful header from Francesco Acerbi (18th, 0-1). On a corner perfectly taken by Federico Dimarco, Benjamin Pavard extended the ball to the near post for Acerbi left alone at the penalty spot. His helmet hit was unstoppable for Mike Maignan. Inter almost doubled the lead thanks to Lautaro Martinez on a serve from Dimarco but the Argentine striker failed to position his foot well (26th). On a magnificent one-two played with Nicolo Barella, Marcus Thuram also had the opportunity to increase the Nerazzurri’s lead but his flat foot was not on target (38th). The Rossoneri’s first big chance came from Yunus Musah but goalkeeper Yann Sommer repelled the danger (40th) after a great combination involving Rafael Leão and Christian Pulisic. From one save to another, Mike Maignan kept away Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s shot on the following action following Tomori’s small error in defense (41st). In the second half, Inter continued to play their game to quickly take cover thanks to a goal from Marcus Thuram in two stages (49th, 0-2). Ten minutes from the end, Fikayo Tomori reduced the score for AC Milan by pushing the ball into the back of the net after Yann Sommer stopped Matteo Gabbia’s header (80th, 1-2). This derby also ended with two red cards, for Théo Hernandez and Denzel Dumfries (90th+4), for coming to blows during added time. The same for Davide Calabria then (90th + 7) for a slap.
Strong individuals and a well-oiled collective
With a sixth consecutive success against rival Milan (1-2), Inter got their hands on their 20th Scudetto. Simone Inzaghi and her men have not had many pitfalls this season, after an almost perfect run. With 79 goals scored (best attack), only 18 goals conceded (best defense) and above all only one defeat (against Sassuolo 1-2, last September 27) in 33 days, the Lombard team crushed everything in its path, leaving no crumbs to its competitors. A united locker room and a complete team are the ingredients of this winning recipe by Simone Inzaghi. “Victures and trophies mean a lot, but I am happy with the synergy we have created with the club and the supporters”, expressed, in this sense, Inzaghi. Strong men carried this team, with the striker and captain of his team, Lautaro Martinez, at the forefront. Despite surprising missteps in the Coppa and the Champions League, La Beneamata Milanese thrived in the championship, dominating without any possible debate all the Italian big names.
The Argentinian is by far the top scorer in the Italian championship with 23 goals, helped by the assists of his adjutant, Marcus Thuram, author of 7 offerings this season. The duo worked perfectly to bring Inter to the heights of Italian football, accompanied by an experienced midfielder (Mkihitaryan, Cahlanoglu, Barella), a defense of steel (Bastoni, Acerbi, Pavard) and an impervious goalkeeper (Sommer ). A reward for the work of three years carried out by Simone Inzaghi and her management, who had one objective in mind: to regain a title in Serie A, the last dating from 2021. “Everyone went in the same direction”, assured the Italian coach. This title now brings a lot of hope for fans of the Beloved. “The cycle must continue”, insisted Inzaghi to the media. One thing is certain, with him in charge or not next season, Inter have built a team ready to rule Italy.
