The Big Preview: Derby Della Madonnina

It’s only week three and somehow we already have to contend with the merda. Neither of us has been particularly exciting and yet Inter have miraculously annexed the tag of favourites...

Sinisa Mihajlovic is a great friend of Roberto Mancini. During the week, he challenged the Inter coach to a wager that would see the derby winners donating to an organisation dealing with the current migrant crisis. It was a move that made me notice that not only had we landed a great coach, but a great man.

 Talk is cheap, but it is the actions on the field that matters. As he mentioned in his piece, he is well aware of the challenges migrants face. For such a driven person, it’s just one more layer of motivation to push himself and his side to put the enemy in their place.

It has been a horrid start to the season after a somewhat uplifting pre season. The loss to Fiorentina was followed by the Empoli win, yet in neither game did we exhibit a fraction of any kind of cohesive football. The midfield, horribly out of their depth, means the forwards are often left isolated, whilst the defence gets some protection but that is just not enough.

Which takes us back to that horrid end to the mercato where Galliani let two targets slip away without any effort. Now we have to deal with the same workaholic midfield without any creativity, especially as our expensive 20m man is yet to spark himself. It’s difficult to see things changing.

Inter won their first two games against both Atalanta and Carpi. They played well at times, indifferent in patches, but picked up the vital six points. Kudos to them for picking up the points but I’m not quite sure it’s enough to gauge that they’ll have a better season.

Which brings us to the derby, which again cannot be a measure of who’ll have the better season in Milan. Derbies are derbies, where everything else is thrown out the window. And with the season still in its infancy, the result could inject one side with the needed confidence to go on a crazy run and that is where we need the win much more than Inter.

Bertolacci is out injured, as is Antonelli. Antonelli’s injury in particular worries me, as we’ll be saddled with MDS back at left back, when he’s been doing so well making the right his own. Ely returns from his suspension, although I suspect Miha would maintain the Romagnoli-Zapata partnership. From the evidence so far they have done little wrong.

The midfield would be the place with the most interest. Berto is out, leaving the RCM vacant. We’ll probably see Kucka there, and one of Monty/Poli flanking De Jong. My personal wish though is to move Jack back there, keep Honda at CAM. 

Upfront should be Adriano/Bacca. They seem to be building a nice partnership there, and we might see Balotelli make his competitive debut, depending on how the game pans out.

Miranda is a doubt for Inter, although Icardi should be fit for the game. Whoever they field though should be of little concern to us, we should be looking at imposing our game on them and staying on the front foot. We do not just need a win but a performance that serves as a proclamation from this team that they’re turning the corner, just as Sinisa expects them to.

And with the choice words he has given them after the Empoli and Mantova games, I think the fire is pretty much lit under them. We have 24 hours to find that out...

24 men for the battle;

GOALKEEPERS: Abbiati, Donnarumma, Diego Lopez.

DEFENDERS: Abate, Alex, Calabria, De Sciglio, Rodrigo Ely, Mexes, Romagnoli, Zapata.

MIDFIELDERS: Bonaventura, De Jong, Josè Mauri, Kucka, Montolivo, Nocerino, Poli, Suso.

FORWARDS: Bacca, Balotelli, Cerci, Honda, Luiz Adriano.

My XI: Lopez; Abate, Zapata, Ely, De Sciglio; Montolivo, De Jong, Kucka; Honda; Bacca, Luiz Adriano