The first Derby della Madonnina of the season had an added layer of intrigue to it as both Inter Milan and AC Milan came nowhere near last season's Serie A title despite both having been pegged as favourites at the season's outset. Inter finished third in the league, 18 points behind runaway champions Napoli while their cross-town rivals finished a further two points behind.
Despite reaching the Champions League semifinals for the first time since winning it all with their legendary 2006-07 squad, Milan's dismal league campaign was something no one associated with the red half of the San Siro could have seen coming. After all, the Rossoneri had been fresh off winning their first league title in 11 years.
However, a feeble Scudetto defense which saw them finish fourth and a whopping 20 points from top spot compelled Milan to reshuffle the deck this past off-season. Bankrolled by the pricey departure of midfielder Sandro Tonali to Newcastle United, Milan spent heavily in July and August. Milan shelled out over €110 million in transfer fees to bring in seven players including Tijjani Reijnders, Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Noah Okafor; three others arrived by way of free transfers. A retooled and reloaded Milan team seemed primed to once again mount a serious title challenge.
Such ideas came to a sudden pause after this matchday's derby. Milan were utterly taken apart by Inter, losing 5-1. Inter midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan produced a dominant display, scoring two goals, registering an assist, and dictating play throughout the entire match. Milan were outclassed in every aspect of play and looked nothing like a team which was coming off a three-game league win streak.
At this point, one has to wonder if that single league title victory in the 2021-22 season will end up being the solitary high point of this era's Milan team. Despite reaching last season's Champions League semifinals, at no point during the tournament were they regarded as serious contenders to win the whole thing. Based on what was shown in the derby, Milan appear to have taken a step backwards for a second consecutive season.
Milan's performance against Inter could only be described as disjointed and out of sync. Théo Hernandez, Malick Thiaw, and Reijnders were especially dismal. Hernandez and Thiaw came nowhere close to being able to handle Inter's attacking play; Thiaw was also culpable for Inter's second goal scored by Marcus Thuram. Reijnders, along with fellow Milan midfielders Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Rade Krunić, was completely out of his depth when dealing with Inter's pressing.
Questions also have to be asked about head coach Stefano Pioli. By the end of last season, a vocal minority within the club had begin to call for his firing. After this result, those voices will only grow louder. His tactical approach often left Milan devoid of options despite having 60% of the possession. He also prioritized moving inside from the right flanks but completely failed to set up any numerical advantages, adding to the aforementioned low-quality possession.
Pioli has a tendency to out-think himself and try to get "too cute" - a negative trait which once again reared its head here. Last season, in far too many matches Pioli went with tactical approaches which flew in the face of conventional wisdom - only for them to blow up in his team's face, costing them many valuable points. He once again did so against Inter by utilizing a highly inadvisable box midfield setup; the outcome speaks for itself. At this point, one has to wonder just how many chances Pioli has left in the Milan dugout.
Milan's crushing derby loss exposed just how far they have fallen in one season and change. It doesn't get any easier from here - they have their work cut out for them in the Champions League after having been drawn into this season's Group of Death alongside Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, and Newcastle. Finishing dead last in the group and missing out on even the "second chance" of a Europa League spot certainly isn't out of the question.
While it's still way too early to write off AC Milan's prospects this season, the signs at this point are certainly not encouraging. Something will have to seriously change if they are to make a serious push to reclaim the Scudetto and avoid the "one-hit wonder" label.
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