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Milan Derby Reaction: Matteo Gabbia STUNS Inter Milan To Save Paulo Fonseca’s Job
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AC Milan beat Inter Milan 2-1 in a dramatic Milan Derby as goals from Matteo Gabbia and Christian Pulisic shock Inter, for whom Federico Dimarco scored. Carlo Garganese analyses and breaks down the main highlights from a dramatic Derby della Madonnina as Paulo Fonseca saves his job with a famous victory. Carlo lauds Fonseca’s decision to change to a 4-4-2 formation, and praises the individual performances of the likes of Tijani Reijnders, Theo Hernandez and Gabbia. But what went wrong for Inter after their brilliant performance against Man City in the Champions League?
This is a post-match quickfire reaction to the Milan Derby on the Italian Football Podcast.
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Transcript
Milan's Surprise Victory Over Inter
00:00:00
Speaker
Hello everybody and welcome to a special episode of the Italian Football Podcast. I'm Carlo Garganese, reacting to an absolutely dramatic Milan Derby on Sunday evening at San Siro, an 89th minute winner from Matteo Gabbia of all people gives Milan a shock but absolutely deserved 2-1 win over Inter. Nobody could possibly have predicted that before kickoff.
Fonseca's Tactical Masterstroke
00:00:34
Speaker
Pretty much everybody expected an Inter win and this was supposed to be the last game for Paolo Fonseca before he was sacked and he has ah saved, not only has he saved his job but potentially turned around
00:00:50
Speaker
ah Milan's hopes for for this season in what was ah an absolutely fantastic performance from Milan completely out of nowhere and nobody could as i said could have possibly have seen this could have seen this coming. and Milan were the better team pretty much from from start to finish only really a 20 minute period after the Inter got the equalizer where Inter were on top. But other than that, ah Milan started great and they dominated the the first quarter of the game. And then they completely dominated pretty much the entirety of the of the second half, creating chance after chance.
00:01:31
Speaker
and it really would have been a travesty if ah if Milan hadn't hadn't won this game. So ah you have to take your hat off to Paolo Fonseca.
Milan's Tactical Turnaround
00:01:42
Speaker
He unleashed a surprise 4-4-2 formation. Tammy Abraham and Alvaro Murata up front together. Rafael Liao in a left midfield position. Matteo Gabbia starting at centre back with Pavlovic dropped.
00:01:59
Speaker
also dropped was Ruben Loftus' cheek and what it produced was a Milan team that finally for the first time under Fonseca looked compact, they looked balanced, they seemed to understand their movements, ah the They weren't being ah cut through at all. I mean, Inter really created very, very few, maybe only really one clear chance in this game.
Team Spirit and Mentality Shift
00:02:25
Speaker
and so But when they had the ball, they used it well. They were dangerous. They created so many chances. They were fluid. And they looked like a team. This was ah this was a team. This season, Milan just have not looked like a team at all. They've looked like a group of of of individuals picked up off the street.
00:02:43
Speaker
ah structurally and tactically they've been a complete mess and but they looked like a team and there was also team spirit they were all fighting for each other um just to they showed a great mentality they more than matched inter for fights and for intensity They seem to want it more than in so which you you never would be expect. They were playing for the shirt. They were playing for the fans and and they seem to be playing for a manager. A manager who yeah you know by all accounts according to everyone had lost the dressing room. It didn't seem like that ah based on this game.
00:03:17
Speaker
and you know Milan, they finally got the
Match Highlights and Key Players
00:03:21
Speaker
winner. i mean Well, first of all, let's say that they they they took the lead in the first half, a wonderful goal from Christian Pudasic, who burst through and and put the put put Milan ahead in the 10th minute. Pudasic is having a great, great season. He's got five goal contributions now already, even in ah in a what has been a struggling Milan team. you know He's had a great week individually because he scored against Liverpool last season.
00:03:47
Speaker
ah the one thing you could say against Pudasic despite his good numbers as he didn't do very well in the big games now he's scoring in the against the big teams big opponents as well so wonderful from Pudasic Inter though equalised through DiMarco, a wonderful team team move, the kind of trademark Inter move, crossfield lofted pass from the right to left, DiMarco first time volley into the path of Lautaro who passed it back to him and and and and then DiMarco buried it into the bottom corner, kind of a little bit similar in the way to the goal that he scored for Italy. Ball from right to left and then DiMarco playing and giving it and getting it back and and finishing.
00:04:28
Speaker
And you think then the ints were going to come on strong, but but Milan, you know they again, they showed good mentality. They showed fight and and and they you know they they they came out in the second half and and they completely dominated the second half and how it took till the 89th minute for them to get a winner. I mean, Liao missed two huge chances, including a oneon- one-on-one.
00:04:49
Speaker
Abraham, mr Mr. Sitter. And then finally, 89th minute, free kick from Reinders, who was my man of the match, crossed it in, and Gabbier, who was fantastic at that ah in defence. He didn't put a foot wrong all game.
00:05:04
Speaker
And so he heads home, I mean, ah ah boy a boyhood Milan fan, you know, you couldn't you could' have write a script like this. And so they were like I said, lots of great individual performances, Pulisic, Teo Hernandez was great and left back with those those rampaging runs forward.
00:05:23
Speaker
Gabia was was superb and he's really disappointed when he's played for Milan. I think he should be the starter now because in many ways I think he's more reliable and steady than the other partners to Tamori. He's somebody that you know will keep his position. He reads the game pretty well.
00:05:39
Speaker
And I know there's a lot of people at Milan who felt that he should have even got a call up for the Euros. So, yeah, I think he deserves a run in the team now, especially given how compact Milan looked, having looked so shaky in defence this season.
Serie A Standings and Surprises
00:05:53
Speaker
In midfield, yeah, Reinders partnering for Fana in the centre of midfield, they dominated that midfield and I thought Reinders was outstanding. He went on one run.
00:06:01
Speaker
he has these little bursts in runs. If he can show the discipline to go to get to together with his his undoubted talent then you know there is such a great central midfielder there potentially. um Even Emerson at right back was was was pretty good tonight. you know He got sucked in a little bit for the DeMarco goal, but other than that, he was he was very, very good. and So it's a fantastic night for Milan. And Fonseca, well, he he you cannot sack him now. I mean, there were reports that even if Milan won, he would be sacked. But I mean, you cannot sack Fonseca off this performance. and He deserves more time now. He should definitely stick with this 4-4-2 formation. And let's see if Milan can now
00:06:40
Speaker
put together a run. um you know Sometimes Darby's, the form book goes out of the window. you know It's now up to Milan and Fonseca to show that this wasn't just Milan rising to the occasion of a Darby, but it was you know this was there was method, and it was his tactics, and they've he's found the formation and the system that works. Let's see. Let's see in the upcoming games, and because now after what has been such a, you know, such a terrible start to the season. Well, Milan, can you believe it, are actually level one points now with Inter in the Serie A table. It's unbelievable, isn't it? They're now joint sixth, although Atalanta do have to play on Monday. And they're joint six with Inter on eight points. They're three points off the top
Inter's Struggles and Tactical Flaws
00:07:26
Speaker
of the table. Torino, shock leaders on 11 points. There are only two points behind Napoli in second.
00:07:32
Speaker
and they're only one point behind Juventus. So Milan are right there after such a bad start of the season. Milan are ah right in there in the fight of things. So everything to play for, obviously they had that bad result in the Champions League, they've got they've got to repair the a little bit of the damage there. But so it's so you know suddenly there's there's no no need to panic anymore. So I have to say well done to Fonsec. I'm happy for him as well because by all accounts, everyone I've spoken to say that he's a great guy. And yeah, it's it's nice to see ah the good guys do well sometimes. And I think he, you know, his his his tactics paid off today. He got them playing.
00:08:12
Speaker
um but it takes two to tango of course and an inter i mean i don't know what happened to inter tonight they i mean after all the plaudits they've got not just in italy but all over europe including in england which is rare for an italian city you know for the performance they put in against menister city but i thought they were absolutely brilliant away at city tactically tactical master class we called it uh nimmer and myself um i don't know what happened since tonight they were just completely unrecognizable um they They didn't match into didn't match Milan at all in in any any areas or facets of the game. They didn't match them for for desire.
00:08:48
Speaker
and wheel to win the fight. They didn't match them for intensity. Milan looked fitter and stronger and and faster. um They, in every area of the pitch, I mean, their attack struggled to really make a dent on, I mean, they created one big chance in this game. Milan created six big chances in this game. In midfield, I mean, Barrella,
00:09:16
Speaker
and Chalinogoli were so good against City, against the best centre midfielder in the world, Rodri, and they come up against Reinders and Forfana here. ah Forfana, who hasn't had hadn't had a good start this season, and they've been dominated here by by two players. you know Inter had a three there, and and mil and and Milan had a two in midfield, and they got dominated in midfield.
00:09:38
Speaker
Borrella, I mean, he was a, he was, where was he tonight? And, and Chalanoglu, I mean, where was he? And, and Mecaterian, Mecaterian had, ah had another really bad game. He's had a poor start to the season, and I think probably now at 35, maybe it's the time to drop him as the kind of like the first choice midfielder with the lights of Zielinski, who played well against City and Fraterzi waiting in the wings.
00:10:02
Speaker
Really bad and then in zaggy subs. I'm not sure when he when he brought players on he brought on He brought on Aslan II and I don't think that really helped And then yeah in defense, I mean You just don't associate a team that into that went to the best attacking team That there is in city and and barely a city barely created much of a chance Milan opened them up and created six clear chances today. I mean a cherby Yeah, I'm not sure he can play twice a week now. He was fantastic against Erling Haaland, but heat today he he was really butt he really struggled. um He looked slow and Pavard was sloppy and and you know the way that they got through Milan cut through Inter's defence and opened them up, that you just don't associate that with Inter.
00:10:55
Speaker
um inter look They looked tired, I mean they did play a day later than Milan and obviously they travelled to England and you know they played on on well on Wednesday and Milan played on Tuesday.
00:11:11
Speaker
that probably played a little bit of a role, but at the same time, you know, Nzagi rotated five of the starters from from that game. So, you know, it that shouldn't have been too much of a too much it shouldn't have shouldn't have had too much of an It's not like he played 10 or 11 of those players. So, yeah, it's it's really, really surprising just how just how bad they were. and And really, you know, if it wasn't for Soma who made some huge saves on Liao especially,
00:11:37
Speaker
um and just bad finishing from Milan. I mean, this game should have been over long before, long before. I mean, Inter would have really, it would have been a robbery if Inter had got anything from from this game.
Inter's Missed Opportunities
00:11:49
Speaker
And there's very, very little positive to take from this game, other than, I mean, DiMarco,
00:11:53
Speaker
That was a great goal. It was a fantastic team goal. As I said earlier, um you know the volley passed to Lautaro who then assists it back and DiMarco buries it. i mean that was That was a moment of ah fantastic quality, team quality. But apart from that,
00:12:08
Speaker
It's hard to really really you know find anything to to take positively from from from this game and for Inter. Lautaro was a bit better. He's had a slow start to the season. He got an assist and I thought he was sharp. He had a couple of first time shots that the snapshots which which were were pretty good efforts.
00:12:27
Speaker
But, yeah, apart from that, um yeah, it's it's it's difficult to find
Milan Ends Derby Streak
00:12:33
Speaker
positives. I think in Zaghi, his subs, as I said, in Zaghi, we gave him the plaudits. I didn't think don't think he had a particularly great game today. He didn't seem to react to what was going on in the pitch in the way that he he usually does, and he didn't have the answers. and you know Milan were creating chance after chance, and his subs didn't stem the tide at all. They never managed to really get any control of this game.
00:12:56
Speaker
And um they yes, they interlose. Six Derby wins in a row. They could have set the record and that that is ended tonight. So yeah, a huge, huge, a huge surprise. um this This often happens in Italy.
Unpredictable Italian Football
00:13:11
Speaker
and you Usually the form goes out of the window the and the script is is tight is torn up and the script of an inter-win and a fonseca sakin is is so is torn up, isn't it? and it's Yeah, this is the drama of football, football of culture. is so you just can't Sometimes you just cannot predict these things at all. And there you go. um Huge win for Milan um and for Fonseca. And yeah, big disappointment for Rinsa. So there you have it. and We will be back for the full show.
Upcoming Weekend Review
00:13:47
Speaker
Reviewing the whole weekend on Tuesday a little bit later because Nima is actually at this Derby was at this Derby tonight So it hasn't been a ah great night for him. ah He will be back at home on Monday evening So we're gonna record first thing on Tuesday and we'll do the review of all the weekend including the the Juventus Juventus versus Napoli the other huge game of the weekend and Plus ah all the chaos that's going on at Roma with the the CEO resigning and although they did get a win and Atalanta are playing on calm and they can get right back into this. It's very very tight at the top at the top of the table Lots to talk about and so we'll be back on Tuesday for that and until then ciao ciao