The Derby della Madonnina
It’s not just kickoff times that have changed when it comes to the Milan sides
When referee Daniele Orsato blows the e whistle to start the 188th88th l league meett ing between AC Milan and city rivals Internazionale on Saturday lunchtime, there will be more interest than usual from Chinese fans. The game takes place during the early evening, China time, and that happy coincidence means that there will be more viewers than regular for a contest between two of the most popular teams in the country, stemming from the teams being at the top of their games when overseas soccer broadcasting began with Serie A games in the 1980s.
China-friendly kickoff time aside, it will also be the first Derby della Madonnina – which is known as the Milan Derby in the Englishspeaking world – to be contested by sides that are majority-owned by Chinese investors. After the prolonged, on-again, off-again takeover of AC Milan was finally completed on Thursday, the club are now Chinese-owned – just like city rivals Internazionale who were taken over by retail giant Suning prior to the start of this season. One of the iconic derby matches in world soccer being played out by teams that are Chinese-owned would certainly increase the spotlight on the game in China and around the world.
End of an era
The incoming owners, led by Li Yonghong, were set to meet the players and manager Vincenzo Montella on Friday on the eve of the derby. The acquisition will bring to an end to the 31-year reign of Berlusconi, a period which also saw Milan cement their status as one of the biggest clubs in the world game, winning the Serie A title eight times and becoming European champions on five separate occasions. The glory days seem a long time ago and a long way away now, though. A Milan captain last lifted the league trophy at the end of the 2010-11 season and, barring a miracle, this season will be the fifth in succession where the club have failed to qualify for the Champions League.
The only silver lining for fans of the Rossoneri is that things might be arguably bleaker for those on the blue side of the town. Inter have been absent from the Champions League for two more seasons than Milan, although they did win it more recently than their rivals back in 2009-10, and have gone longer without winning Serie A, Milan winning the season after Inter’s historic treble.
Advantage AC?
Right now, it’s advantage Milan in the pursuit of European soccer. The Rossoneri are two points ahead of the Nerazzuri in the league table as both clubs look to chase down Napoli in the third and final Champions League spot. To do that, sixth-place Milan will have to overhaul a 10-point deficit on the Naples side and leapfrog both Lazio and high-flying Atalanta who occupy the Europa League places.
The cruel timing of this game, the Milan sides meet on the weekend in the middle of the Champions League quarterfinals, highlights just how far these sides have fallen from their heydays. A win on Saturday would certainly increase either side’s chances of continental competition next campaign.
Boot camp
Milan go into this game as slight favorites. Not just because of the side’s respective standings in the table but based on form coming into Saturday’s meeting. The Rossoneri are unbeaten in three games in the league and won two of those, including a 4-0 thumping of Palermo last weekend. Inter, on the other hand, have lost their last two, following a 2-1 reverse at home to Sampdoria with an almost incomprehensible 2-1 loss away to relegation favorites Crotone last weekend, a result that meant the players had their postmatch day off canceled and were confined to a boot camp ahead of the derby.
Much of the blame for that failure against the Serie A debutants has been laid at the door of Inter manager Stefano Pioli. The former Lazio boss is in his first season in the job at Inter and was only recently being lauded for a run of form that saw the side leapfrog Milan in the table on the back of 11 wins in 13 games. Whether he is the right man to reverse the fortunes of the club in the longer term is a debate for the summer, but he needs to get a response out of his underperforming players on Saturday to ensure that he even gets that far.
Winds of change
New owner Suning has already employed three managers in their first season. The last league meeting between these clubs, Milan’s home game which took place in November and finished 2-2, was coach Pioli’s first game in charge after replacing Ronald de Boer. The Dutchman had only been hired in August when the Suning regime saw fit to replace Roberto Mancini, the manager they inherited with the club.
As Suning looks to impose its stamp on Inter in an attempt to bring the club back to its former glories, it remains to be seen what Milan’s own new owners have in store to ensure that they don’t go from European giants to a white elephant. A summer of recruitment beckons with neither squad filled with the kind of stars that established the clubs in the European elite. The fans will be hoping that what sprinkling of stardust there is – Mauro Icardi and Antonio Candreva at Inter, Suso and Gerard Deulofeu for Milan – can shine for their side at the San Siro on Saturday.