After losing to Inter 5-1 in the Derby della Madonnina on Saturday night, Stefano Pioli, the coach of AC Milan, was questioned about if he ought to apologize to the supporters.

With 12 goals scored and only one goal allowed, Inter had just accomplished an unprecedented accomplishment by defeating their local rivals for the fifth time in a row this year.

Inter have once again demonstrated why they are the favorites to win Serie A by winning this derby, and despite losing players like Romelu Lukaku and Marcelo Brozovic, they continue to find ways to showcase their superiority. However, Pioli’s odd tactical choices and the manner in which his team lost the game in the final period have drawn a lot of criticism and theatrical responses.

Milan were performing above expectations at this early stage of the season to allay any worries about their summer revolution until they suffered their biggest derby loss in several decades this past weekend. Many questioned if the new owners Red Bird understood the club’s ethos after letting beloved director and club great Paolo Maldini leave before selling Sandro Tonali.

After ten new additions, Milan began to amaze onlookers with overwhelming attacking play that made us marvel how Pioli was able to integrate so many new players so rapidly. Former Chelsea teammates Christian Pulisic and Olivier Giroud instantly demonstrated their familiarity with one another by assisting one another in goal-scoring and goal-creating. We have faith in this new Milan because of Tijjani Reijnders’ dynamism, who routinely made deft runs into the box, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s vision, vigor, and determination to cover territory.

The team stopped leaning to the left in the hopes that Giroud would receive a beautiful pass or that Rafael Leao would perform some sort of wizardry on the left. There were now choices on the bench and on the field.

There were, however, some that were asked defensively. Milan may have scored eight goals in their first three matches of the season and won all, but the two goals they did allow raised questions. While the Rossoneri still defeated Roma, Fikayo Tomori was going to miss the derby because of his red card. a terrible loss.

Even with him there, doubts existed about Milan’s defense’s ability to hold up against stronger attacking teams. Last season, we saw the backline exposed far too frequently, and we weren’t sure if they had found a solution. The majority of the new additions were intended to strengthen the attack rather than a defense that allowed 43 goals to Napoli’s 28 last season.

Simon Kjar (right) and Rade Krunic (center)
In Serie A, AC Milan drops to third place, after Juventus and Inter.
Could this midfield provide a strong enough filter? Because of the sprinting done by people like Franck Kessie and Tonali in front of him, Tomori’s first season performances received high accolades. His performances last year received less praise as the midfield became more overburdened and overworked.

The finest center-back for Milan, though, is Tomori, and Malick Thiaw and the Rossoneri defense both failed without him. Inter’s tenacity, practiced knowledge of how to double up, and midfield congestion served them neutralize any attacking threats from the opposition while allowing them to continuously threaten during transitions.

Milan was confident in their ability to attack from all areas of the pitch before the derby since they had so many one-on-one attackers. Inter, though, confirmed preseason worries when they deprived Milan of that space and had them work against physically intimidating players in confined quarters.

Milan lost 5-1 and is deserving of criticism, but not excessive interrogation. Ten new players on this team still don’t know what their real talents and weaknesses are. Nothing extraordinary can be accomplished so soon, considering this is only the fourth game of the year. Inter has greater expertise and has maintained a project that resulted in a strong showing in the Champions League final. They have transformed as well, although not to the same extent, and are the clear favorites to win the Serie A. They will always present the toughest competition for this new Milan.

Pioli is sure that his team is strong enough to handle this emotional storm. The Rossoneri have struggled in these derby games in 2023, but Pioli shouldn’t be underestimated just yet. He won two straight Serie A derbies in 2022 and was the first manager to do it since Massimiliano Allegri in 2011.

(Left) Sandro Tonali
Tonali revealed having “mixed emotions” about leaving his childhood fantasy team when he joined Newcastle from Milan in the summer.
Tuesday’s Champions League match between Milan and Newcastle will feature the Italian team’s eagerness to atone. The Rossoneri will have Tomori returning in defense to hopefully ensure a more balanced performance. The forward line is still deliciously effervescent for the Rossoneri.

The team privately believes they have a good chance of escaping what is currently known as the “group of death.” For this team, winning the Champions League is important for both financial and reputational reasons. Milan hopes to go to the knockout stages so they can show their anticipated maturity. Only Real Madrid has won more titles than Milan in this competition.

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Although relatively unlikely, anything is conceivable. Due to the lengthy schedules and increased playing time for players, the depth of the squad and its caliber will be crucial. Unfortunately, that costs money, but the unpredictable nature of this sport is one of the reasons we enjoy it.

While the less wealthy may not win the entire competition, they can still contend to the very end. However, almost every year we witness at least one fantastic story in the Champions League. According to the Deloitte Football Money League, Inter earned £261 million the year before, placing 14th in terms of income in Europe. Despite being rated 16th, Milan participated in the semifinal. Inter performed admirably in the championship game and, in Pep Guardiola’s opinion, were unlucky not to have won.

Despite having a limited budget, Juventus participated in the 2015 Champions League final. In fact, even teams like Schalke were bringing in more money from merchandise sales than the Italian heavyweights. It’s interesting to note that the more money they made, the more difficult it was for them to compete in the later rounds of the competition. Although having money is advantageous, innovative teams may thrive without it and will always compete.

Nigerian Ifeanyi Elekwachi What do you think the chances are that Mourinho will finish this season at Roma? Are his supporters and the management still pleased with him?

It is impossible to accurately measure how important he is to the team. As soon as it was revealed that Jose Mourinho would be taking over as coach of Roma, AS Roma shares shot up more than 21%, and the club’s brand has continued to expand thanks in large part to the influence of his name and reputation. It is frequently acknowledged in Italy that he played a significant role in Paulo Dybala and Romelu Lukaku’s decision to go with Roma.

In addition to winning the club’s first European title since 1961, the 2022 Europa Conference League, and making the Europa League final the following year, his standing has increased. He has improved the club, and the supporters frequently chant his name. We have grown to expect Roma to play in sold-out stadiums, which generates cash. Despite his antics, the fans and the club adore and appreciate him much. Away from Rome, he is criticized, and his team’s playing strategy has come under scrutiny.

It’s important to note that he rejected down more lucrative offers from Saudi Arabia to stay on this Roma road, and they are grateful for this because he seems devoted to the club for the remainder of this season. His contract expires in June 2024.

Bill from Cumbria Who do you think the Serie A’s up-and-coming young stars are?

Numerous, and maybe the league will be able to keep them in Serie A!

Robert Olabode As the right-back for Fiorentina at the moment, Kayode is someone to watch. He shone on the field as Fiorentina’s first-game starter of the season against Genoa, but he was later diagnosed with tonsillitis and hasn’t played since.

He also scored the game’s lone goal to secure Italy’s victory in the UEFA European Under-19 Championship.

Coach Vincenzo Italiano will be seeking to use the right-back rather frequently during this busy season. He will be looking for intelligent runs along with neat passing and a strong mentality. He is an athletic athlete who has no fear, which is precisely what the team needs moving forward.

Italian center defender Giorgio Scalvini competes for Atalanta and the Italian national team. He’s only 19 years old, very graceful, and highly technical, yet he’ll never turn down the chance to fight. He’s big and strong, and he’ll make sure his opponents know it, but he can also pick out a deft pass to help the team advance up the field.

He is already a factor in Luciano Spalletti’s efforts to assure Italy’s qualification for the 2018 Euros.

Samuel Iling-Juniori, a winger for Juventus, is highly regarded. The Englishman, whose contract was recently renewed, always appears to know how to have an influence on the field. Last year, Benfica played Juventus in the Champions League, and the Italians were losing 4-1. After Iling-Junior entered the game, he not only helped Arkadiusz Milik score to make it 4-2 but also helped Juve score a crucial goal to make it 4-3.

His entrance, which provided the assist for Dusan Vlahovic’s goal against Bologna two weeks ago, helped Juve recover a point after falling behind 1-0. He is tactically astute, lively, and capable of easily eluding his opponents to provide mouthwatering passes.

Journalist and broadcaster Mina Rzouki covers European football for BBC Sport this year. Fill out the form below to ask her a question about European football. She will respond to some of them in the columns that follow.