Emphatic Milan Win Derby Della Madonnina

Goals from Alex, Carlos Bacca and Mbaye Niang give AC Milan the bragging rights tonight in the Derby della Madonnina.

It was a very lively start in the Milan derby with both sides really trying to grab the game by the scruff of the neck. Inter debutant Eder had a great chance when a cross was flashed across the six yard box, but he couldn't hit the target with his header.

Juraj Kucka troubled the Inter back line with a surging run into the box. His driven cross tried to find Mbaye Niang, but Samir Handanovic got down low to intercept. Eder and Ivan Perisic were finding joy down the Milan right with a lovely flick releasing Perisic. The Croatian tried to find Jovetic but excellent positioning from Alex cleared the ball.

Ignazio Abate flashed a ball across the box, with Keisuke Honda in the box, but the Japanese international couldn't supply the finish and the ball was cleared for a corner. Moments later, Honda delivered a cracking cross to be met by the head of Alex and the big Brazilian nodded into the back of the net to break the deadlock.

At half time, both sides had plenty to reflect on. Inter were getting joy down the Milan left with Luca Antonelli often being left exposed while the Nerazurri did have chances to score in the opening half but were often fluffed wide. For the Rossoneri, they looked threatening on the counter attack and the next half would play into their hands as they would not have to commit bodies forward.

From the first whistle of the final half, young goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma got entangled with Eder and after shouts for a penalty were dismissed, Inter coach Roberto Mancini was sent to the stands. The referee performed admirably, as he respected the occasion and tried to let the game flow through playing advantage. He didn't brandish the first yellow card until the latter stages of the second half.

As the half progressed, Inter began to force the game more leading to more and more sloppy errors. Their hosts seemed comfortable as they hadn't created a meaningful chance in the 20 minutes however they got a golden chance from the spot minutes later. Mauro Icardi got a shot off from inside the box that forced a terrific save from Donnarumma in nets. On the rebound, the official behind the goal adjudged Alex to have fouled the Inter captain. From the spot, the 16 year old stood strong and watched Icardi thump the post with his shot.

The game was put further out of reach in the 73rd minute. Niang had the ball on the right flank and delivered a sumptuous ball into the 6 yard box which Carlos Bacca was happy to deflect past Handanovic in nets. Bacca had not really got into the game up until this point but popped up when required to provide the home side with a cushion.

The game was put out of Inter's sight with less than 15 minutes. Giacomo Bonaventura dispossessed Davide Santon to give Milan a three on two counter in the Inter half. The ball was shifted to Mbaye Niang, who dispatched the ball on the second attempt past Handanovic. Milan were more clinical than their rivals while Inter often squandered their opportunities.

AC Milan were simply terrific on the counter attack and thoroughly deserve their win. The game could have easily been a different story if Mauro Icardi had converted the penalty just before Milan's second goal. It's a massive three points for the Rossoneri as they continue their push for a top three finish. 

Higuain Sends Napoli Top

A brace from Gonzalo Higuain proved enough to see off the challenge of Internzionale at Stadio San Paolo.

The action commenced 65 seconds from the kick off when Higuain belted in a goal from the edge of the box. While Inter may claim that Jose Callejon handled the ball, it would have been a very harsh decision if penalised. Jaison Murillo missed a good opportunity to clear the lines and would have prevented the goal being scored.

Inter were nervy and Napoli were creating good opportunities. Marek Hamsik dinked a ball into the box but Callejon couldn't supply a finish. This is the first time I've watched Napoli this season and the changes Maurizio Sarri has made are incredible. Napoli are more easy on the eye to watch with their fluid passing style of play and more importantly, they look like a cohesive team. Under Rafa Benitez they often conceded from winning positions and never looked settled.

Lorenzo Insigne and Hamsik were getting too much space in between the Inter midfield and defence. This allowed the Neapolitan defenders to slide balls through to the creative midfielders and when they turned and run at the Milanese defence, they looked vulnerable. Napoli were having all of the ball and when Inter did get possession, they looked lost and eventually conceded the ball back to their hosts. They looked like they missed Geoffrey Kondogbia in the middle of the pitch.

Inter had a glorious chance five minutes before the interval. It was the first occasion in which Adem Ljajic got on the ball and decided to run with it. He found himself on the right wing and hit a low ball into the box only for Ivan Perisic to scuff the shot wide. Inter don't create many opportunities or score goals so this one represented a golden chance for the Nerazzurri to level it up.

Things got harder for Internazionale when Yuto Nagatomo received his second yellow card. Nice play from Allan on the right allowed him to evade one challenge and give himself space and time to dink the ball over Nagatomo before being taken out. There was no doubt that it was a second yellow card and it gave Roberto Mancini some thinking to do over the break if his side are to remain at the top of the table this week.

In the second half, Napoli displayed all of the dominance they showed in the first half, but weren't as creative and free-flowing, largely down to Mancini's astute tactics. They limited Napoli by keeping Hamsik and Insigne quiet and the second half remained scoreless until the hour mark. Higuain netted his and Napoli's second when a hopeful long header from Raul Albiol caught Murillo and Miranda off guard. The former Madridista had enough speed and power to hold off the challenges before burying the ball past Samir Handanovic.

From out of nowhere, Adem Ljajic halved the deficit five minutes later. An error from Faouzi Ghoulam poked the ball into the path of the Serbian international before taking a touch and curling it into the bottom corner. The goal gave Inter the lift they needed but also meant that their hosts had to concentrate for the remaining 20 minutes. Marcelo Brozovic had a mazy run which opened up a shooting opportunity, but his shot did not hit the target.

Inter had possibly their best opportunity of the game when Ivan Perisic threaded a ball through to the goal scorer, Ljajic and with Jonathan Biabiany free at the front post, he tried to pull the ball back to the edge of the area only for it to be easily intercepted. This was a massive opportunity that would have certainly resulted in the net bulging it the 24 year old had made the correct decision. Despite the missed opportunity, Inter had silenced the San Paolo and dragged themselves kicking and screaming back into the match.

After a great chance from Ljajic, Higuain had a great opportunity to net his hat trick and put the game out of the sight of the Milanese side. He beat numerous straggling challenges in a mazy run and released a shot that was goal-bound only for a terrific save from Handanovic to foil the World Cup runner-up. At the other end, both substitute Stefan Jovetic and Miranda had excellent headers that almost equalised. Jovetic was denied by the post, while a full stretch Pepe Reina thwarted Miranda. The reaction on the face of the former Liverpool keeper was a picture of relief at the end of the game.

Napoli held on to go top of Serie A, while Inter can be pleased with a steely performance that almost snatched them a point. Napoli are an exciting team and Sarri will definitely have them competing for silverware at the end of the season.

Are the Glory Days Returning to Milan?

After raiding the transfer market, both Milan sides seem to be assembling squads to rival the title holders, Juventus. It is one thing buying the talent, but will the former glory days be returning to Italy's second city?

Before touching on the players, the management of both squads need to be considered. Both Internazionale and Milan have capable managers, Inter appointing favourite Roberto Mancini and Milan looking towards former Fiorentina and Sampdoria man Sinisa Mihajlovic. Mancini loves his defenders to be comfortable on the ball and look to build from the back. Central defender is Juan Jesus is a prime example of this. Looking at Mihajlovic, he is certainly a lively and controversial figure. He has had run ins with Adem Ljajic, who is on loan at Inter Milan from Roma. During his stint as the Serbian national team coah he ordered people to sign a document indicating that they promise to sing the Serbian national anthem before each game. Mihajlovic may come across as a dictator, but he demands nothing but 100% commitment from his players and can be sure to get the best out of them.

There were a lot of purchases for either side in the summer transfer window, and most of them have been very good buys. Geoffrey Kondogbia was the big signing from Mancini with the Frenchman moving from AS Monaco for £21.7m. At only 22 years of age, he already one of the top midfield stars in Serie A, making 12 Serie A appearances until this stage. He controls a game and this was witnessed in the Champions League tie against Arsenal last season when he made a quality Arsenal midfield look sub-standard. Although he hasn't been firing on all cylinders recently, there is a bright future for the holding midfielder.

Stefan Jovetic is looking revitalised under Roberto Mancini. The man who brought him to Manchester City has freed him from Manuel Pellegrini where he made just 11 appearances in 2 years and was suffering from injuries and low confidence. Now back on more familiar turf, Mancini's acquisition has been inspired with the Montengrin netting 3 times in his first 2 games and delivering a string of very good performances. Jovetic also teams up with Croatian, Ivan Perisic. Out of the 13 games he has featured in, he has netted on 3 occasions. Perisic had a terrific season with Wolfsburg last year, culminating in a DFB Pokal victory. So far this season he has created 8 chances compared to last years' tally of 25. Perisic is a unique style of player. Normally utilised out wide, he doesn't display pace that would be commonly associated with a winger, however he can play make and be labelled as a wide playmaker. he is a useful player and will be applied cunningly by Roberto Mancini.

AC Milan raided the transfer market spending money on no less than 7 players. The pick of these include Carlos Bacca, Andrea Bertolacci and Luiz Adriano. Bacca was part of the Europa League winning side of 2013/2014 and 2014/2015, being a key marksman on the way. Already this season he has netted 6 times in 11 league appearances and his forming a very fruitful partnership with Adriano. he has a 42.7% strike ratio and will be one of the leading scorers when Serie A concludes at the end of the season. Last season he had scored 20 times and had an exceptional shot accuracy with 71% of his shots hitting the target. Looking at his partner in crime, Luiz Adriano arrived from Shahktar Donetsk for a fee of around £5m. Not quite reaching the heights of his partner he has 2 goals in 10 appearances. For Shahktar, he recorded 77 league goals in 162 appearances for the Ukrainians. Some people may remember the dropped ball incident in the Champions League Group stage in 2012. Willian attempted to return a dropped ball to the Nordsjaelland keeper, but Adriano nicked the ball and slotted it into the back of the net. He wasn't too popular after this, but Milan are keen to overlook his unsporting play.

Current standings are positive for both sides but particularly the blue half. Inter have only lost one game to league leaders Fiorentina and sit in second position, Milan are further down a bit in 6th and seem to be struggling for consistency. 6 victories and 4 defeats is a start, but something that needs to be worked on if they are to creep into the Champions League spots. Neither side have European football this year, and has really hurt all in Italy's second city. It remains to be seen whether Internazionale can keep the charge up but if they can get to Christmas still in the mix, then they have a great opportunity of securing the Scuddetto for the first time since the treble winning season. Juventus have fallen down the pecking order, but be under no illusions that they will have a run of form and challenge for Champions League spots.

One very key player for the Rossoneri that I would like to mention is Giacomo Bonaventura. AC Milan completed the signing of the midfielder for a fee believed to be approximately €7m. Last season he found his feet in his new club, playing 33 out of the 38 games and scoring 7 goals. It's his creativity that is most impressive. Last season he created 43 chances and even though he assisted just 4 times, I would point the finger at Milan's poor finishers. This season he has created more than half (26) the chances he did last season in just over 11 game, it's quite incredible how well he has performed under Mihajlovic. I watched his performance on Sunday with keen interest and witnessed assists for Mexes' and Bacca's goals. If Milan are to do anything this year he needs to stay fit.

One thing I would like to touch on in regards to AC Milan is their consistency. Against Lazio the other week they were simply incredible. They scored 3 great goals, while giving the home side barely a sniff of the ball. It was that match that actually prompted me to write this article and gave me a really high opinion of their chances of creeping back to the big time. However, they were a shadow of that game in their match v Atalanta and were very lucky to leave with a point. If it wasn't for their 16 year old goal keeper then Atalanta certainly would have left the San Siro with maximum points. The Rossoneri can't continue to rely on a 16 year old goal keeper as, although he has been solid, he is still learning and mistakes are inevitable. Giacomo Bonaventura has also been influential this season creating 25 chances already this season. He seems to hold the key for AC Milan.

Inter are sitting with smiles on their faces in second place behind Fiorentina on goal difference. Roberto Mancini is building a side that is extremely capable of bringing Champions League football back to their club. I watched the derby match against Milan and Inter and even though they weren't impressive, they still got all three points in that match courtesy of a Fredy Guarin strike. Contrary to the Italian stereotype, Inter looked to attack and they often looked dangerous and posed questions for AC Milan to answer. With Juventus currently in mid table, there is no reason why Inter can't remain there over Christmas. If the form continues, Mancini could have a title winning side at his disposal.

The money spent suggest both sides are resurgent and keen to get back to Europe's premier competition. Truthfully, I've been disappointed in the demise both side over the last number of years, but large proportion of that sympathy could derive from my fondness of Italian football. In the Champions League, Italy has not really had the same threshold since Internazionale's victory in 2010 as Juventus looked the only side to go anywhere and even at that, they disappointed in every season bar the last.

Nerazzurri and Old Lady Share the Spoils in Milan

A goalless draw was the outcome in the Giuseppe Meazza in an enthralling encounter that contained some high octane footballing action.

Juventus were the side trailing Internazionale by 9 points and it was the visitors that started with the more possession. The prize in this game was massive so there was no surprise to see the referee dishing out bookings inside the first ten minutes. Claudio Marchisio, Felipe Melo and Sami Khedira getting jotted down by the ref.

The chances were thin to report on in the first 20 minutes. Juan Cuadrado did have a shot from the right that disturbed the side netting while Stefan Jovetic's free kick didn’t have Gianluigi Buffon worried. Nevertheless it was a pulsating opening quarter with plenty of passion being displayed by both sides.

Internazionale had a hand ball appeal turned down after 25 minutes after excellent work from Marcelo Brozovic down the left but replays showed that the ref made the correct decision. Jovetic had an excellent chance to break the deadlock shortly after when Jeison Murillo slid the Montenegrin through but he was foiled by an excellent save from the 159 times capped Italian stopper.

Inter were most definitely on top as the half hour mark approached. Buffon once again saved Juve's blushes when he tipped a curling shot from Brozovic onto the bar after a short corner. Juventus were struggling and having to commit cynical fouls to slow the game down and to try and get a foothold in it.

Inter seemed to have surrendered their momentum when Felipe Melo looked to have brought Khedira down with a challenge from behind but the referee deemed the challenge to be fair and waved play on. Replays lead me to believe that the Brazilian was lucky not to pick up a second yellow.

Both defences were on form. Andrea Barzagli was on fire and frequently thwarted Inter in their steps. Likewise an excellent challenge from Murillo prevented Simone Zaza from getting a shot on target. The referee blew an electric first half to a close.

Right from the off, Juve pressurised Inter and Cuadrado nearly squeezed a shot through Samir Handanovic's legs. The Old Lady dominated the midfield in the first 10 minutes of the second half, much to the contrary at the tail end of the first half. A snap shot from Stefan Jovetic was sweetly struck from about 10 yards outside the area, but Buffon was equal to the shot despite the vigorous dip just in front of him.

With an hour gone, it was Roberto Mancini who decided to try and force things with the introduction of Fredy Guarin. The pace of the game was frantic from the off of the game, with both sides causing each other problems and neither looking as if they would succumb to tiredness. It looked as if it was going to take a mistake or a piece of magic to separate the sides.

Undoubtedly the chance of the game was squandered by Sami Khedira just before the 70th minute mark. Excellent control, composure and awareness from Alvaro Morata inside the box allowed the Spanish international time to find the former Madrid man. Unchallenged a goal looked inevitable but his shot hit the post and bounced clear of danger.

As the final 5 minutes approached, it looked as if both sides were going away with a point each. Ivan Perisic did have a late free kick that sailed over the bar, not troubling Buffon, while a late surge by Cuadrado to the by-line looked promising, until he failed to find Paulo Dybala or Paul Pogba free on the edge of the 6 yard box. It was excellent play by Cuadrado to beat his opponent on the right flank.

Neither side could be separated and a point each was definitely the correct result. Juventus needed the victory more than the Nerazzurri as they continue to falter in attempt to get their Serie A campaign up and running.

Guarin Strike Edges Out Rivals

The master beats the apprentice in a thrilling encounter in Milan. A sensational effort from Fredy Guarin gives Roberto Mancini the victory over his former assistant manager Sinisa Mihajlovic.

This game helped dispel all the common stereotypes with Italian football and the game started at a frantic pace with both sides looking to attack. The first sight on goal went the way of the Rossoneri with Carlos Bacca capitalising on a stray ball from Jeison Murillo. His pass to Luiz Fabiano was weighted perfectly but the shot was well saved by Samir Handanovic in the Inter net. Milan's front duo of Bacca and Fabiano were causing all sorts of problems for the Nerazzuri defence.

Once again, the movement of Luis Adriano wreaked havoc for Inter, but the Brazilian couldn't supply the finish. AC Milan looked sharp on the break, while Inter's defence looked shaky and coughed up several opportunities. In the dying embers of the opening half, Inter were gifted an excellent chance. Superb creativity from loanee Stefan Jovetic worked space and he was able to play Mauro Icardi through. Milan's full backs kept the Inter captain onside but his shot was scuffed and saved by Diego Lopez.

It was a superb half of football with both sides playing flowing, attacking football, aided by some excellent refereeing from Gianluca Rocchi - It was only a matter of time before the deadlock was broken. Similar to the first half, the second period started frenetically. Jovetic was creating chances but couldn't get a shot away, while at the back, Inter were looking frail.

Their frailties continued as the Nerazzuri nearly played themselves into a sticky situation at the back. However Kondogbia managed to play the ball wide and after two passes, Fredy Guarin pulled the trigger and his shot left Lopez with no chance in the nets. The ball could have very nearly ended up in the Inter net but once they got out of trouble, Milan were at sixes and sevens at the back and their risk was rewarded. Icardi had an excellent chance to double Inter's lead but he got too low and his header soared over the bar.

Italy's bad boy, Mario Balotelli was introduced with half an hour to go to a chorus of jeers. His distribution was impressive, and he nearly equalised with less than 15 minutes to go when his shot cannoned off the upright. Balotelli impressed me, and he looked as if he had a new lease of life since leaving Anfield. In the last ten minutes Milan piled on the pressure and Internazionale barricaded their defence. Inter managed to hold on for a one goal victory and now sit top of Serie A with maximum points.

There are positives and negatives for both sides to work on. Inter will be pleased to have the bragging rights and also maintain their great start, however defensive worries will remain in Roberto Mancini's mind. For Mihajlovic, it obviously will be a disappointment to lose the derby, however his side fashioned some excellent chances and on another day could have been a different result. Inter are looking strong and will definitely be challenging come the end of the season.