In the derby, Inter showed two faces.
In the first half, the Nerazzurri played football that was expected to be a big score, but because of Menion's bravery, in a hurry, Inzaghi Jr. fell to his knees and pounded the ground.
In the second half, after the removal of Casey, who could not work hard, AC Milan played the fighting spirit and age advantage to the extreme, and Inter suffered a tragic collapse and lost the key matchup.
Sport Milano noted: "If the leaders win tonight, they have the potential to widen the point difference by 10 points. But now, their advantages have shrunk dramatically. Even if Inter have one less game to play, the Nerazzurri have realized that the psychological impact of this defeat on both Milan teams will be reflected in the following period. ”
Where was the turning point in the race?
It was the 70th minute of the game. Perisic felt discomfort in his thigh flexors and offered to go off the field, but the coach was caught off guard by this sudden change and chose Di Marco to replace him. This became a key factor in Inter's collapse.
Italian television pointed out that this substitution shows that Inzaghi Jr. is a bit too "idealistic", he has always thought of the beautiful blueprint of "left wing pass control, right wing wrapping", hoping to use Di Malco's ability to hold the ball and cross to launch an offensive attack, so that Dumfries at the far point can "bully" Te'o with the ability to grab points - Dunfer in the first half several times to pressure Te O to attack or ferry, the effect is obvious.
But in reality, the blueprint was only half effective, and Theo was certainly dyed red by Dumfries. However, Di Marco's shortcomings in defense and confrontation were infinitely magnified in this kind of "full bayonet fighting" game, which seriously affected the battle situation.
Coupled with the fact that Lautaro (affected by the South American FIFA virus, physically overdrawn) and Char KhanOglu (physically weak and carrying a yellow card) were also replaced in a short period of time, Inter's confrontation and defensive ability fell several notches, and finally swallowed the bitter fruit.
A lot of people are saying: if it wasn't Dima, but Damian earlier... This also allowed little Inzaghi to experience the most critical night after entering the job.
Without discussing "whoever is who if you change it", it is a game that exposes the lack of Inter ceiling today.
The problem arises in many ways.
For example, Dzeko. The facts have proved once again that even if he rests for two weeks, he can only play half-time, and no matter how much, he will be old.
For example, Handanovich. In front of Menion, Inter must admit that in a strong dialogue, the Nerazzurri will be the side of the goalkeeper's absolute strength.
For example, efficiency. The problem of having a lot of opportunities in the dominant time, but a wide variety of harvests, has appeared countless times in strong dialogues this season, such as playing Real Madrid Juve and Milan Lazio, making Inter pay the price of blood many times.
For example, fear of attrition. When playing a strong team, Inter's "indispensable Mr." is not 2-3, but most of the teams, and the backbone members, no matter who is out of the situation, may become a hidden danger in the rapid turn of the game.
If Inter's goal this season is to "protect the lower limit and rush the upper limit", then in the latter goal, the team is trapped by the lack of hard power, and it is doomed to be difficult to go further.
After losing the derby, Inzaghi Jr. revealed that the whole team in the locker room was very disappointed, they were all upset, why they played a good half but failed to establish the victory, why they lost the game after playing a bad ball for 20 minutes in the second half, why Sanchez was knocked off with the ball before the first loss was not a foul...
But now Inter, what should be thought, should not be these.
The fact that it is only 1 point ahead of AC Milan has made the Nerazzurri league fault tolerance rate already low.
The brutal schedule against Roma, Napoli and Liverpool in the next series left Inter with no time to lick his wounds and had to cheer up immediately.
Fortunately, before and after this battle, Inter also received praise from fans and the media, which is Marotta.
Marotta confirmed that Brozovic had a high probability of renewing his contract, and Perisic's renewal negotiations did not stop, and the performance of the above two in this battle proved that these were reasonable decisions.
Looking at the performance of Di Marco in this battle to play left-back, how painful it is to replace Dzeko without a substitute center, the different performances of Handanovic and Menion in the rescue, and then look at the significance of Marotta's signing of Gesens, Kesedo and Onana in the winter window, people will have different assessments.
Consider that Marotta has been attacking Skamaca and Vladesi, and intends to send Vidal, Besino, Sanchez at the end of the season... It can be seen that the CEO of Inter has a very clear understanding of the problems existing in the team, he is not blindly optimistic because of the good results in December and January and the championship winning, he has been working hard to solve the problem, and the team is on the right path.
The fact is that losing the derby shattered Inter's dream of "doing his best" and "escaping" from the standings in advance, but this defeat will not make Inter ruined.
Inter are still the lead, with one less game to play and the initiative.
Inter also have new signings to look forward to pointing to the team's shortcomings.
The Nerazzurri still has a clear idea of business.
So, losing the derby, despite the sharp turnaround, is not the end of the world, it is just a signal that Inter has entered the most critical moment of the season. The season has really entered the "time to play for life" from now on.