Milan 1 Inter 0

Winless in the last five Derby matches this Milan team was not a sure fire group to break that streak, yet somehow they found a way to get the job done in spite of the odd tactics!  On this day Milan looked like a 4-1-2-1-2 or 4-1-2-1-1-1 which made of mess of the attack.  We can talk about the attack later, but the real story was NDJ who for me solidified his place as AC Milan's player of the season and a sure fire starter for the Dutch National Team in the 2014 World Cup.  His goal was a thundering thing of beauty and while the service was sublime the elevation and authority sealed the deal.

In reality it was an odd Derby from the sense that Inter FC  looked about as off as Milan when it came to moving the ball. They did have some good spells in wide areas which shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone yet Clarence didn't do much in terms of countering that, yet the team retained it's shape really did a good job in center of the park.  Yes, there were some lucky bounces and NDJ had to save a goal soon as after he scored one but the point is Milan got the job done and gave us something to smile about even for a mere minute.

The team continues to surprise but in unexpected ways, Constant played while today while Kaka and Taarabt looked confused.  One could blame it on the odd ball tactics, but the attack simply wasn't clicking at all today.  Get the ball to Balotelli, have him hold him up and get fouled and repeat. On the occasion Kaka and Taarabt broke into space there was not enough pressure on the three man back line and in left Balotelli on a island. He did much better to stay calm and collected and his free kick was a signal of that but one could argue he could have been subbed all in the same.

On a day where Juventus won their third straight Title, Milan clawed up the table now level with Parma and three points behind Inter. Management demanded Europa League Football next season and it will be interesting to see how they handle a successful qualification both in terms of Manager and investment in the team.  We can focus more on the possible purgatory of the Europa League later this week but for now lets enjoy the three points.