Derby Preview: A Tactical Analysis of Conte vs Giampaolo

Giampaolo takes on Conte in the Derby della Madonnina tonight. Here's a preview of their showdown:

Press Conferences

Conte: Inter Must Not Slack

Antonio Conte took the press conference to offer dismay at the control of information around the Inter camp. He was full of praise for Giampaolo and looked forward to the showdown. He core message was to the Inter players calling on them not to fall asleep on the job and not to slack due to their winning streak in the league. [Football Italia]

Giampaolo: Milan Must Have Fun

Marco Giampaolo remarked on the ‘climate’ of a derby and the intensity for the players and the fans. He wants Milan to have fun and foregt about the challenge of the game. He commented on the recent trouble with Paqueta and said that it has been blow out of proportion. He called for calmness and focus from his players. [Football Italia]

Form

Inter: 3/3 Wins

Inter have had a rather explosive start to the season with three wins in three games placing them at the top of the Serie A table. Inter openend their campaign with a 4-0 win over Lecce where Stefano Sensi and Romelu Lukaku bagged debut goals. Thereafter, Inter have won hard-fought games against Cagliari and Udinese 2-1 and 1-0 respectively.

Milan: Two shaky wins and A Loss

Milan have not been as solid and begun the season with a 1-0 loss to Udinese after Franck Kessie snoozed on a corner. Milan then ground out two ugly wins over newly promoted Brescia and Hellas Verona where they kept clean sheets and scored a goal in each game. Piatek managed to open his account for the season off a penalty while Calhanoglu has been impactful in getting the goals.

Tactics

Inter: Press and Pass

The key tactic that will hurt Milan is Inter's insane high press and their stamina, Inter have been persistent and threatening on the press. Up front, Conte has introduced first-time passes where the likes of Brozovic, Vecino and Candreva release quick to open up spaces. Inter have been very dangerous with Lukaku and Martinez attacking as both can slip their defensive tail and play well of each other. Lastly, Sensi has been a whizz for Inter and his piercing runs down the middle have caught teams out.

Milan: Giampaoloball?

Milan has been out of sorts tactically. Giampaolo's system is broadly visible but there is much to be desired at this point. There is much more possession play and lots of horizontal passing in the opponents half. Romagnoli and Musacchio are more engaged in the play and often kickstart attacks. Suso remains the main creative outlet while the attacking output has been negligible. The bright spot has oddly been Calhanoglu who has managed to get a winning goal and win a key penalty to secure six points for Milan despite some average overall performances.

Impact Players

Inter: Sensational Sensi

Sensi has been a mercurial signing in his first four games, the former Sassuolo man has scored twice including the winner against Udinese. The little midfielder has looked like a virtuoso sliding between opposition players and supplying some sublime passes and even better shots. He will definitely make a difference in the game unless Kessie can smother him and keep him quiet.

Milan: Dominant Donnarumma

Somehow Donnarumma outperforms everyone in a Milan jersey consistently since his debut. Donnarumma has been instrumental in Milan securing ugly wins and he has to clean up at the back to avoid conceding. Donnarumma will have to push himself to keep the likes of Lukaku, Sensi and Martinez out to give Milan the chance to scrape another ugly 1-0 win.