GdS: The tactical moves that can help Milan win the derby against Inter

Tomorrow’s derby between Inter and AC Milan will be another game where the tactics of Paulo Fonseca are put under the microscope, and he knows he cannot afford any mistakes.

This morning’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) writes that Fonseca could be sacked if he does not obtain a positive result against Inter and this means that he must get every choice right, starting with the defence.

Emerson Royal is ahead of Davide Calabria in the battle for the right-back spot with Strahinja Pavlovic ahead of Matteo Gabbia in the centre-back hierarchies. Youssouf Fofana and Alvaro Morata are expected to start too.

How can Milan get out of the hole they are in? The idea of Fonseca is that his side should be dominant and control ball possession. In practice it hasn’t happened yet but nothing prevents him from trying again, not even the shock force of your opponent.

The Champions League debut against Liverpool showed how much leaving space can hurt the Rossoneri and in the derby they will have to be mindful of this. Fofana will play a key role, dropping between the centre-backs in the build-up phase to allow a full-back to push up.

Fonseca may prefer the Brazilian on the right to take advantage of his physique and speed in starting attacking moves. Theo on the left side was often looked for by Maignan against Liverpool to avoid the first press from the opponent, a play that will be repeated in the derby.

The other solution that the coach will try to exploit are the runs from the wingers and Tijjani Reijnders in the trequartista role. Morata will play a crucial role too: keeping the Nerazzurri’s defence, especially Acerbi, busy and having the strength to carry it behind him.

The opening goal against Liverpool shows that when the Spaniard drops deeper to look for the ball he can create space in behind. To take advantage of this, Rafael Leao must also be at his best, something the coach and the fans rightly expect.