Inter Milan and AC Milan a tale of two cities this season

Inter Milan dominates Serie A, while city-rivals AC Milan are a failure this season. A look at two teams in the same city experiencing opposite fortunes.

Inter Milan are flying high this season. Over the past seven weeks, it’s the Milan-based club managed by Antonio Conte who have emerged as the biggest contenders to Juventus’ domestic supremacy. It was supposed to be Napoli and Roma. Instead, it’s Inter Milan who have dominated in Italy.

Conte, a former Juventus player and coach, has been widely lauded for his ability to transform Inter Milan into a title contender in such a short time span.

On the other hand, Inter’s city rivals AC Milan are once again struggling. A former power, AC Milan was a team that always contended for the league title. In the late 1980s and early ’90s, this was a club that also dominated Europe.

AC Milan was among one of the world’s best teams. Nearly 30 years later, this is a team that’s in trouble.

These are the two differences separating two of the world’s biggest rivals. It was on full display last month when the sides met for the first time this season in the derby at the San Siro, the stadium both teams share. Inter Milan came out on top 2-0, putting together a dominating display.

It would have been even worse for the Rossoneri if not for a series of impressive saves from goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Nonetheless, goals from Marcelo Brozovic and Romelu Lukaku got through the weak AC Milan backline to lift the Nerazzurri to victory.

In a recent interview, Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez said of Conte: “He’s a coach I really like. He has an important way of thinking. He always asks for hard work and makes sure we translate on to the field what we do in training.”

Inter Milan have been tested over the past week. A 2-1 defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League (after a Luis Suarez goal gave Barca the win six minutes from time) denied Inter Milan the chance to show off how good they really have been this season. It was a minor setback for a team that may be a Champions League contender, but Conte’s main focus remains the Serie A title.

That brings us to this past Sunday’s much-anticipated home match against Juventus. A game once known as “il derby d’Italia” (Italy’s derby) because neither team had ever been relegated before, these two remain the country’s top two clubs in terms of fans. While Juve were relegated after the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal, the nickname remains.

What also remains is the allure and rivalry that these two sides have built up over the decades. In the latest installment, Inter and Juve did battle with first place on the line. Again, it was the ability to hang on to a draw that hurt the Nerazzurri. In the end, Juventus, now coached by Maurizio Sarri, got the better of Inter Milan. With great skill, and some luck, the defending league champions snatched the 2-1 win 10 minutes from the end thanks to a Gonzalo Higuain goal. The game, played before 75,000 fans, was telecast live to 200 countries.

As a result, Juve are in first place with 19 points. A point behind them is Inter Milan. By comparison, AC Milan is a dismal 13th in the standings. Last season’s fourth-place finish by Inter Milan (an astounding 21 points behind Juventus) had brought an end to Luciano Spalletti’s managerial reign. That opened the door for Conte to come to Inter and try and win the scudetto for the first time since 2010, a year where the team captured the league and cup double in addition to the Champions League.

Yes, it was two loses for Inter Milan in as many games against two of the world’s best clubs. Nonetheless, this is an Inter Milan side that isn’t just much better than its city rivals, but is a team that can compete for a trophy this season. Stay tuned. Inter Milan isn’t out of this just yet.