Mauro Icardi’s heroics and Gianluigi Donnarumma’s positioning are the focus of the FC crew’s attention after Inter bested Milan in the Milan derby.
Check out all the notable action from Europe this weekend, including Lionel Messi’s injury, Thierry Henry’s debut and Icardi’s Milan derby heroics.
The guys respond to your tweets about Mauro Icardi, Gigio Donnarumma, why some people allegedly hate Inter and reacting to exuberant celebrations.
Internazionale deservedly secured all three points against AC Milan in the Derby della Madonnina on Sunday night, with Mauro Icardi scoring a dramatic late goal to seal the 1-0 win.
The Rossoneri were poor throughout, and while they will be disappointed not to have held on for a point, they certainly didn’t do enough to win it.
Positives
Milan were nowhere near their best, but they showed plenty of resolve to dig deep and looked set to at least take a share of the spoils. Albeit they were fortunate at times too, taking a point when playing so poorly would have been a decent outcome.
Negatives
Despite their recent form and given it was such an important game, Milan looked like a side more focused on not losing the game rather than going out to try and win it. The negative approach ultimately backfired and their poor display was punished in bitterly disappointing fashion.
Manager rating out of 10
5 — As mentioned above, Gennaro Gattuso seemingly sent his players out with a negative approach. From sitting back and soaking up pressure to playing with a lack of intensity and attacking urgency, the writing was arguably on the wall. Further, his substitutions made little sense both tactically and in terms of sending out the wrong message.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Gianluigi Donnarumma, 4 — Made some key saves during the game, but looked shaky at times too when dealing with deliveries into the box. That was to be his eventual downfall, as he looked completely lost with Icardi given a simple finish. Continues to make very costly mistakes.
DF Davide Calabria, 6 — Solid performance from the right-back as he rarely gave Ivan Perisic time or space to be effective in a great defensive display. As always, he continued to offer an outlet on the right flank with his energy to continuously get up and down the flank.
DF Mateo Musacchio, 5 — While Donnarumma must take the brunt of the criticism for the winning goal, Musacchio looked equally as lost in tracking Icardi. It was poor defending, goalkeeping or perhaps a combination of both with a lack of communication thrown in too.
DF Alessio Romagnoli, 8 — Milan’s captain put in a brilliant shift at the back. Made countless clearances, while he also produced a highlight of the match with a superbly time tackle on Icardi to deny him what looked a certain goal. Perhaps could of done better on the goal as he was dragged out wide and couldn’t stop the cross coming in, but overall, a great performance.
DF Ricardo Rodriguez, 6 — Similarly to Calabria, the Swiss international put in a solid defensive display, while also attacking when the opportunity presented itself. Made some key interceptions in the box and was alert to danger throughout.
MF Franck Kessie, 6 — A tireless performance from the midfield general as he covered plenty of ground and put himself about to try and get a foothold in the game. One key area he must improve in is when he drives forward with those powerful runs, he has to be better with his touch and decisiveness in the final third.
MF Lucas Biglia, 7 — The midfield stalwart was a critical part in Milan’s ability to stem the Inter tide as he snuffed out dangerous attacks and won back possession on countless occasions. Particularly after picking up a yellow card early on, he did well to keep his composure and showed how valuable his experience is.
MF Giacomo Bonaventura, 5 — Looked dangerous on the break at times as his driving runs forward saw some dangerous situations open up for Milan. However there was no end product to his play as attacks went nowhere and so it was a disappointing performance overall.
FW Suso, 6 — Impressively, the Spanish winger did much better from a defensive perspective as he tracked back and worked hard. Was always eager to get on the ball to try and make something happen, but couldn’t find the right delivery which left his target man isolated.
FW Gonzalo Higuain, 5 — A low mark but for the most part, completely out of his hands. Failed to receive the service required to make him a threat, as Milan rarely looked composed in possession and so couldn’t get the ball up to him. A frustrating night compounded by Icardi having the last word.
FW Hakan Calhanoglu, 5 — Undoubtedly going through a slump in form right now with off-the-field issues perhaps taking a big toll. Sloppy in possession and rarely made the right decision in dangerous areas, the Turkey international needs to rediscover his form from the second half of last season and quickly.
Substitutes
FW Patrick Cutrone, N/R — Didn’t have the desired effect on the game, but was out of his hands given Gattuso bizarrely asked him to play out wide where he looked ineffective and out of his comfort zone.
MF Tiemoue Bakayoko, N/R — Looked a little sharper in possession, but failed to really influence the game in the latter stages.
DF Ignazio Abate, N/R — A late introduction to replace Calabria, and arguably a rather pointless one as his teammate was playing well.
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