One day after the 3-1 defeat in the Milanese derby suffered by Inter against Milan, the show Fuoriclasse on DAZN hosted the analysis of former footballer Behrami, former referee and referee selector Rocchi, and journalist Marinozzi on the reasons behind the Nerazzurri’s misstep.

Behrami mainly pointed the finger at the Nerazzurri’s shortcomings: “I didn’t see any tension in the eyes of Inter’s players. Milan knew they were behind in the standings, they wanted to prove more, and it showed. Inter experienced it almost with serenity. It costs a lot mentally to focus on winning a derby, it really costs a lot mentally. Inter wasn’t ready for this, Milan was. They were ready to be there from the first to the last minute, to play a decent match.”

Rocchi shared the view on the approach: “Inter’s attitude in the derby was not the same as Milan’s. The first minutes of Inter’s matches are always lacking: even yesterday, in the first twenty minutes, they gave away two goals to Milan. They created very little compared to what you expect from a team of that level.”

Marinozzi added a structural key, highlighting the difficulties in defending the penalty area: “Inter continues to defend the penalty area poorly. Throughout the defensive department, from Akanji to Stones, to Bastoni, to Bisseck: distractions, situations not read well.” He then cited a specific episode: “Sucic failed to double up on the goal, jogged towards the center of the area. You have that task without the ball: you have to do it with more conviction.”

Behrami then brought data to support his thesis: Inter ranks last in the league for pressures and for pressures within five seconds of losing the ball, second to last in counter-pressing, twentieth for pressure regains and for pressure in general, nineteenth for counter-pressure. “For a team that’s second in the league, it means you’re very strong,” he observed, “but you have gaps. This year they’re evident even in the data.”

Finally, the former footballer pointed to a possible underlying cause: “Since the derby win, which then led to Inter’s scudetto, I almost have the feeling that the team, having almost always the same core players, already arrives satisfied. Milan, on the other hand, arrives with a lot of hunger, desire for revenge, and new people who want to prove themselves, like Moreira.” Behrami also recalled the words of coach Chivu, spoken a month earlier: “This team is imperfect and I don’t even want perfection.” A message that, according to the former footballer, can leave room for precisely those gaps that emerged in the derby.

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