A nightmare, from start to finish. Congratulations to Milan who did what we all expected, played a limited game and made the best of what they have knowing that a victory was all that mattered. Something that can not be said of Walter Mazzarri’s Inter. A lack of cohesion was evident from the first minute, the play was disjointed and the commitment seemed to be lukewarm at best. The strikers pressed whilst the midfield sat deep, the ball was switched from side to side at a pace that can only be described as laborious. Gone was the vibrant nature of Inter’s first 45 minutes against Napoli, replaced by an attitude which we’ve seen previously under Mazzarri. A tepid, cautious, stagnant display followed much like those witnessed against Sampdoria, Cagliari, Chievo and Catania earlier this season. Was this planned or a reaction from the eleven players on the pitch? To me it seemed like Mazzarri had sent his team out not to lose, to maintain the gap between themselves and their City rivals. What that translated to on the pitch was an Inter that looked uncertain and a distinct inability to express themselves.
The wrong pass being played, poor decision making across the pitch and an apathy which plagued the team all night long. Nagatomo, Kovacic and Hernanes threatened to provide a spark on rare occasions but it was never enough. Mazzarri was far too late reacting to the poor display his players were giving, in fact it took Milan’s goal to even force the Inter coach into changes. Each change was for the worse. Cambiasso’s exit left gaps all over the midfield, Guarin like last week struggled to provide any attacking spark. Milito’s entrance was met with enthusiasm until everybody watching realised that just like Icardi and Palacio before him he wouldn’t receive any decent service either. Ricky Alvarez is a shadow of the player which started the season and by the end it felt like Inter could have played for days without scoring. The switch to a back 4 should have made a difference but the lack of utilising Javier Zanetti in his final derby was simply mind boggling. In a derby that was slipping away from Inter Mazzarri refused to at least let the stadium and fixture pay it respects to the ultimate of professionals. I understand this is a results business but for me that left a sour taste beyond just Inter’s shameful performance.
Mazzarri played for a draw and got what his negativity deserved. The players can only give an answer as to why they played a derby which meant so much to some of Inter’s finest players in such a way. In the end, Inter’s poor run at the San Siro continued and many Interisti were left asking questions of both the tactics used and the performance given by those in black and blue.