Milan Derby Is No Longer A 'Big Game' In The European Football Calendar

During the eight year long coaching spell of Ferruccio Valcareggi, the Italian national team was beaten no more than six times. Italy also bagged their only European title till date in the 1968 edition under his tutelage. But something Valcareggi is so distinctly remembered for is his rotation policy to use perhaps two of the most extra-ordinarily gifted footballers of their time ai??i?? Sandro Mazzola of Inter and Gianni Rivera of Milan. The coach could not find a way to accommodate both and often one would enter the fray only replacing the other; most commonly Rivera replacing Mazzola at half time. But it is the 1970 World Cup final where Rivera was thrown into the action a little too late for his own and of course, for a number of Milan fansai??i?? liking. The game was already out of the Azzurriai??i??s reach and Rivera could do little to influence the proceedings. Even today, many feel Riveraai??i??s dynamism and genius could have sparked life to the Italian attack but that is probably nothing more than the advantage of retrospect.

However, the moment we divert our attention to a more domestic scene in those times, we find what is possibly the most intense segment in the history of rivalry between the Milanese clubs. Helenio Herrera and Nereo Rocco were in charge of the clubs for the better part of the 60ai??i??s. While Rocco was the earliest known proponent of Catenaccio, Herrera took it to the levels few would have imagined a team could go with it. Mazzola and Rivera were two young, raw, uncut diamonds of Italian football but the squads in general boasted of some of the most illustrious names ever to have graced the world of Calcio. Armando Picchi, Tarcisio Burgnich and Luis Suarez were regular starters of an Inter team led by none other than Giancinto Facchetti. On the other hand, Rocco too had assembled a team of outstanding players in the likes of Cesare Maldini, Roberto Rosato, Giovanni Lodetti and Jose Altafini.

Given the quality of the two rosters and the persona of the men in charge of them, the Milan derby rose amazingly in its stature and was easily one of the most awaited fixtures in the football calendar across Europe, if not the most awaited one. Just imagine Rivera trying to run circles around Picchi and Facchetti come running in from left to win the ball back.

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On Sunday, when the two locked horns in the 211th edition of the Derby della Madonnina, the most notable point in the entire event was Italian motorcyclist Valentino Rossiai??i??s presence in the stand. Rossi, a well known Interista, rather unknowingly ended up adding some spice to what was otherwise a completely bland and tasteless game of football ai??i?? both from a tactical as well as a technical standpoint. It would have been a hard job for the sports editors of major publications to pick out one moment from the game to give their story an angle. They must have thanked their lucky stars that the only goal; quite possibly the only noteworthy footballing moment in the game was one that involved a skill strikers work hard to master. A Fredy Guarin pass was delightfully backheel-ed by Rodrigo Palacio to put an end to the derby that couldnai??i??t have ended soon enough.

For someone having witnessed the glorious days of Italian football, itai??i??s quite hard to come to terms with the realization that the most glamorous fixture of a Serie A calendar has been reduced to the Emanuelsons and the Kuzmanovics of the world. And this is not to mean any offence to the players but they simply donai??i??t make the cut. Both the clubs currently rank highly on the mediocrity scale from a naked eye squad assessment. From the two squads, you wouldnai??i??t be able to pick more than five players who can be classified as ai???World Classai??i?? ai??i?? Riccardo Montolivo, Kaka, Mario Balotelli, Javier Zanetti and Diego Milito being the exceptions. The concerns are further raised the moment you realize two of them are in the twilight of their career and quite possibly one will not feature in professional football after this season. The market behaviour of the clubs in the last two years or so doesnai??i??t inspire much confidence either. It will be safe to assume that given the current plight in Italian football coupled with the lack of money, infrastructure and a vision at modernization, the trend to embrace mediocrity is to last longer than one might appreciate.

It will only be reasonable to suggest, not a single player from either club will reserve himself a starting place in any of the top European clubs in a superior league. However, the very apparent inferiority in quality and gulf in class arenai??i??t the only deterrents to the iconic stature of the derby. In fact, clubs with lesser pedigree across Europe and even within Serie A manage to produce footballing spectacles from time to time. Watching a game involving teams like Schalke 04, Ajax or even Swansea is quite an experience for the brand of football on display. One may present a very strong case for the argument that both Milan and Inter, among the entire set of the traditionally known big clubs in Europe, produce the most unimaginative, sterile and insipid football one could think of. The vapidness only gets multiplied in the games involving both and even for the most ardent supporter groups pledging their loyalty to either Curva Sud or Nord, the major part of the game is anything but an enjoyable experience.

The tactical stagnancy demonstrated by those in charge of both clubs ever since the might of the derby started going south cannot be overlooked. Massimiliano Allegri is into his fourth season with the Rossoneri and is yet to find a sustainable tactical alternative to 4-3-1-2. His counterpart Walter Mazzarri has been a figure who knows the art of ai???getting the job doneai??i?? ai??i?? something that was apparent at Napoli ai??i?? but innovation and flair are the last words youai??i??d associate with him. His tactical repertoire is visibly limited and isnai??i??t quite the man who would trigger a move to change the course of the game in an instance ai??i?? much less of a derby game. The last man in charge of Inter who promised aesthetics in his football was Andrea Stramaccioni. But he was deemed a tad too adventurous for the resources at his disposal and the appointment of Mazzarri strongly indicates Inter are more than content resorting back to the known and conservative methods.

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The first of the two Derby della Madonnina fixtures last season had coincided with the first El Clasico of the season and while many thought the day would turn out to be a double delight for the lovers of the game, it didnai??i??t take people long to realize, putting the two games in the same league was criminal right from the start. The two best players in the world scored a brace each in the game that divides Spain to cancel out each otherai??i??s magnificent display whereas things ended completely hebetudinous in the north of Italy ai??i?? nearly comical in comparison.

Since then, two more equally unexciting and drab games between these two sides have taken place, including the one on last Sunday. And a few more of the similar kind are certainly in store as the future does not bode particularly well for either. The football calendar has already considerably enriched in the last few years owing to the money pumped into a number of clubs who find themselves on the rise. The Manchester Derby is now one seriously intense affair while the collisions between the arch rivals from North London are expected to be juicier than ever in the Premier League era. PSG v Monaco guarantees quality football on display and if some more trust is extended to Diego Simeone, the local derby in Madrid should not be a lesser affair than many for next few years to the very least.

Amidst this, the naysayers will be hard to dismiss for presaging the demise of Derby della Madonnina in stature and relevance. During the last couple of years, the top management at both Milan and Inter have shared the table to discuss some of the common issues including the installation of synthetic surface and potential overhaul of San Siro. But if thereai??i??s something that requires their immediate attention, it is the degrading prestige of the derby fixture. Not many have noticed this yet or are only too happy not waking up to the realities.

Milan Derby Is No Longer A ‘Big Game’ In The European Football Calendar

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