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AC Milan are clear favourites to win Sunday’s Derby della Madonnina

AC Milan are clear favourites to win Sunday’s Derby della Madonnina

  • Jordan Russell (@JordRuss96)
Having struggled to play with any sort of consistency during the early part of the season under the guidance of Vincenzo Montella, it appears AC Milan have finally clicked at just the right time. With several important matches against the likes of Lazio, Inter and Arsenal on the horizon, Gennaro Gattuso is striking precisely the right tone in his management of the team, from both a tactical and psychological standpoint.
 
Despite the fact the Rossoneri face a tough game against Simone Inzaghi’s Biancocelesti side in the Coppa Italia on Wednesday night, there is no doubt where the fans’ main focus is right now: there is the rather important matter of a Milan derby to prepare for this Sunday evening. Indeed, given the fact Luciano Spalletti’s woes have coincided with a significant upturn in Milan’s fortunes, one would have to make Gattuso’s team overwhelming favourites to emerge from San Siro victorious.
 
Rino’s players are brimming with confidence after a quite superb victory against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico last night – that second half performance was arguably their best in years – and he will be hoping they can carry that positive energy forward with them. What made it even more striking was the fact it came just 24 hours after Spalletti’s men huffed and puffed their way to a 2-0 win at home to Benevento.
 
Truth be told, all Luciano Spalletti’s players did was capitalise on two dreadful pieces of defending by a team who have a mere seven points to their name. That is the size of what they achieved. It was yet another dreadful performance in which the players showed absolutely nothing to suggest they are capable of turning their rivals over next weekend. On the contrary, Il Diavolo’s display in Rome was full of grit, determination and quality. They fought for every single ball – of course they did, Gattuso is in charge – and they showed a lot of ability when in possession too.
 
Considering the current form of both sides, there should only be one outcome on Sunday. For Inter, it has been one insipid display after another since they dismantled Chievo 5-0 back in early December. They better buck up their ideas in time for the Sunday, or they could well face similar embarrassment against an increasingly ruthless Rossoneri.