Zlatan Ibrahimovic – GAME OF THE PEOPLE

IT’S NOT exactly the renaissance, but Italy’s Serie A promises to deliver an exciting climax with Juventus finally losing the crown that has become their personal property since 2012.

Inter Milan won the third derby della maddonina in the San Siro, deservedly so, even if their 3-0 victory was a little harsh on their co-tenants, AC Milan. Such a scoreline hints at blue and black bunting being flown throughout the city come the end of the season and also suggests Milan’s title bid may be flagging.

Inter have now won 13 of their last 16 Serie A games and have lost just twice in the league this season. They have kept five clean sheets in their last six fixtures and have scored 57 goals. All the pointers are positive for the Nerazzurriso Inter could be on the verge of winning their first scudetto since 2010.

As for Milan, they have lost four times in their nine games since the start of 2021, including home defeats at the hands of Juventus (1-3), Atalanta (0-3) and now Inter. They were also beaten at lowly Spezia and they’ve failed to score in their last three games.

Inter’s victory puts them four points clear of Milan at the top and 11 ahead of reigning champions Juventus, who are in sixth place. You cannot write Juventus off just yet, although they are clearly not the Juve of the past nine years having slipped-up several times in costly draws. Although Cristiano Ronaldo continues to score, others have struggled and their midfield looks lightweight. While Inter performed disappointingly in their UEFA Champions League group, Juve won through in a group that included Barcelona. However, Inter can now focus 100% on the title race.

The Champions League money would have been useful as Inter have felt the financial pressure from covid-19. Inter’s revenues dropped by € 45 million to € 372 million in 2019-20. Losses amount to € 102.4 million. The pandemic and extension of football until the end of August meant that the club suffered a deferral of revenues from TV rights and sponsorship, amounting to more than € 50 million. Inter agreed player salary postponements for July and August 2020 to ease the situation as football went into lockdown.

The club may yet be sold to private equity firm BC Partners, who have tabled a bid of around € 800 million for Inter. Owners Suning have been trying to secure a near-€ 200 million bridging loan to help Inter navigate the pandemic and have been talking to various finance companies. Suning want € 1 billion to sell Inter, but may eventually be forced to take BC Partners’ offer.

On the field, things are looking positive for both Milan clubs, although Inter now look more likely champions than resurgent Milan. The latest derby was a scintillating game, the sort that packed stadiums are made for. Inter went ahead after just five minutes when Romelu Lukaku’s cross was headed home, textbook-style, past Gianluigi Donnarumma by Lautaro Martinez. It was Martinez’s 13th Serie A goal of the season.

Milan came out with renewed vigour after the interval and two Zlatan Ibrahimović headers were spectacularly saved by Samir Handanović. The Inter keeper also pulled off an excellent stop from Sandro Tonali and then acrobatically tipped a Franck Kessié volley over the crossbar.

But in the 56^th minute, Inter produced some fine flowing football that ended with Martinez sweeping the ball home. Inter were not finished as in the 65^th minute, Lukaku drove forward and sent a powerful left-foot drive inside Donnarumma’s right hand post. So impressive was the strike that Ibrahimović stood and applauded Lukaku’s effort. Inter had made their massive statement of intent and Antonio Conte was delighted, congratulating his team on their “beautiful victory”, noting that players like Ivan Perisic and Christian Eriksen had clicked into form at the right time.

It’s been around a decade since Inter and AC Milan were battling away at the top together, but this derby demonstrated Milan’s youngsters are probably not ready for a sustained title bid. The starting line-up in the San Siro included six players under the age of 25, including Donnarumma and Davide Calabria. Inter, meanwhile, have their own promising talent, but their strength is in seasoned pros like Lukaku (still only 27), Perisic (32), Eriksen (29) and Stefan De Vrij (29).

Inter coach Conte also has an advantage over his opposite number at Milan, Stefano Pioli, in that he knows how to win trophies having picked-up three scudettos with Juventus and the Premier League and FA Cup with Chelsea. Restoring Inter to the top of Italian football is why he was hired in the first place. The timing couldn’t be better for Inter, as they have caught Juventus at a somewhat weaker moment, a season in which they are still bedding-in a rookie manager in Andrea Pirlo.

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THE MILAN derby was a personal triumph for fit-again veteran Zlatan Ibrahimović – two goals and victory over one of his former clubs, but it was also affirmation of the Milanese renaissance that appears to be gathering momentum at the San Siro.

AC Milan ended Inter’s unbeaten run, their first league defeat in those crazy zig-zag shirts, and went two points clear at the top of Serie A. That’s four out of four for Stefano Pioli’s team – not bad for a club that recently announced it made a staggering loss of € 195 million in 2019-20. It should be noted, though, that AC Milan have been the best performing Italian club on the pitch since the lockdown ended.

Open

The 2020-21 season has the potential to be the most open in Serie A for some time. Inter already signalled their intent last year when they finished runners-up to Juventus by one point, losing just four games versus Juve’s seven. With their expensive squad boosted by almost € 100 million of new signings in the last transfer window, including € 40 million on Achraf Hakami of Real Madrid, Inter sent another reminder to the rest of Italian football. The club’s Chinese owners, who have driven revenues up from € 187 million to € 400 million since 2016, want success and after going close last season in Serie A and the Europa League, the pressure will undoubtedly have been increased on Antonio Conte this past few months.

Ibrahimović may be 39 years of age, but the instinct is still there, even if he did get poleaxed by covid-19. He’s netted four of Milan’s nine goals this season. In typical fashion, Zlatan believes nobody can stop him even though he’s now pushing 40 and he thinks Milan can win their first Scudetto since 2011. Not everyone agrees with the confident Swede, though, and most pundits expect both Juventus and Inter to eventually finish above them. By the time Juventus go to the San Siro in January, the position will surely be clearer.

It’s good news for coach Pioli, who was expected to leave the club before the 2020-21 season got underway. Ivan Gazidis, the CEO who divides opinion among fans – “he destroyed Arsenal, now he’s ruining Milan” – wanted to hire former RB Leipzig coach Ralf Rangnick, a bold signing that would spearhead the kind of revolution Gazidis is looking for at Milan.

Projects

The San Siro project will be transformational for both Milan clubs, earning them € 70 million a year each. Both clubs have presented plans for the new stadium and the complete renovation of the surrounding area, a scheme that will cost in excess of € 1 billion but create 3,500 new jobs. Two architectural firms are bidding to handle the project.

The “cathedral” proposal by Populous aims to be one of the most sustainable stadiums in Europe, naturally cooled and topped by panels that generate electricity. The stadium is surrounded by 22 acres of green space and the entire district will be connected to a central heating and cooling system.

The second scheme, by manica/sportium is called “the rings of Milano”, a design that includes two rings, interlocked and set apart. This will also be part of a broader project that reimagines San Siro as a park and entertainment neighbourhood.

There could be further benefits if the proposed link-up between Serie A and CVC Capital Partners and Advent International comes to fruition and devliers a new rights deal worth more than € 1.6 billion. Milan and Inter both voted in favour of the proposals which will see the private equity companies take a 10% stake in a new company managing the league’s broadcasting rights.

This could be a vital transaction because Italian clubs have had a rough time in the pandemic, as evidenced by losses generated by Roma, Lazio, Milan and Inter. Juventus owner Andrea Agnelli, said recently that European clubs could lose between five and six billion euros over the next two seasons. He envisages the full damage will not be known until the autumn of 2021. Juventus reported a loss of almost € 90 million in September 2020.

Time

Milan’s deficit of € 195 million added to the problems inherited from the club’s previous ownership, said their official statement. They gained some mild consolation, however, in declaring that if the impact of the global pandemic is removed, financial performance has actually improved on 2018-19. The club insisted: “It will take time to transform AC Milan, but the club and the ownership share the same confidence in the positive path undertaken.” While the owners have underlined their support of the club to ensure financial stability, Milan has also launched a cost efficiency policy which includes a significant reduction in wages.

Against a background of strict financial management, can AC Milan maintain their challenge at the top of Serie A, or are they merely keeping the seat warm for Juventus? They have some key players who are involved in contract talks, so the club will have to handle things sensitively if they want to keep Ibrahimović, Gianluigi Donnarumma (a Chelsea target) and Hakan Calhanoglu (Juve and Atléti interest).

For students of the game – and non-Juve fans – the reawakening of AC Milan and Inter is a good thing for Italian football. Although neither would admit it, they also need their rivals to flourish in order to spur them on. Milan is, after all, still one of the world’s great football cities.

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Photo: PA