GdS: Why Milan and Inter are expected to bench their most in-form players
Alphadjo Cisse and Carlo Augusto are both expected to start on the bench in tonight’s Derby della Madonnina, despite being among the best players for AC Milan and Inter so far.
For Milan, tonight’s derby is a chance to extend their unbeaten run in the fixture and to decrease the gap in the standings. For Inter, it’s a chance to end the winless run and to truly assert themselves against the Rossoneri, with +10 in sight.
In other words, it’s a very important game and the tactical battle is expected to play an important role in the outcome. Team selection is thus top of mind for Ruben Amorim and Cristian Chivu who, however, are looking to bench a couple of their best players: Cisse and Augusto.
Defensive strength on the flanks
Starting with Cisse, as Gazzetta dello Sport highlights, Amorim’s decision is both tactical and psychological. He fears that there will be too much pressure on the youngster’s shoulders, while the plan is also to play with a 4-4-1-1 that can turn into a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1 depending on the moment.
In that sense, Amorim believes Diego Moreira and Christian Pulisic are better suited to playing out wide than Cisse. More specifically, they arre better suited to playing out wide when not in possession, where Inter will push hard.
Playing with attacking-minded midfielders like Moreira and Pulisic, plus a trequartista like Cisse behind Goncalo Ramos (i.e. a 4-2-3-1), would result in an unbalanced team. Behind Ramos there will be Rabiot, who, when not in possession, will act as a central midfielder.
Therefore, Cisse will start on the bench and be used as needed in the second half.
Hierarchy comes first
Moving on to Augusto, over the past two months, he has saved Inter on numerous occasions: the assist that started the comeback against Napoli, the goal in Madrid, the turnaround goal against Bologna, and the decisive blow in the Champions League against Shakhtar.
The latest contribution was the own goal he forced against Venezia, which Chivu’s men used to seal a game that could have gone terribly wrong. Yet, in tonight’s derby against Milan, the Brazilian could start on the bench.
The battle with Federico Dimarco will be decided in the final hours, but the reality is that the Italian is still considered the starter on the left. As such, it’s a question of hierarchy, though we will likely see the player come off the bench either way.
