Inter Milan’s victory in Serie A and securing their 20th scudetto is both a dream realized and a source of dread for their city rivals. “Not this. Anything but this. It can’t happen. It won’t,” reassured AC Milan’s captain, Davide Calabria, to the anxious supporters. However, the mere idea of celebrating Inter’s milestone sent tremors of unease among the Milanese faithful. Despite a lack of confidence inspired by the assurances, coach Stefano Pioli declared, “They’ll win the league, but we’ll do everything to win the derby.”
MILAN’S STRUGGLE AGAINST INTER: A DERBY DOWNTURN SINCE PIOLI’S TATTOO
Ever since Stefano Pioli celebrated Milan’s league title win over Inter by tattooing the scudetto on his wrist, Milan has faced continuous setbacks in derby matches. This streak includes five consecutive losses—a first in their history—with the most recent being a crushing 5-0 defeat, the worst in nearly fifty years. This loss underscored Inter’s dominance and sent a stark message.
In response, Milan invested the proceeds from Sandro Tonali’s transfer and their Champions League semi-final run to bring in ten new players. Their aim was not just overall improvement but to specifically enhance their competitiveness against Inter. Their rival had eliminated them from the Champions League in the first Euroderby in nearly two decades.
Inter captain Lautaro Martinez, unphased by critiques of his performance in significant matches, challenged Milan legend and Sky Italia pundit Alessandro Costacurta to “Go rewatch my goals from those games.
