AC Milan 1-1 Inter: Five things we learned – Walker and defensive unit impress | OneFootball

AC Milan are now unbeaten in three against Inter, with the latest instalment of the Derby della Madonnina ending a 1-1 draw.

Confidence going into the derby was quite high considering the results so far this season, and despite everything happening off the pitch, Milan entered the game in quite a settled state with the Nerazzurri failing to really threaten much.

Despite a few offside goals in the first 45, it was the Rossoneri who actually took the lead, with Tijjani Reijnders once again popping up in the box when Milan needed him most – a tale on repeat this season, and long may it continue.

The second half was a lot of the same, and it seemed that the Diavolo were about to hold out for their third successive victory against Inter to complete the Serie A season doing the double. However, a late switch-off in the box saw Stefan de Vrij equalise in added time.

Despite the frustrations, Sergio Conceicao was somewhat pleased with the performance after the game. Let’s dive into what we picked up on in the game though.

1. Tomori responds

Fikayo Tomori had a disaster of a game against Dinamo Zagreb, falling way below the expected level in a must-win game. That performance was followed by some transfer rumours and an official offer from Spurs, which was accepted by the club, but the Englishman decided to reject it as he wanted to stay with Milan and fight for a spot in the Starting XI.

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Fortunately for him, he got his chances fast in a very important game, against Inter in Serie A.

He made the most out of it too, even winning our Man of the Match award. The Englishman was beaten once throughout the game, but he managed to recover quickly following that. His aggressiveness was just the right level, he stayed close to his opponents and didn’t allow them to create anything dangerous whilst also not committing fouls either.

A brilliant response by the centre-back, but now consistency is needed, this can be translated to the whole team though.

2. Defensive unit impresses

It was always going to be a tough game against a flying Inter side, but Milan played an almost excellent game in the defensive phase with the goal in the 93rd leaving a sour taste. Ultimately, Conceicao can be happy with the performance as there were plenty of positives.

Strahinja Pavlovic continued his red-hot form alongside Tomori as he too wanted to stay in Milan. He is proving to be irreplaceable after his last four superb performances and the Serb is proving his qualities both in the defensive phases but also in attack, as he fancied himself making runs on the left blank with courage.

Then on the flanks, Theo Hernandez and Kyle Walker did well too, with the Englishman mostly staying at the back. The big talking point was the needed stability on that flank that was missing with Emerson or Calabria, so a very positive debut.

Theo also played very solidly at the back and had a part in the goal with a signature run forward as he finally got going at the right time in a very delicate game for his side.

Overall it was superb from the Rossoneri with Inter having three disallowed goals, but rather than luck, it was a perfectly positioned defence each time that caught the opponent’s attackers in an offside position.

3. 34 years young – welcome Kyle Walker

The signing of Walker may not have received the enthusiasm the management expected, but fans will surely be happy with his debut and considering that it was against Inter, it’s fair to say that it looks like a bargain signing.

The Englishman did everything right at the back, whilst being a bit more cautious going forward, which was probably not a bad thing given how clinical Inter can be on the counterattack.

Walker also showed his pace and even if he’s lost a bit of it, he still seems rapid compared to Emerson and Calabria which showed as he was quick to close down any potential threat.

Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

On top of that, he was a true leader on the pitch always instructing his colleagues at the back and just being composed when on the ball to bring some confidence to the team was vital.

Excellent debut.

4. Reijnders at it again

Tijjani Reijnders has had some ups and downs since the turn of the year and even if he did contribute with a goal or assist, he seemed a bit tired in these past few weeks. Nevertheless, against Inter he was all fired up and he got on the scoresheet again with a goal that put Milan in a favourable position toward the end of the first half.

The importance of his goal was lessened at the end, but his overall performance was really good, he moved the ball well and made several good runs whilst also putting in a lot of work in the defensive phase.

5. Depth continues to be an issue

Unfortunately, Milan couldn’t handle their lead and the players off the bench didn’t exactly help either. Terracciano was just not good enough, and we probably can’t blame him entirely since he constantly plays out of position.

Chukwueze also contributed with little and he also jogged back on Inter’s equaliser which is unacceptable given he had just come onto the pitch. Jimenez did well overall and he was a bit unlucky on the goal where we could’ve cleared it a bit better, but then again he lacks the experience so we cannot be harsh on him either.

Camarda also had a moment where he could’ve passed and the attack might have progressed a bit differently, but similarly to Jimenez, he was failed by his lack of experience.

The management are working hard in the final days of the window so let’s wait and see if that changes anything in terms of depth.