AC Milan and Inter Milan Struggle in Serie A Start

Frustrated Forlan alongside triumphant Miccoli

The Serie A has been dominated by the two main Milanese clubs for a bit more than half a decade. While they have had some testing competition by the likes of Roma and Juventus, the past ten years have seen AC Milan or Inter Milan win the scudetto seven times. Yet this start to the Serie A was different than the past few, instead we saw Inter Milan spectacularly lose 4-3 to Palermo, and AC Milan squeeze out a 2-2 draw against Lazio.

While Inter have been doing their best to rebuild after the last chaotic season, there are still big problems with the nerazzurri. While away against Palermo they were able to create three goals, it was the disorganized three man defence which allowed Palermo to score four times.

While Wesley Sneijder started on the bench, after about 30 minutes of suffering Inter coach Gianpiero Gasperini decided to take out the selfish Zarate and put the Dutch playmaker in. Things began to click, and two goals by Diego Milito, and a sumptuous goal by Forlan were created thanks to Sneijder. 

Yet the man of the match had to be Palermo's captain Fabrizio Miccoli. Palermo's number ten scored twice and also provided an assist for his teammate Abel Hernandez.  Julio Cesar was impotent against Miccoli's powerful free kick, along with Mauricio Pinilla's long range rocket for the fourth goal. It was plain defensive disorganization which led to Inter's loss, along with Palermo's brilliant passing and attacking.

AC Milan hosted an equally strong opponent at the San Siro drawing 2-2 with Lazio. It was a dream start for the Roman club, two goals in about 20 minutes scored by the two new signings, Miroslav Klose and Djibril Cisse. A wonderful turn and finish by the German and a flicked header by Cisse seemingly put AC Milan out of action.

Early on in the game Alberto Aquilani had wasted a precious chance alone in front of the Lazio keeper Bizarri. Yet with time the attacking duo of Cassano and Ibrahimovic began to create, and eventually the former set up the latter for an easy tap-in. Just four minutes later, the short and tubby Antonio Cassano headed in the equalizer from a corner, bringing the score level at halftime.

Djibril Cisse celebrating his goal for Lazio

While the score remained at 2-2 until the end of the match, there were plenty of chances from both sides to score more. Cassano put some opportunities wide of the goal, while Hernanes also failed to score when set up with a simple tap-in. Both sides were hungry for the win, and deserved the point.

Ultimately the strikers were the key men of the match. Cisse's pace and power were devastating to the Milan backline while Klose's quick movement was a constant threat. On the other side of the field, Ibrahimovic and Cassano's creativity was unrivalled, the two of them finding each other again and again with chipped through balls and perfectly placed passes. Yet neither of the pair of strikers was able to capitalize the chances and bring home three points.

While Inter and AC Milan are still obvious title-contenders, this first match-day is a warning that other clubs have improved noticeably and are ready to win. This is also a heads-up that Lazio and Palermo are clubs to keep an eye on as the season progresses. Whether they will be able to overthrow the Milan clubs's dominance in the Serie A, only time will tell.

Inter Milan Defeat Seongnam Ilhwa 3-0 In Semi-Final Of FIFA World Club Cup

The Argentine finds his scoring boots

Inter Milan seem to have woken up from their terrible nightmare with a 3-0 win over Asian Champions Seongnam Ilhwa. This win gets Rafa Benitez's team to the final, where they will face African Champions TP Mazembe, which defeated South American Champions Internacional in a shock 2-0 win in the other semi-final.

The match wasn't too difficult for the European Champions, but they were set back in the first minutes when Sneijder received a tough challenge and had to be substituted by Thiago Motta. Although it seems like a simple muscular strain the Dutch midfielder will be missing the final of the tournament. But this setback was truly temporary, with Dejan Stankovic slipping through the Seongnam defence to score in the third minute.

A tough tackle on Sneijder

After that Diego Milito set up Inter's captain Javier Zanetti in front of goal with a delightful backheel, and Zanetti coolly volleyed into the bottom corner. In the second half, Diego Milito got his chance to score when Seongnam's keeper saved well from Eto'o's shot, but couldn't keep out Milito's finish from the rebound. While Inter Milan played well, they weren't always creating chances. It's an improvement from their recent performances, but there's room for improvement.

The final between TP Mazembe and Inter Milan will be played on Saturday. I'll certainly be watching it, and I advise you to watch it as well. I'm very interested in seeing how TP Mazembe will play against Inter Milan, and how they plan on scoring goals. Share your comments below!

Inter Milan draw newcomers in Champions League group stages

Harry Redknapp's Spurs will have to battle against the holders, Inter Milan

The Champions League groups have been drawn, and there will be plenty of action in the group stages. First, here are the groups for you to look at:

Group A
Inter Milan
Werder Bremen
Tottenham Hotspur
FC Twente

Group B
Olympique Lyonnais
SL Benfica
Schalke 04
Hapoel Tel Aviv


Group C
Manchester United
Valencia
Rangers
Bursaspor

Group D
Barcelona
Panathinaikos
Copenhagen
Rubin Kazan


Group E
Bayern Munich
Roma
FC Basel
CFR Cluj

Group F
Chelsea
Olympique Marseille
Spartak Moskva
MSK Zilina

Group G
AC Milan
Real Madrid
Ajax
Auxerre

Group H
Arsenal
Shakhtar Donetsk
Sporting Braga
FK Partizan

The UEFA Champions League individual awards were also recently awarded, and Inter Milan sweeped them all, with Julio Cesar winning best keeper, Maicon winning best defender, Sneijder winning best midfielder, Diego Milito winning best striker, and Diego Milito again for best player.

Inter Milan have drawn two newcomers to the competition, Werder Bremen and Tottenham Hotspur, but that doesn't mean that their group will be easy. Manchester United will have to face off against Valencia as Bayern Munich will battle Roma for the first place in their group. AC Milan and Real Madrid meet yet again, but this time Ajax might have something to say about how the group goes. Plenty of exciting match-ups, but what are your thoughts on the groups? Comment below!

Inter Milan Conquer Treble with Milito double

Inter Milan are European Champions and have completed a historic treble which puts them among 5 other majestic clubs which are Celtic, Ajax, PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, and Barcelona. Here's the full match wrap up of the 2010 Champions League Final.

Bayern Munich - Inter Milan


Inter Milan were going into the final as favorites, the game began with nervousness on both sides, and little by little the match slowly eased into a slow lull. While Bayern Munich piled on the pressure with slippery Robben, Inter Milan had Sneijder's free kick expertise which sent shivers down Butt's (Bayern Munich goal-keeper) spine. Inter Milan were also very successful at counter-attacking, and eventually Diego Milito and Sneijder cut through Bayern's defense with a one-two, putting Milito right in front of Butt, and the Argentine cooly finished putting the Italian champions in front. It was the 35th minute, and Inter Milan held out well until the end of the half always threatening Bayern with quick counter-attacks.

With the possession stats skewed ridiculously about 65% for the Bavarians, Bayern Munich went out to attack after the interval, Robben continued being slippery, forcing Chivu to do some last-ditch defending, but Bayern didn't create many chances. Altintop was dangerous and Louis van Gaal took him off and replaced him with Klose, a move which I think took out a large part of Bayern's surprise and scare factor. Chivu was also substituted because of his inability to contain Robben well, and having already reveived a yellow he was risking expulsion, so Stankovic took his place and went into the midfield, and Zanetti slotted into left back. Inter Milan continued their fantastic defensive display with Cambiasso, Lucio, Samuel, and Maicon all seemingly unstoppable, then another goal by Diego Milito came. The Argentinean turned Demichelis inside out, then went on to curl a wonderful finish past Butt, sealing the result at 2-0.

A wonderful match with its moments, and it's amazing to see Jose Mourinho prosper yet again in the Champions League as he moves on possibly to the Santiago Bernabeu's coaching bench.

What did you think about the final? Comment below!

Inter come back 3-1 against Lackluster Barcelona

The first leg of the Champions League semi-final Inter Milan - Barcelona was played out today, and the match ended with a resounding 3-1 for the Italians. Here's a wrap up of the match...

Inter Milan - Barcelona

Jose Mourinho's side have completed what was thought to be impossible, while some may complain about the bus ride Barcelona had to take, or the refereeing decisions which leaned towards Inter, it is plain that Inter Milan tactically outplayed Barcelona. While Barcelona tried to continue with their powerful 4-3-3, Inter Milan played a warped 4-2-1-3 which revolved around the Dutchman Sneijder.

Barcelona started well, Pedro grabbed the opener in the 19th minute sliding it past Julio Cesar from 12 yards out after some shabby defending from the nerazzurri. Although Barcelona tried to play their dominating possession style, they were imprecise and out of tune, and with time Inter Milan grabbed the equalizer after Sneijder finished well after Diego Milito layed it off for him. Wesley Sneijder was completely unmarked at the back post, and questions are to be asked about Pedro not covering Inter Milan's key player.

After halftime Inter Milan came out with determination, 3 minutes in, Thiago Motta nips the ball off of Messi, Inter build up well, and Maicon fumbles in the second. Barcelona continue to stumble through the match as the Inter Milan defense along with Thiago Motta and Cambiasso allowed nothing to be created, Zanetti kept Messi quiet and Zibra was invisible with Lucio and Samuel sticking to him like glue. Inter's third came after Sneijder was left unmarked (again by Pedro) at the back post, the Dutchman tried to header the ball in goal but failed miserably putting it wide for Diego Milito to header in successfully at the near post.

After Inter had secured the result, Barcelona decided to go all-out attack, with Pique acting as a striker, and Dani Alves being very dangerous in the box. As Barca tried to create chances, the closest they got was Pique's goal-bound shot blocked by Lucio, it would've surely been a goal for Barcelona but Lucio was unstoppable at the Inter defense. Sneijder had to slide tackle Dani Alves in the box, but it seemed like there was no contact, and Dani Alves was booked for simulation; Barca will surely look back at that asking for a penalty. Pique was also roughly taken down in the box, but it is disputable whether or not he had control of the ball.

In the end, Barcelona were sloppy while Inter played their best match of the season yet, the return leg will be one to watch.

What do you think of this fantastic match? Comment below! 

Inter Milan win first derby against rival AC Milan 2-0

In a friendly match part of the world football challenge Inter Milan have beaten AC Milan in the first derby of the season 2-0 with both goals coming from the just bought Diego Milito.

Different style, with better posession

Inter Milan showed a different style of play than recent years, the defensive line is higher up the field remaining closer to the halfway line than the keeper thanks to a fully recovered Maicon and a brilliant Lucio that had recently arrived from a struggling Bayern Munich. This allows the defenders to defend in a more anticipatory style, and also allows them to rise up the midfield and help with the posession. Another change is caused by Thiago Motta, the midfielder that Mourinho was heavily looking for, Thiago Motta helped play a holding role but also made sure Kalac was awake with great attacking play.
After Ibrahimovic left many were worried what would be of the nerazzurri's attack, but Milito the prince of Milan has made everyone forget about the Swedish magician and hopefully will continue and possibly bring Inter Milan the famed Champions League.

Ronaldinho, the leader that shone in a tired team

AC Milan has tried to be very new, bringing in the American defender Oguchi Onyewu was certainly a new move, while changing the coach to Leonardo was new, and probably the most important new thing, is the new Ronaldinho, the leader Ronaldinho. After AC Milans president Silvio Berlusconi forced Ronaldinho to stand on a table in front of his teammates and pledge to be a leader and give his best to bring AC Milan to their goals Ronaldinho has started to shine and in the derby made himself dangerous with free kicks and flashes of brilliance. But he will have to have consistency and this could be where he will have the most difficulty, this was shown in the preseason Audi Cup in which AC Milan, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, and Boca Juniors are battling for the 2009 Audi cup. AC Milan lost with the heavy scoreline of 4-1 against Bayern Munich, and Ronaldinho was probably the most disappointing factor of the Italian side.

So in summary an Inter that works better without Ibrahimovic and an AC Milan that will have to show consistency, and will have to try and regenerate an aging team.