On Inter Milan's side, Li Ang rotated the team.
He deployed Ronaldo and Borriello in the frontline. Adriano had a slight cold, so Li Ang chose to let him rest.
In the midfield, Modric was rested, and Marchisio was the starter.
Figo was also rested, and David Silva was the starter.
Mata was rested, and Stankovic was the starter.
On the rear defensive line, Li Ang did not rotate too much. Samuels and Cordoba were the center-back partners, which maintained Inter Milan's defensive strength to the maximum.
Inter Milan Team captain Zanetti was the starter. However, Li Ang arranged for Zanetti to appear in the left-back position today, and Evra was rested.
Mai Kong was the starting right-back.
In the goalkeeper position, the veteran Toldo was the starter today.
At the same time, AC Milan also rotated to a certain extent.
Inzaghi was rested, and Gilardino and Shevchenko partnered in the frontline.
The most important one was that Kaka was not in the starting lineup, which to a certain extent showed the importance AC Milan attached to this game.
*****
This could be considered the most peaceful Milan Derby in recent seasons.
In the first half of the game, Seedorf assisted Shevchenko's goal, and AC Milan took the lead in the first half.
Not long after the start of the second half, Marchisio provided an assist, and Ronaldo bypassed two players in a row and charged into the penalty area, and scored with a low shot from a narrow angle!
1: 1!
Inter Milan equalized the score!
In the following half an hour of the game, both sides played more rationally, and there were no big movements on the field.
Li Ang also deployed his players, and Agüero replaced Ronaldo.
Bonucci replaced Samuels.
On AC Milan's side, Seedorf and Shevchenko were also substituted off to rest.
Both Ancelotti and Li Ang had a tacit understanding at this time. A 1: 1 draw was acceptable to both sides. Their focus was on the first leg of the Champions League semi-final next week.
When the referee blew the whistle to end the game, there was a burst of boos in the stands at San Siro. The home team and players might be able to accept a 1: 1 score, but the fans were not. They naturally hoped that their team could beat Inter Milan at home, give Inter Milan trouble, and avenge the away game loss.
*****
The press conference after the game was also a rare harmonious scene.
Leon even sent his blessings to AC Milan, wishing them a good result in the game against Barcelona.
Ancelotti naturally returned the favor and gave his blessings to Inter Milan.
Seeing such a harmonious scene, the reporters at the scene were not used to it. This was the Milan Derby, ah, ah, ah.
However, after the game, when the Italian media talked about the Milan Derby, they had to admit that a 1: 1 draw was an acceptable result for both sides.
"Perhaps, what makes Li Ang and Ancelotti most satisfied is that no players are injured, and they can deal with the Champions League semi-final with the most complete lineup!" — The words of the Milan Gazzetta dello Sport could be said to be the voice of both managers.
Only Turin Gazzetta dello Sport was very dissatisfied. They sarcastically said that Inter Milan lost their drive after winning the title, and that AC Milan did not want to improve.
However, the two teams in Milan ignored the sarcasm of the Turin people.
Later, the Turin people did not say anything, because in the following game, Juventus was forced to a draw in the away game against Cagliari. Juventus, who lost the title, looked a little dispirited. They were not in the state of mind for the whole game. How could the Turin media have the face to criticize others?!
*****
After the Milan Derby against AC Milan in advance, the Inter Milan team set off for London to prepare for the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Arsenal.
On the day of their arrival in London, the players were called to the meeting room by manager Li Ang after the lunch break to watch the game video.
Li Ang played the edited video of Juventus' two games against Arsenal for the players.
Juventus was easily eliminated by Arsenal. In fact, it was not the first time that Arsenal had lost against a Premier League team. In the last season's game against Liverpool, which was only ranked fifth in the Premier League, the "boss" of Serie A, Juventus, caught their opponent off guard in the away game. The final score of 1: 2 was not too bad, but when they returned to their home ground, they seemed to have no way to face Liverpool without Gerrard and finally accepted the situation of 0: 0 elimination.
Going back further, in the 0203 season, Juventus played twice against Manchester United in the top 16 group stage. It was understandable that they lost 1: 2 in the away game with many injured players, but they lost 0: 3 at home! Fortunately, there was no quarter-finals at that time and the top 16 were re-divided into four groups. Therefore, Juventus was able to advance as second in the group and eventually won the Champions League runner-up. In the 9899 season, Juventus and Manchester United had another game. At that time, Juventus drew 1: 1 in the away game and lost 2: 3 at home.
In addition to the Premier League's powerhouses, Juventus also played against Newcastle United in the top 32 group stage of the 0203 season. Although they won 2: 0 at home, Juventus also lost 0: 1 in the away game against a team of Newcastle's level. It should be said that this was not a reflection of the team's true strength. Juventus did have "anglophobia".
Li Ang certainly did not want to help Juventus solve their "anglophobia". He wanted to use Juventus' failure as a reference to remind Inter Milan how to face the Premier League teams.
*****
The Premier League teams had a common characteristic: fast. The pace of the Premier League was the fastest among the five major leagues. Because of this, the English players did not pay attention to and pursue possession of the ball. To a certain extent, technique could restrain power and speed. For example, Barcelona's victory over Chelsea this season and AC Milan's elimination of Manchester United last season were classic cases. The premise was that the midfield must be able to control the ball and pass it backwards. The essence of English football's 4-4-2 was to pay attention to the "direct play" after the midfield interception. If the midfield could not intercept, the positional attack was more of a simple routine of rushing off or starting the ball from both sides. Mourinho modified Chelsea to a 4-3-3, or 4-5-1, but the essence was still the same.
Arsenal was an anomaly in the Premier League. They paid attention to ball control, but in the European arena, Arsenal appeared more in a defensive counterattack posture. Capello previously admitted after the loss, "Arsenal's counterattack is very distinctive."
"Although we haven't played against Arsenal, it's not like we don't have a reference," said Li Ang.
"In Serie A, the Roma team is also a similar fast offensive team, so we can see that Juventus' games against Roma in recent years have never been easy."
"Juventus' style of play does not pay attention to ball control, and because of this, once the ball is lost in the midfield, Arsenal's counterattack will be fatal. Fàbregas' first goal came from Pires's interception of the ball from Vieira's feet, and back to three years ago, when Juventus lost to Manchester United 0-3, the second goal came from Giggs's interception of Conte's pass. Juventus is afraid of the English team's midfield interception and the "direct play", not because of their lack of strength, but because of their characteristics. If Juventus had not been in a hurry to pursue an away goal, slowed down the pace and played steadily, the result might have been better. "Li Ang continued after commenting on the game between Juventus and the Premier League team.
"But we're not afraid, because our football emphasizes ball control. Ball control tactics guarantee goals when attacking, and correspondingly, it can also help the defensive line when defending!"
"Arsenal is known by the English as playing the most beautiful ball control football. This time, we're going to show the English what real ball control is and what kind of football is the most beautiful!" Li Ang said confidently.
He was really not afraid of playing against Arsenal.
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