Renowned Italian football manager Fabio Capello offered his candid analysis of the recent Milan derby, praising AC Milan’s courage under Paulo Fonseca while questioning Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi’s tactical decisions.
Speaking with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Capello began by acknowledging the unexpected nature of the result, stating, “Football always knows how to surprise us.” He highlighted Fonseca’s bold approach, particularly the decision to start with two strikers.
“Fonseca deserves great compliments,” Capello said. “Abraham and Morata impressed me a lot. They’re not just box strikers, but they know how to move for the team, help, create spaces, press, and make that extra run. Milan’s victory began with their spirit of sacrifice. As I see it, I would confirm Abraham and Morata as a pair for life in the future.”
Analyzing the match, Capello described it as “a beautiful derby, balanced, hard-fought, and entertaining, albeit with some errors on both sides.” He noted Milan’s strong start and Inter’s period of dominance before halftime, praising Maignan’s crucial save on Thuram.
Capello identified Inter’s lack of quality in the second half as the turning point. “It’s shocking to say this because the strength of the Italian champions lies precisely in the quality of the midfield, which is by far the best in our Serie A,” he explained. He then expressed his disagreement with Inzaghi’s decision to substitute all three midfielders within a few minutes.
“When you change so much suddenly, you always lose something. And Inter, in fact, then struggled more than before,” Capello stated.
The Italian tactician praised Matteo Gabbia’s unexpected match-winning performance and Fonseca’s decision to start him. He also highlighted the performances of Pulisic, Reijnders, and Fofana, while noting Leao’s subdued first-half display.
Regarding Inter’s Lautaro Martinez, Capello suggested the striker might not be at his physical peak yet, saying, “I believe he’s not yet himself physically. He’s had a long and tiring season, he started after the others, and he doesn’t seem to be at his best. However, he always does his job, goals or no goals.”
