Correspondent of the magazine "Football" and a permanent author of Football. Ua Sergey Shevchenko compares two Milan clubs.

The second battles series is a long-awaited comparison of the two Milan clubs. Both Inter Milan and Milan have not pleased their fans for a long time: Rossoneri last time finished the championship in the first three four years ago, Neradzurri - for six whole years. The return of the former glory of the Milanese grandees is an idea-fix not only for themselves, but for Italian football as a whole. Milan and Inter have impressive army of fans both in Italy and abroad, so the progress of these clubs will sharply increase interest in Serie A.

Summer offseason outlined two different approaches to the formation of the team. Milan: the players are new, the coach is old. Vincenzo Montell was entrusted to lead the assembled dream-team, in the basis of which there were almost no players from last season. Inter: the coach is new, the players are mostly old. Nerazzurri placed on Luciano Spalletti and point selection, strengthening a number of problematic positions. It is worth recalling that Inter Milan, unlike Milan, has been conducting an active transfer campaign for several years already. This did not lead to success, so now the strategy has changed somewhat.

Briefly about the regulations. Compare the teams in five rounds: each of the lines plus the head coach. For a round of a command receive estimations on a 10-point scale, in the end the sum of points is counted. For the sake of completeness, the composition of the teams is indicated, and the players are given their estimated value according to Transfermarkt. De (T) and the average score for last season's matches according to the version of Whoscored. Com (W). Let's get started!.

Round 1: Goalkeeper Milan: D. Donnarmma (T-25; W-7.05). Reserve: Storaro (T-0.3), Gabriel (T-1.4), A. Donnamma (T - 0.7) Inter: Handanovich (T-10, W-6.75). Reserve: Padelli (T-1), Bernie (T - 0.1) Let's give advantage to Milan. Gianluigi Donnarumma - a colossal talent and, perhaps, the best player of Rossoneri last season. Individual blunders like the ball missed under the foot in the game with Pescara were compensated by numerous exploits, not without reason Donnarumma became the champion of the championship in the number of saves. The beginning of the off-season was remembered scandalous and, fortunately Milan, successful negotiations of the club's managers with Mina Raiola, agent Gianluigi. There were fears that it would be more difficult for a young goalkeeper after this drama to withstand pressure (for example, he played unsuccessfully at the June Euro U-21), but in the first matches of the started season Donnarumma is again very good. It's almost 10 points.

Handanovich somewhat inferior to his young colleague. The Slovenian is a high-level goalkeeper, but in his game there was a stagnation, and even regress, as evidenced by the declining score on Whoscored, which in the 2015/2016 season was 6.99. Samir famously played in the fall of 2015, when Inter Roberto Mancini often won 1: 0, and the penalty shooters were afraid of duels with goalkeeper Nerazzurri. Last season Khandanovich helped out less, having played only 9 matches. It is unlikely that he will be a weak link in Inter, but the strong does not pull.

Milan - 9 points Inter - 7 points Round 2: Defense Milan: Conti (T-10; W-7.11), Bonucci (T-45; W-7.14), Romagnoli (T-25; W-6, 94), Rodriguez (T-17; W-6.72). Reserve: Musacchio (T-18, W-6.78), Paletta (T-5.5, W-6.87), Gomez (T-5; W-6.66), Zapata (T-2.5 , W - 6.78), Abate (T-6, W-6.80), Calabria (T-4, W-6.98), Antonelli (T-5.5, W-6.78) Inter: Cannelo (T-20, W-6.90), Shkrinyar (T-7, W-6.69), Miranda (T-9; W-7.16), Dalbert (T-5; W-7.17 ). Reserve: D'Ambrosio (T-10; W-7.09); Santon (T-5; W-7.09); Ranokkia (T-5; W-6.89); Vanhoesden (T-0.4 ), Ansaldi (T - 5.5, W - 6.63), Nagatomo (T - 3.5, W - 6.61) Inter's defense last season was a byword, especially in the spring segment, unsuccessful for the whole Teams. Such a defense in our battle would score at best 5 points. Stupid blunders, bringing in on delivery and lack of reliability, coupled with stability - at the exit was 13 in a row of matches with conceded balls and 4: 5 from Fiorentina. It's natural that three of the four main defenders in this season are beginners. The difficulty is that the defense has yet to be played, Shkrinyar is still young, and Dalbert and Canselo came from other championships.

The defense of Milan is also not played, but on paper it looks much stronger. There was a progressing Romagnoli, and the acquisition of Bonucci makes the difference between the defenses of two Milan clubs. Plus, the newcomer Musacchio, highly quoted in La Liga - the center of defense of Milan even over-equipped, if we talk about the scheme with four beks (Montella still prefers 4-3-3). The flanks of defense in Rossoneri also look more solid, yet Rodriguez has considerable experience, and Conti gave a terrific season for Atalanta. We will advance 9 points.

Milan - 9 points Inter - 7 points Round 3: Midfield Milan: Kessye (T - 20, W - 6,89), Billiards (T - 20, W - 7,22), Chalkhanoglu (T - 20, W - 7, 49). Reserve: Locatelli (T-6; W-6.80); Montolivo (T-3.5; W-6.93); Sosa (T-5; W-6.79); Mauri (T-3.5 , W - 6.52), Zanellato (T - 0.15) Inter: Borja (T-9; W-7.02), Vesino (T-13; W-6.98); Joao Mario (T-30 ; W = 6.98). Reserve: Gagliardini (T - 15; W - 7.27), Brozovich (T - 20; W - 7.14), Gnukuri (T - 1) We send the flanking attacking midfielders to attack, here we estimate the center of the field. The names again look better Milan: raspasovshik Bill, mobile Kessya, the performer of penalty Chalkhanoglu - a cool set. In the game with Crotone Milanese owned the ball 80% of playing time. An impressive figure, even if you take into account the game of the opponent in the minority from the 5th minute. With Cagliari it was no longer so much fun, there was a striking disbalance in the middle line, where there is no leader yet, bringing order. Ideally, such a player should be Billie, through which he built the game Lazio.

While Milan was crushing Crotone, Inter no less confidently outplayed another, nominally more powerful opponent - Fiorentina. It was from there that the most curious team beginner, Borja Valero. This transfer was unexpected: the 32-year-old Spaniard, who almost did not play for the national team and was stuck in Florence for five years - can a player with such a biography strengthen the team labeling the leaders? As it turned out, still as if it is appropriate to embed it in the game model. Thanks to a bunch of Borja with another ex-Florentine Vesino, Inter's midfield earned, and the "attack group" got the necessary recharge from the depths. This is the same leader that is not enough for Milan.

Perhaps, both middle lines are worthy of each other. Milan has a trump card in his sleeve - Billia, who, due to injury, did not really play for the new team. He, however, has yet to join the team. It seems that the Inter thanks to the acquisition of the Florentine ligament is expected to have much less problems with the teamwork of midfielders than Milan.

Milan - 8 points Inter 8 points Round 4: Assault Milan: Suso (T-15, W-7.21), Andre Silva (T-22, W-7.22), Bonaventure (T-24; W-7 ,50). Reserve: Nyang (T-15, W-6.55), Borini (T-5; W-6.53), Coutron (T-0.5), Kalinich (T-20; W-6.94) Inter : Kandreva (T - 20, W - 7.11), Perisic (T - 30, W - 7.28), Ikardi (T - 50, W - 7.30). Reserve: Eder (T-10, W-6.74), Gabriel (T-15; W-6.33), Pinamounti (T-1) Here the clear superiority of Inter. The attack of Milan is potentially strong, but this potential still needs to be realized. Andre Silva and especially Coutron are still too young, although the native of Primavera is incredibly cool in starting matches. Recently acquired Kalinich? Was very good in Fiorentina, but, again, the status of the top player is not given along with the seventh number on the T-shirt. The alternative to the main players is not impressive, and the transition of Borini looks so mysterious at all.

Attack of Nerazzurri from another opera. There is a tightly welded trio Perisic-Kandreev-Ikardi. Last season on their account, a total of 41 goals and 29 assists in Serie A games. It's not as cool as the Neapolitan triple, but still worthy. Ikardi, albeit selfish, but coolly decides the moments in the penalty area (remember the recent match with Roma!), Kandreeva accurately submits from the flank, and Perisic knows how to give, and to score. Last season, Inter scored 15 goals more than Milan. Of course, the increased Rossoneri intend to outbid fellow countrymen, they have strong players on the flanks (very good today Suso), but the mother's "attack group" Inter - a clear trump card wards Spalletti.

Milan - 7 points Inter - 9 points Round 5: Coach Milan: Vincenzo Montella Inter: Luciano Spalletti Plus one point to Inter through experience. Montella - a promising coach with an interesting model of the game. His teams were compared to Barcelona, ??and the above 80% possession of the ball should not be surprising. "Airplane" deserved a chance to become a top coach, but will he use it? Vincenzo to Milan did not really work under real pressure, and in fact the expectations from the new team are prohibitively high. From Montella, you can expect everything: from triumphant assault of peaks to frank failure - remember how volatile Milan was last season.

Spalletti is an old experienced wolf, who can handle tasks like a place in the Champions League zone. The four-time runner-up Italy - virtually guarantee that this Inter will have to be considered, "the coach" victory at Olimpico is already shown. What is characteristic, both trainers put spectacular attacking football with an abundance of short and medium gears. Their full-time duel will be the most curious.

Milan - 7 points Inter - 8 points Result By rounds - 2: 2, draw By points - 40:39 Minimal advantage Rossoneri. However, it is quite conditional. Speech, rather, about the potential of Milan, which received at its disposal a set of extra-class players. If Donnaramma is reliable, if Bonucci becomes a leader and a real captain, if Bilja and Chalhanoglu show their outstanding qualities, and Andre Silva (or, what the hell, Cutron) will start fighting for the title of the best scorer of the league - such an assessment will be even understated.

Inter, at first glance, looks all the same. The fear concerns protection and, in part, the goalkeeper - Spalletti still has to break his head over the game on the defensive. But the trump cards are already in Nerazzurri's hands: this team can bypass Milan due to better teamwork and experience of the head coach.

Author: Sergey Shevchenko.