Fabio Capello insisted that AC Milan can recover the seven-point gap in the title race against Inter Milan.
“At Real Madrid I recovered a nine-point gap from FC Barcelona,” he said.
The advantage had been 10 points until last night, when a goal from Pervis Estupiñán gave Milan a 1–0 victory over their city rivals.
Now the title race has reopened once again, although a seven-point gap with 10 matches remaining still represents a major obstacle.
“Inter still has a big advantage, but I think above all it is now a psychological matter,” Capello said in his role as an analyst for Sky Sport Italia.
“In every match recently, Inter has alternated moments of very good football with others that were extremely slow. That gives opponents the chance to create problems for them.”
He was asked how coach Cristian Chivu could solve the lack of consistency and intensity in Inter’s play.
“They need to play with more humility and help each other, something I haven’t seen enough of from Inter lately,” Capello added.
Meanwhile, Milan is in good form and has an advantage over the teams fighting for the top four, so they practically have nothing to lose—something the former Rossoneri coach believes could be very important.
“They have a fairly favorable schedule of matches, so why not try to recover ground on first place? I did this with Real Madrid, recovering nine points against Barcelona precisely because they relaxed due to their big advantage.
Inter must be very careful not to make the same mistake. The risk now is that the players may not have the same confidence and focus.”
Capello was also asked what he would tell Milan’s players if he were in the position of coach Massimiliano Allegri.
“I think he should tell them they have almost achieved their objective, so now it is time to have fun and enjoy the game. I saw Inter looking very pale, without strength or determination. I don’t know why, but Inter did not play the derby with the right attitude.
I was surprised by how slowly the Nerazzurri circulated the ball. Perhaps they missed Hakan Çalhanoğlu in midfield.”
Lautaro Martínez missed the match due to injury but asked to be on the bench just to be close to his teammates.
“Lautaro is a true captain, one of those players who can wake the team up, run everywhere, and work hard—not just score goals. That determination is exactly what Inter is lacking right now,” Capello concluded. ⚽
“Inter still has a big advantage, but I think above all it is now a psychological matter,” Capello said in his role as an analyst for Sky Sport Italia.
“In every match recently, Inter has alternated moments of very good football with others that were extremely slow. That gives opponents the chance to create problems for them.”
He was asked how coach Cristian Chivu could solve the lack of consistency and intensity in Inter’s play.
“They need to play with more humility and help each other, something I haven’t seen enough of from Inter lately,” Capello added.
