Last season, if you walked across the Piazza del Duomo in Milan, your neck automatically must shift as your eyes are drawn to the towering Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral). As you gaze as the sheer size and glory of the building, one must wonder how long it takes to build such a creation. Officially it was started in 1386 and completed as late as 1965, incredible maybe but even more so when you see the scaffolding down its left side, as major renovation works are hidden by huge banners with photos of the building adorning them. In some ways, this is representative of both Milan clubs, monstrously steeped in history and yet they never seem complete.
Renovation work has taken place on both the Rossoneri and the Nerazzurri side of the city but in very different ways. Whilst, like the gentle archaeological dusting of the gargoyles on one side, Inter have finely tuned their squad. They have added players like Borja Valero and Dalbert Henrique to fix small elements that were broken, a touch up to an already proud structure. Milan, on the other hand, have almost taken down a spire and rebuilt a new one it the same place. The structure looks the same as it did many years ago, but now has foundations as an entire new squad seems to have arrived, from Andre Silva to Hakan Calhanoglu.
Much was expected of both teams on the opening day of the season. Inter had been visibly better in pre-season playing at pace and seemingly manging to fix the block that had developed in midfield. Could they take this form into the real season against a Florentine side led by former coach Stefano Pioli? Their answer was swift, a Mauro Icardi double and an Ivan Perisic goal saw off an under-par Viola who with many new players if their own looked disjointed and nervous.
The irony in the game was that the Nerazzurri midfield that flowed so well, was due to the two new boys, Matias Vecino and Borja Valero, perhaps they instantly clicked because if their relationship developed at, you guessed it, Fiorentina. Inter now go on for more reunions, as Luciano Spalletti faces his old club Roma and a Nerazzurri win there, would certainly make many believe that this new look Inter mean business.
At the same time on Sunday night, Milan travelled to Crotone with high expectations. They were back in the Europa League and in the qualifiers, they did well, including a 6-0 demolition of Macedonians Shkendija. This certainly had the Rossoneri faithful expectant. This was Serie A however, perhaps some of the more cautious would question if this amount of new players could gel quickly enough for the big stage.
Like their city rivals they also answered questions, with a deluge of quality and power they ran out 3-0 winners against an opposition down to 10 men. New boy Frank Kessie and Suso both got on the score sheet whilst youngster Patrick Cutrone showed once again why he is so highly thought of after nodding in a goal. Eight new players bought that summer debuted in the league that day but there were no signs of first night nerves, they host Cagliari at home next and San Siro expects.
Two great clubs with a rich history look to be back on their way to being amongst the elite, although there is a long way to go. Will Inter’s midfield be able to perform in that manner in the big games? Has Luciano Spalletti finally instilled the discipline in the squad and has he managed to get rid of the mental block that run through the veins of the club? Can Milan play this cohesively throughout the season and even with the influx of players, can they compete in Europe and in Serie A? Can Montella handle the mounting expectations that are now on the club and how do either club bounce back from a defeat? These are but a few questions that need answering.
Whilst these queries will continue to be posed throughout the campaign for both clubs, one thing is for sure. Like the great Duomo di Milano, it is frustrating when you see the building still being worked on and not quite finished but at least there is a reason why. For too long work on both these clubs seemed to stop due to financial and other restraints and for a time the worry was that they may start to go to rack and ruin. The great clubs of Milano are now well on their way to being restored and the parts you can see are warming, nostalgic and long overdue.
