.svg&w=384&q=75 "logo"){kind=small}
Inter Milan vs AC Milan: Akanji's Call for Focus in Derby
Manuel Akanji has drawn a hard line in the Milan sand.
On the eve of a Derby della Madonnina loaded with title weight and emotional baggage, the Inter defender has warned his teammates that another slow, careless opening against AC Milan would be unforgivable.
“We know that we can't start like that against Milan, we can't give away easy goals. They will have to work hard to score,” he told Sky Sport Italia. The message was blunt, and it needed to be.
Inter flying, but with a flaw
Inter arrive at Saturday’s showdown sitting on top of Serie A alongside Lazio, unbeaten and imposing. Cristian Chivu’s side have taken 25 points from nine games – eight wins and a draw – and already look like a machine built for a Scudetto push.
Yet the numbers hide a habit that could turn toxic in a derby.
Inter have rescued 13 points from losing positions this season. They keep getting away with it. They fall behind, wake up, and come roaring back. Against most opponents, that resilience looks like a strength.
Against Milan, it could be a trap.
“It’s not that we start badly, but sometimes we make mistakes and concede goals,” Akanji admitted. “We can't afford to do that, especially against the big teams. Sometimes you might get away with it, especially if the opponents don't convert the chances they create.”
Milan, even wounded, are not that kind of opponent.
Milan reeling, Inter ready to twist the knife
Stefano Pioli’s side walk into this derby under pressure. A 4-2 defeat to Bologna handed them their first league loss of the season and exposed defensive cracks at the worst possible time.
The table adds another layer of tension. Inter already hold the high ground; victory on Saturday would open up a 10-point gap over their city rivals. In late October, that is not a decisive blow, but it is a brutal one. For the Rossoneri, it would turn a title chase into a long, uphill slog.
Akanji, though, refused to be drawn into any talk of early coronations.
“It’s still early, but of course it would be great to win this game,” he said. “The teams close to us are picking up points and it will be difficult to stay up there. For us, the derby is one of the most important games of the season, we want to get the three points.”
He knows why this particular fixture demands more than form and numbers.
Seven games without a win – and a mental block to break
Inter’s domestic dominance has not carried into the derby. Not lately. Not where it hurts.
Since April 2024, the Nerazzurri have failed to beat Milan in seven consecutive meetings: five defeats, two draws. For a club that measures itself against the red half of the city as much as any trophy, that run stings.
So Akanji stripped the problem down to its core.
“The desire to win. That's what counts in a derby,” he insisted. “We have to show it from the first minute and not just bring a sense of hunger, but the desire to go and win. Mentality is what drives desire.”
Last season offered a warning. “Milan showed us their low block and played intelligently,” Akanji recalled. Inter had the ball, but Milan had the plan. Patience, compact lines, and quick breaks. It worked.
This time, the defender wants his side to flip the script.
“We can't give away easy chances. We all have to defend and make things difficult for them. We have to take advantage on transitions when we have the ball.”
The emphasis is clear: no gifts, no lapses, no early mountain to climb.
Bodies tired, minds demanded to be sharp
Beneath the derby noise lies another issue: fatigue. The calendar has been merciless, and Akanji did not hide from it.
He pointed to the cumulative impact of a crowded schedule, from the Club World Cup to the Euros and now an expanded 2026 World Cup.
“It's not just about that, we have to think about the last few years as well,” he said. “Before that, there was the Club World Cup and the Euros the summer before. Fortunately, next year, there will be a proper break. When you play as much as that, starting again straight away is difficult.
“You might be happy, maybe you had a good World Cup, maybe you need a rest, but there's no time. The body responds to the present, the mind less so. It's not easy. I'm 31 years old now, we have to think and play as a team. We want to finish well before the international break.”
Inter are not just fighting Milan. They are fighting the calendar, the fatigue in their legs, and the strain on concentration that leads to the kind of early errors Akanji is desperate to erase.
A derby that asks hard questions
Tactically, Saturday promises a tight, tense battle. Inter know they must start fast, impose their rhythm, and avoid the familiar pattern of chasing the game. Milan, stung by Bologna, will likely lean again on discipline, structure, and the counter-punch.
For Inter, this is more than a chance to stretch their lead at the top. It is a test of whether they can marry their obvious quality with the ruthless focus of champions, under pressure, against the one opponent that has repeatedly found a way to stop them.
Akanji has laid down the standard. No excuses. No early gifts. No soft goals.
If Inter finally break their derby hoodoo, it will be because they listened. If they don’t, that 10-point gap will remain a what-if, and the doubts will only grow louder in the blue half of Milan.
