Former legendary AC Milan coach, Arrigo Sacchi, wrote his usual piece to La Gazzetta dello Sport as he analysed the negative moments of the red and black faithful as well as their city rivals:
"We are playing too much, we need to reduce the number of games, otherwise it will be difficult to see good football: the players, already at this point of the season, are exhausted and, consequently, often get injured. If we love this sport, and don't just think about the money it produces, let's stop and think."
On the difficult moments of AC Milan:
"We have to distinguish between the two realities. Let's start with Milan, which in my opinion is having a great season. If we look at the investments made on the market, which were few because priority was rightly given to the balance sheet, and to the group of players in general, I feel like saying that Milan is going beyond expectations."
"Milan suffer a lot from their 'muscular' opponents, such as Udinese. They base their movements on speed, but they struggle to recover the ball by pressing because, now, the distances between the departments are not correct. Against Udinese, they did not play well, that's true. However, I repeat, these are inconveniences that happen when you have a young team."
Sacchi on how to get out of this difficult moment:
"Pioli is a coach who has improved a lot and knows how to grasp the situations that arise within the group very well. With young people, it is easy to go from depression to exaltation. Now the game does not have the quality it had at the beginning of the season, but nothing prevents us from returning to that level. I wouldn't be surprised at a sudden turnaround. And in any case, one thing is very clear: if Milan won the Scudetto, it would be a historic feat. I believe they can do it, perhaps starting from a great performance in the Coppa Italia derby. The important thing is that everyone always remembers that their strength is the game, and not the individual qualities. If they move as a team, they can hurt anyone."
Sacchi on the derby:
"I don't know if we'll see a good match. There is too much tension, there is too much fatigue in the players. Both Milan and Inter come from negative results in the league. It may be that the attention not to suffer prevails, even if I think, and I have always thought, that the best defense is the attack, because it makes you optimistic and confident and within your means."
