Inter's Derby Challenge: No More Slow Starts Against Milan

Manuel Akanji has drawn a hard line in the dressing room ahead of the Derby della Madonnina. No more slow starts. No more gifts.

With Inter and AC Milan set to collide on Saturday in a clash loaded with title implications, the Swiss defender has made it clear: if Milan are going to score, they’ll have to suffer for it.

Inter flying, Milan reeling

Inter arrive at the derby in commanding domestic form. Cristian Chivu’s side sit joint-top of Serie A with Lazio, unbeaten in the 2026-27 campaign and already on 25 points from eight wins and a draw. The numbers scream authority.

Across the city, the mood is very different.

Milan are still digesting a bruising 4-2 defeat to Bologna, their first league loss of the season and a jolt to a previously steady start. Lose again on Saturday and they could find themselves staring at a 10-point gap to their fiercest rivals. In October, that is the kind of deficit that can warp an entire season.

The stakes are obvious. The derby is never just about the table, but this one could reshape it.

A bad habit Inter can’t afford

For all their dominance, Inter have been living dangerously. They have developed a worrying knack for conceding first, only to roar back late. Thirteen of their points this season have come from losing positions. That speaks to character. It also speaks to risk.

Akanji knows it.

"It's not easy to give an explanation. It's not that we start badly, but sometimes we make mistakes and concede goals," he told Sky Sport Italia, cutting straight to the problem. "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. 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."

The warning is pointed. Milan have not been ruthless every week, but in this fixture, they have found ways to hurt Inter.

Chivu’s men have failed to beat Milan in their last seven attempts in all competitions since April 2024, a run that includes five defeats and two draws. For a club that has built its modern identity on imposing itself in big matches, that is an uncomfortable statistic.

The derby has become a mental block. Akanji wants to smash it.

‘Desire to win’ and a question of mentality

Asked what it will take to finally flip the narrative, Akanji did not talk about systems or schemes. He went straight to something more basic.

"The desire to win. That's what counts in a derby. 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."

That is the core of Inter’s challenge on Saturday. The tactical battle will matter, the details in and out of possession will matter, but in these games, attitude often decides who blinks first.

Inter have been able to dig themselves out of holes against lesser opponents. Against Milan, in a derby loaded with history, noise and pressure, that margin for error shrinks. The message from one of their leaders is simple: start like a title contender, not like a team waiting to be punched before it reacts.

Title race context and a draining calendar

The table adds another layer of tension. A win would give Inter breathing space and land a heavy blow on Milan’s Scudetto ambitions, but Akanji is refusing to get carried away.

"It's still early, but of course it would be great to win this game," he admitted. "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."

His realism extends beyond the weekend. The defender did not hide the strain of a relentless football calendar, intensified by the expanded 2026 World Cup and a succession of major tournaments.

"It's not just about that, we have to think about the last few years as well. Before that, there was the Club World Cup and the Euros the summer before," he said. "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."

The honesty is striking. Inter are not just fighting opponents; they are wrestling with fatigue, accumulated minutes and the mental weight of a calendar that barely pauses.

Lessons from last year, demands for Saturday

Akanji has not forgotten how Milan approached this fixture last season.

"Last year, Milan showed us their low block and played intelligently. 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."

That line offers a glimpse of Saturday’s likely script. Milan, stung by the Bologna defeat and wary of Inter’s attacking power, may again sit deeper, compress space and look to spring forward. Inter, who often like to control territory and tempo, will need to be patient without becoming passive.

They cannot afford to over-commit and hand Milan the kind of “easy chances” Akanji rails against. But they also cannot drift through the opening stages and hope their quality bails them out late on.

The balance will be delicate: aggression without recklessness, control without lethargy.

A derby that demands a statement

When Inter walk out for the Derby della Madonnina, they will do so with the table in their favour but the recent head-to-head record against them. The unbeaten run, the shared lead with Lazio, the 25 points from nine games – all of it will feel a little hollow if they again fall behind to their neighbours and again chase the game.

This is not just another test of their football. It is a test of whether they have truly grown into a side that can manage pressure, fatigue and history all at once.

Akanji has drawn the line: no more easy goals, no more slow-burning starts.

Now the question is simple. In a derby that could tilt the title race, will Inter play like a team protecting a cushion, or like a team intent on tearing down the one obstacle they have not yet cleared?