Inter Milan defender Manuel Akanji has warned his team against a sluggish start when they take on fierce city rivals AC Milan in Saturday's highly anticipated Derby della Madonnina fixture.
The two cross-town rivals approach this weekend's encounter in starkly contrasting forms. While AC Milan suffered a disappointing 4-2 defeat at home against Bologna earlier in the week—marking their first loss of the current campaign—Inter continue to lead the Serie A standings alongside Lazio, maintaining an unbeaten record in the league so far.
Why are slow starts a concern for Inter?
Despite their strong position at the top of the table, Christian Chivu’s squad has developed a worrying habit of starting matches slowly and conceding the opening goal to their opponents. Over the course of the season, the Nerazzurri have shown resilience by recovering 13 points from losing positions, but Akanji insists that relying on comebacks is unsustainable.
“It’s not easy to give an explanation. It’s not that we start badly, but sometimes we make mistakes and concede goals. We can’t afford to do that, especially against the big teams,” Akanji explained in an interview with Sky Sport Italia.
What is Inter's recent record against AC Milan?
Beyond their early-game defensive lapses, Inter will also be desperate to break a prolonged winless streak against their red-and-black neighbors. The Nerazzurri have failed to secure a victory in any of their last seven competitive meetings against AC Milan, a run that includes five defeats and two draws.