By CLEMENTE LISI
So, AC Milan will finish the season without a trophy. Out of the Champions League and Coppa Italia before the quarterfinal stages and never in the Serie A race, Milan decided to instead focus on winning the World Club Championship in Japan last December — a decision that ultimately hurt them during the rest of the season.
Inter, meanwhile, did the same thing — focusing in on the Serie A title (and not the Champions League) as it hopes to win the league for a third straight time this weekend. AC Milan changed its entire training schedule last summer in order to be in peak physcial shape by December. Clearly, having so many rescheduled Serie A games in January and February — with so many domestic fixtures to deal with — was too much for this aging roster, which features captain Paolo Maldini, who turns 40 this month and has still not decided whether to retire at the end of the season.
To no one’s surprise, Milan focused on one target, like it has so many times in the past. Milan are the mirror-image of their billionaire owner and newly-elected Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi. The media mogul’s focus on making history has led his beloved club (and coach Carlo Ancellotti) to do the same. Chase the big trophies — you know, the ones that make history — rather than try to win another Serie A title or a back-to-back Champions League.
City rivals Inter Milan have done the opposite, but with the same result. Outplayed in the Champions League year-in and year-out, Inter are closing in on their third straight Serie A title — something it can do Sunday with a victory over (who else?) AC Milan at San Siro.
Maybe next season, Inter can focus on both the league race and Champions League, while Milan can get some new blood onto its squad in the hopes of vying for the league and whatever else it can get its hands on.
What Inter and AC Milan need is balance. We need to see two clubs going for all the silverware available (like English sides Manchester United and Chelsea routinely do) during the course of the season. Anything short means shortchanging your players, and most of all, the fans.
