AC Milan vs. Inter Milan: Lessons Learned from International Champions Cup

AC Milan defeated Inter Milan in the "first" derby of the new season, with the International Champions Cup pre-season fixture being played in China and ending with a 1-0 scoreline.

A low-key fixture was well-supported by both sets of fans, but the spectacular goal from Philippe Mexes—a first-time mid-air volley off a corner kick—was totally out of keeping with the rest of the match. Antonio Nocerino saw a straight red card late on.

It's early in pre-season for both clubs, but here are a few pointers and thoughts that the two managers, Sinisa Mihajlovic and Roberto Mancini, might take away from the game.

Low Final-Third Quality Not Too Much Concern at This Stage

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Unfortunately, the most notable part of the game for long stretches was the fact that neither Milan nor Inter managed to create any succession of chances during the 90 minutes, certainly very few of high quality.

Aside from M'Baye Niang making a couple of runs in behind the defence, Milan threatened sporadically—though that might have been different had Alessandro Matri had a semblance of timing or technique about him with runs and through passes.

Inter's Samuele Longo showed perhaps why he failed to score at all on loan last season, and the game as a whole lacked any kind of danger in the penalty area at either end until Milan's double change introduced Carlos Bacca and Luiz Adriano.

So early on in the summer for these two sides and with players starting who clearly won't be first choice once Serie A gets up and running, it's an annoyance more than a concern that none of the attackers managed to stake a claim to be more involved.

Niang Can Contribute Even If Not as a Regular Starter

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M'Baye Niang is clearly a talented footballer and has great physicality to his game, but his decision-making and final pass is too often rushed or simply wrong.

It's tough to say whether this is a consequence of still being a young player (he's only 20) or because he's simply a reactive, rather than actually intelligent, type of player—he has had plenty of matches and a loan away last year.

If the latter, he's likely to remain an impact player to run at sides late on or be something of an effective starter for a counter-attacking setup—but either way, those traits will benefit a Milan side this season who are still recovering and rediscovering themselves as a newly shaped outfit.

He won't start frequently ahead of Bacca and Luiz, but he can still be a decent outlet for the side during the season.

Inter's Midfield Depth Looks Impressive

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Already in place were the likes of Fredy Guarin, Mateo Kovacic, Hernanes and Marcelo Brozovic. Now, big-money signing Geoffrey Kondogbia has been added to that list to give manager Roberto Mancini plenty of options to work with in the centre of midfield.

Of course, his big issue is not which ones to pick but rather which system to fit them in to get the best components on the pitch while also remaining balanced throughout.

There's no lack of technique, tenacity or creativity in the midfield, so Mancini can't really have any excuses about that area of his team now—though this wasn't really the match to judge any of them by, as most of the main faces only got 20 minutes or so on the pitch. Don't expect too much from the likes of Saphir Taider and Assane Gnoukouri as starters just yet.

Pre-Season, but Still a Typical Milan Derby

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The game might have taken place in China and under the banner of the International Champions Cup rather than Serie A, but this was pretty much a classic Milan-Inter fixture—classic in terms of recent clashes, rather than memorable or historical, that is.

Not since 2012 has either side managed to score more than once in a single game against the other in Serie A, with a run of 1-0, 0-0 or 1-1 now tallying seven consecutive games.

Attendances and perhaps even interest in general has dropped considerably over the last decade in this fixture, and the low tempo, shortage of chances on goal and—even with the vast numbers of subs brought on—lack of real top drawer talent are all perhaps reasons for that.

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