Inter Milan boss Leonardo has played down the importance of Saturday’s derby with his former club AC Milan, claiming it is not ‘crucial’ in the race for the Serie A title.
Leonardo has guided Inter to the quarter-finals of the Champions League and semi-finals of the Italian Cup, but has had to play catch-up to Milan in the league after Benitez’s slow start. However, the 41-year-old does not think the derby will have that much impact.
“The derby won’t be crucial because after that there are another seven rounds,” he said. “What we wanted to do was get closer, get back in the race and challenge for the Scudetto. We reach this derby in the best possible condition.”
Have to disagree with Leonardo on this one. The derby is only not crucial if it is a draw. An Inter wins, puts them back on top of Serie A and delivers a body blow to a staggering Milan side. A Milan win on the other hand put the gap back to five points, which is a lot of make up in seven games.
Do you think the derby is crucial in deciding the title race?