Expert Blogs

Inter jump out to big lead

If the title contest was a boxing match, the referee would be entitled to stop it now and hold up Inter's arm. Mourinho's team is now nine points clear of second-placed AC Milan, 11 clear of third placed Roma and 16 clear of sixth-placed "Old Lady" Juventus. Yet, here was Mourinho, sounding like a distinctly unhappy camper on Sunday night.

Leaving aside the Inter coach's well proven ability to deflect attention from his players, thanks to recurrent and regular bouts of polemics, what was he on about?  Of the two penalties, which came against Bari ten days ago, one was absolutely undeniable. Likewise, the controversial sending-off of Dutchman Wesley Sneijder in Sunday night's derby was unavoidable given that the player indulged in a sustained, sarcastic "applause" right in the face of referee Gianluca Rocchi.  As for the other sending off, that of Inter's Brazilian defender Lucio, it came so late in the game (92nd minute) that it made no difference.

In reality Mourinho's outburst needs to be understood in the context of the build-up to this derby.  During an autumn dominated by Inter, their city cousins did well to recover from a poor start (which had included losing the first derby 4-0 to Inter) to get itself back into second position. Given that their recent form had been much more impressive than that of Inter, AC Milan were, at least in theory, in a position to throw down a challenge on Sunday night.

Then, just to up the tension, the Italian Football League stepped in, agreeing to Milan's request that their Italian Cup quarter-final tie with Udinese, originally scheduled for last Wednesday, be moved to this week in order to allow them concentrate on the derby. Needless to say, the folks at Inter did not much appreciate this, prompting Mourinho's conspiracy theories.

Yet, on the night, the omens, recent form and fixture re-arrangements counted for nothing.  Suffice to say, this was a game that Inter won despite having played for 70 minutes with just 10 men, despite having twice hit the post and despite a late penalty being awarded to Milan. It would be hard to imagine a more emphatic demonstration of superior force than this.

Inter grind out results

Put simply, in the opening 20 minutes before the sending off of Sneijder, Inter looked sharper, fitter, more hungry and, above all, more dangerous. Not for the first time this season, Inter proved that they are truly "up for it" when it comes to a big match. 

Twice during the autumn Champions League group stage, away to Dinamo Kiev and at home to Rubin Kazan, Inter were in a "do or die" situation and twice they delivered the goods, winning both games. At this point, the omens for their forthcoming Champions League tie with Chelsea are distinctly positive.

In the meantime, however, Mourinho's post-match comments may yet come in for close scrutiny from the Football Federation. As indeed could Inter defender Marco Materazzi, a sub on Sunday night, come in for a fine for having celebrated the victory at San Siro complete with a face mask of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, owner of AC Milan.

Materazzi says no harm and no political message were intended. Yet out there on the pitch, the game did send us one very loud and very clear message - Inter Uber Alles, in Italy at least.

Meanwhile, on what was a significant weekend of Serie A action, another message seemed to resound from the Olympic Stadium in Turin. Juventus' 2-1 defeat of by Roma, their fifth Serie A defeat in their last six games, would seem to signal the end of the road for coach Ciro Ferrara. A new appointment, be it a long term or a short-gap measure, is expected. Watch this space.