But the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. Leonardo, who took over Inter Milan before Christmas and was jokingly referred to as "Santa Claus" by Eto'o, indeed revived the previously gasping-for-air Nerazzurri and reignited the luster of a team that had seemingly bid farewell to the league championship. The resurrection skill of this young Brazilian coach mainly relied on his extraordinary ability to inspire the team and his management techniques. Speaking solely of the skills in managing the locker room and interpersonal relationships, Leonardo, with a successful player career background, immense personal charm, and fluency in five languages, is not much inferior to Mourinho. This can be concluded by comparing Mc孔's performance in the first and second half of the league season. The abilities of Inter Milan players do not need annual inspections to prove; what this highly successful team urgently needed at the time was not the rigid, stubborn "repairing and beating" of someone like Benítez but rather the "lubricating oil" of someone like Leonardo.
The 0-3 defeat was an unexpected result that no one could have foreseen, as Inter Milan, full of hope, headed towards San Siro only to suffer an unbelievable loss. Just like in the 21st round at the Olympic Stadium in Turin, Leonardo and his team once again lost their composure in the decisive derby match. Although he has been promoted to head coach for less than two seasons, even though the Brazilian young coach is an astonishingly talented potential great coach, his deficiencies in tactical sophistication and in-game adjustments were evident, causing the Nerazzurri to pay a high price.
The top-heavy tactical deployment neither compensated for the sentiment of Milan without Ibrahimović nor managed to sway fortune in their favor. The early goal by Pato might have been a sudden occurrence, but the penetration of Inter's backline by a through pass and Gattuso's presence in the vacuum just in front of the penalty area clearly highlighted significant issues in Inter Milan's midfield defense. Throughout the game, AC Milan executed their counterattacks brilliantly. Both Cambiasso and Motta, returning from national team duties, lacked energy and aggression in defense. Without Zanetti in the midfield, Inter Milan's blocking ability dropped significantly. Whether it was Boateng or Robinho, their possession in the arc outside the penalty box was enough to create lethal threats. And the liveliness of Seedorf further demonstrated the failure of Inter Milan's tactics. Despite his age, nobody from Inter Milan provided sufficient pressure or resistance, allowing Seedorf to display his masterful level. The one who controls the midfield controls the world—everything needs balance, and Leonardo clearly forgot these ancient teachings today.
Reversing against Catania and securing a last-minute victory against Bayern Munich at Allianz Arena were all representative works of Coach Leonardo at Inter Milan. However, deeper analysis of these masterpieces by Leonardo reveals the naivety of the young Brazilian coach. The same applies to this match. In fact, there were two guesses about the starting lineup for this match in the media beforehand. One was three defensive midfielders, and the other was three forwards. Unlike Allegri, who remained calm and set up his team based on his own principles, Leonardo showed a rather aggressive side: three forwards plus Sneijder to face Milan. This wasn't too surprising, but for a Nerazzurri team that only needed not to lose to maintain a tense chasing status, such a formation was somewhat risky.