Monza

There is a real Milan vibe about Monza, who are nestled 15 kilometres north of the Lombardy capital, as the ambitious club stand closer than ever to achieving their goal of Serie A promotion after spending their entire existence in the lower leagues.

Monza are owned by former Milan president and Italy prime minister Berlusconi, who returned to football in 2018 after selling his beloved Rossoneri a year earlier.

After purchasing the club through his Fininvest company, Berlusconi turned to his trusted right-hand man Galliani – who was born in Monza – as CEO. Their partnership helped turn the Rossoneri into a superpower, with eight Serie A titles and five Champions League/European Cup crowns among the 29 pieces of silverware between 1986 and 2017.

Monza are also coached by former Milan midfielder and boss Brocchi, while the Serie B outfit also boasts ex-Rossoneri players Balotelli, Boateng and Paletta.

After completing their rise from Serie C to the second tier of Italian football amid the coronavirus pandemic in 2019-20, Monza are well and truly in the promotion mix – fourth and six points adrift of leaders Empoli, while they are only two points behind Cittadella, who occupy the final automatic spot through 18 games.

Moving up to Serie A would mean a Milan reunion for many of Monza's staff and players, as well as Brocchi – who won the Scudetto and two Champions League titles among other honours at San Siro between 2001 and 2008 before spending a brief period in charge eight years later.

"It is a dream that hopefully will come true. To have brought the Milan mentality coming from our board – always striving to build an important organisation similar to the Milan that won so much worldwide," Brocchi told Stats Perform News.

"Board, manager and some players have worn that shirt and the dream to recreate Milan here in Monza is beautiful and emotional."

"It is a tough season. There are many strong clubs, the ones relegated from A [in 2019-20] who have retained all the important players and those who last season had built up a squad for promotion and failed, so I think this year's Serie B is the hardest of recent times," he continued.

Monza – back in Serie B following a 19-year absence – are no ordinary second-tier team in Italy, with all eyes on the Bagai due to Berlusconi.

Berlusconi's presence has changed the landscape for Monza, who tried to sign Zlatan Ibrahimovic before the star striker opted to return to Milan in January last year. However, Monza have since lured Balotelli and Boateng to the club.

"Working for Berlusconi and Galliani's club is grand because all media attention is on you. For sure everybody thinks Monza have to win every game because these two people have gone down in football history winning so much. And this is exactly our goal," Brocchi said.

"I know very well Berlusconi and Galliani's wish is to reach Serie A and win every game. We share the same mindset because I have grown up with them since I was nine. To me it is an honour to be the manager here.

"For sure it is beautiful and important for me to manage in a club like Monza that are very ambitious. It is not easy to take a club from Serie C to Serie A but it is emotional because you have a lot of responsibilities and adrenaline is always rushing. As I said, to face strong clubs with your own aim and manage to overcome them, would make this even better." 

Brocchi, who oversaw just seven matches as Milan coach before being replaced by Vincenzo Montella, continued: "Monza's aim is to improve. We started from C, we are in B and we want Serie A. The difference between us and other clubs is that once in Serie A we won't have the goal of avoiding relegation at the last game, but to rank in the top 10.

"Mr Galliani wants us to always be a strong team going for great objectives. This is what will happen should we win this league."

Balotelli and Boateng are set to play a key role in Monza's push for promotion following their high-profile arrivals.

Boateng has made an immediate impact, with the former Milan and Barcelona midfielder – on average – scoring a goal every 243 minutes in Serie B this season, the best average among Monza players with at least 90 minutes played.

Only Dany Mota has fired more shots on target than Boateng (23 to 10) among Monza players this term and the talented Portuguese forward has four league goals.

Balotelli – coming off a difficult spell at Brescia before their relegation from Serie A – scored with his first touch in Serie B on debut for Monza last month before being sidelined through injury.

"They [Balotelli and Boateng] arrived here in Serie B thanks to the acquaintance they had with Berlusconi and Galliani and even with me as a manager, since I trained them at Milan and we had a great relationship," said Brocchi, who was handed his first senior head-coaching role at Milan after replacing Sinisa Mihajlovic almost five years ago, having previously worked with the club's youth team.

"They settled in very well, they always train hard, they lead by example by showing the will to take me, Berlusconi, Galliani and Monza to Serie A. So far they have been important, let's hope they can give us even more in order to make this dream come true."

The experience of Balotelli and Boateng complements an exciting core of Monza players, including Mota and Brazilian full-back Carlos Augusto, as well as talented loanees Davide Frattesi (Sassuolo), Andrea Colpani (Atalanta) and Davide Bettella (Atalanta).

Both Balotelli and Boateng have tasted Serie A success in their careers to go with respective Premier League and LaLiga honours, with the latter part of the last Milan team to celebrate Scudetto glory in 2010-11.

The strategy of sporting director Filippo Antonelli and Brocchi to invest in promising young talent has continued to deliver results on the pitch.

Monza have allowed the fewest headed goals (one) in Serie B this season, while Brocchi's side have conceded 10 goals from inside the box – the least in the league, while they have scored five goals inside the opening 15 minutes of play – the joint most in 2020-21.

"Monza are a mix of experienced players and great young talents. The right mix to achieve our goals. Players like Balotelli and Boateng can help Mota, Carlos Augusto, Frattesi, Colpani or Bettella, all under-21 players for Italy and Portugal," the 44-year-old Brocchi said.

"You can't only field experienced players, you have to look for the right mix and this is what Antonelli and I looked for. I think experience helps youngsters and their exuberance helps the expert ones."

Dany Mota gave Monza the lead in the 81st minute, while Denzel Dumfries spared the champions' blushes by netting the equaliser seven minutes later.

They were knocked off the Serie A summit after dropping points for the second time this season, with Napoli leapfrogging them to the top of the table.

"We had difficulties against a team that played a good defensive game," Inzaghi told a press conference. "We had chances that we didn't convert, we made technical mistakes.

"Then in the second half, we didn't do well, we didn't create dangerous situations, and when we switched to three [up front], we had this great goal from Dany Mota that created difficulties for us."

Inter intensified their efforts after going behind, but time was not on their side as they tried to wrap up three points. Overall, the visitors managed 16 shots but only got two of those on target in a wasteful performance.

"We had a great reaction after the goal, maybe we should have had it earlier," Inzaghi added.

"We had a couple of situations that weren't exactly clear, usually we manage to capitalize on them. In games like this, you have to try to unlock the result... If you stay tied and concede goals, games become difficult."

Argentine striker Lautaro Martinez had an early chance to put Inter in front but sent his header slightly above the bar.

Last season's Serie A top scorer, who finished the campaign with 24 goals, remains goalless in Serie A so far.

"He had a little problem, he couldn't train a lot," Inzaghi said.

"The attack was the only department where I had one player, [Joaquin] Correa, in the last 10 days [in training]. We thought we would find the goal sooner.

"The team was a bit slow but until [conceding] the goal [Yann] Sommer had no work. But you accept a goal like that more than the ones we conceded on the first match day, even tonight overall defensively we did well."

Inter drew 2-2 at Genoa in their season opener, before consecutive home wins against Lecce and Atalanta, in which they kept a clean sheet in both. 

They get their Champions League campaign underway when they travel to Manchester City on Wednesday.

"I'm quite calm," Inzaghi assured. "I have all the players available, and this new Champions League is something new for all of us coaches.

"It's the first year [of the new format], there are two more games without the usual group. We'll have to try to do our best, any opponent we find in the Champions League is difficult."

Former Milan and Manchester City forward Balotelli signed for Monza - owned by ex-Rossoneri chief Silvio Berlusconi - earlier this month until the end of the season.

The 30-year-old made his second-tier bow on Wednesday, lining up alongside Kevin-Prince Boateng, another former Milan man, from the start at home to the league leaders.

And Balotelli needed just three minutes and 53 seconds to get on the scoresheet as he turned in Carlos Augusto's cross with the first shot of the match and his first touch.

Balotelli has played in the top flight in Italy, England and France but only in Ligue 1, with Nice in 2016, had he previously netted on his debut in a new league.

Maradona – arguably football's greatest ever player – died at the age of 60 after suffering heart failure last month.

Napoli renamed their stadium to Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in honour of the 1986 World Cup winner, who guided the Serie A side to their only Scudetto triumphs in 1987 and 1990 after arriving from Barca in 1984.

Messi removed his Barca shirt to reveal a Newell's Old Boys jersey emblazoned with Maradona's famous number 10 after scoring in last month's 4-0 LaLiga rout of Osasuna.

But former Barca team-mate Boateng wants six-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi – who has been heavily linked to Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain – to do more to pay tribute to his countryman.

"I often hear of the comparison between Messi and Maradona and therefore I'll make a proposal to Leo," Boateng, who now plays for Serie B outfit Monza alongside Mario Balotelli, told ESPN.

"He should go to Napoli after his contract with Barcelona expires. It would be great if he himself called [president Aurelio] De Laurentiis and said: 'I'm coming'.

"Even if they have retired the No 10 shirt, 'I would like to honour Maradona's No 10 and come and play for a year or two at Napoli', without thinking about money, just the heart.

"Maybe then he manages to win a championship and then it would be the apotheosis, a movie story.

"If I were him, I would think about it. By now, he has won everything at club level, closing in a legendary way would be incredible."

Milan are seventh in Serie A following Saturday's win, which came courtesy of a Tijjani Reijnders header.

The Rossoneri, who have been crowned champions of Europe on seven occasions, are 25th in the new-look Champions League standings, having taken three points from their opening three matches.

But Fonseca did not think his team would be overawed at the prospect of facing 15-time European champions Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday.

"I am always fired up for every game and do not think that Real Madrid is any more important than what we played tonight," Fonseca told Sky Sports Italia.

"I strongly believe in teamwork. Nowadays, football is challenging; we need to function as a team at all times, and that’s what we’re striving to achieve."

Speaking to DAZN, Fonseca added: "On Tuesday, we face Real, but it doesn't matter if it's Real Madrid or any other team; we need points to improve our position in the standings. I hope it will be a great night for all of us."

While Monza dominated the first half, they could not find the margins to score. Milan rallied in the second half, with Fonseca acknowledging that the first-half performance was below par.

"I was concerned in the first half as we weren’t aggressive enough and didn’t win enough individual duels, but I don’t really remember Monza's chances in the second half," Fonseca said.

"We adjusted what we needed to do during the half-time break and it was a totally different game after that."

Substitute Rafael Leao entered the match late and came close to scoring twice in the closing stages.

"He came on well, it is important to have this reaction from Rafa and that's what I want to see. I think he is ready to play in Madrid," Fonseca said.

Midfielder Reijnders scored two minutes before half-time in the Serie A contest when he nodded home after Alvaro Morata's header was blocked.

Monza had wasted some decent openings before Milan went ahead, with Mike Maignan making a fine save to deny Pedro Pereira while Dany Mota had a goal disallowed.

Reijnders almost made it 2-0 after the break, but his deflected effort was kept out by Stefano Turati.

Monza goalkeeper Turati made another stop later on, this time to deny Rafael Leao, who scuffed his finish at the end of a mazy run.

Milan, who had 18 shots and accumulated 2.5 expected goals (xG), were not made to pay for that profligacy, though, as they got back on track after their defeat to Napoli, though the Rossoneri sit seventh, eight behind the Serie A leaders.

Data Debrief: Reijnders on a roll

After netting twice against Club Brugge in the Champions League, Reijnders, who did not play against Napoli on Tuesday, has now scored in two matches in a row for Milan for the first time.

It was the Dutch international's first league goal of the season, and capped a fine performance in which he also played two key passes and completed 44 of his 46 passes, with a team-leading 14 of those played in the final third.

Hosts Monza took the lead in the 81st minute through substitute forward Dany Mota, but the Nerazzurri would avoid a surprise defeat to their neighbours as Denzel Dumfries levelled seven minutes later.

Lautaro Martinez should have put the Scudetto holders in front inside the opening 10 minutes, when he received a perfect cross from Federico Dimarco.

His header from the centre of the box, however, sailed slightly over the crossbar before Dimarco and Davide Frattesi spurned chances of their own.

But Monza defended resolutely and they went on to take a shock lead nine minutes from time, Mota nodding home a neat lofted cross from Armando Izzo.

Inter stepped up their efforts after falling behind and defender Dumfries tapped in a low cross from Carlos Augusto with two minutes of the 90 remaining, but the Nerazzurri could not find a winner.

While Inter are still unbeaten, their second draw of the campaign means they sit one point adrift of Napoli at the summit, while Monza stay 15th with three points from four games.

Data Debrief: Stuttering start for Nerazzurri

Inter's start has not exactly been dismal, Simone Inzaghi's men staying unbeaten and only slipping one point behind the pace at the top of Serie A.

However, it is in stark contrast to the starts they have made to recent campaigns.

In fact, this is the first time Inter have failed to win two of their first four matches of a Serie A season since 2020-21, when they drew one and lost one under Antonio Conte.

The silver lining? They went on to capture the title that season.

Goals from Dany Mota and Napoli loanee Andrea Petagna handed Luciano Spalletti's men just their fourth top-flight loss of the season, dampening their ongoing title celebrations.

Spalletti opted for a handful of changes against mid-table opposition, and will have expected more from his men despite the low-stakes nature of this clash.

But for Raffaele Palladino, his Biancorossi will nevertheless delight in taking one of the biggest scalps of their successful first campaign in the top flight.

With Napoli already champions and Monza secure in their Serie A place for next season, a lacklustre dead rubber appeared to be on the cards in the first quarter-hour.

But a shrewd counter-attack from the hosts sparked matters into life shortly afterwards, with Mota taking full advantage of a disjointed defence to tuck home the opener.

The visitors chased a response, with Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa forcing a cracking save from Michele Di Gregorio just before the break, but Napoli were left trailing at the interval.

Matters worsened following the restart, when Petagna darted into the box to seize on a rebound and curl a shot beyond Pierluigi Gollini, finding the bottom-left corner.

Napoli continued to test Monza, but efforts from Mathias Olivera and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia were ably saved, while Victor Osimhen saw a penalty shout waved away.

Napoli's inability to find a way back in saw them suffer a rare reverse, in what fans will hope was merely a hangover from their Scudetto success.

Home side Monza will also wear special shirts bearing the message 'Come back soon, Pablo', ahead of their clash with the Rossoblu.

Mari, on loan to Monza from Arsenal, was one of five people injured in the incident near Milan on Thursday, in which a suspect was disarmed by onlookers and subsequently arrested.

A shop cashier named Luis Fernando Ruggieri died in the attack, and Monza have since sent condolences to his family.

Mari was visited in hospital by Monza chief executive Adriano Galliani and head coach Raffaele Palladino before undergoing back surgery on Friday.

The centre-back, who said he felt "lucky" to be alive after the attack in Assago, was discharged from hospital on Sunday and will reportedly be out of action for around three months.

Palladino revealed Monza originally considered requesting a postponement of Monday's match following the news, but then said the side were motivated to play, declaring: "Our duty is to play and go on the pitch and give everything for our team-mate."

Monza said in a statement on Sunday: "Before the kick-off of Monza-Bologna, a minute of silence will be observed at the U-Power Stadium to remember Luis Fernando Ruggieri, victim of Assago's insane attack.

"Furthermore, in the pre-match warm-up, the red and white players will wear a special T-shirt dedicated to Pablo Mari."

First-half goals from Matteo Politano and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia did the trick for Antonio Conte's side, who leapfrogged Juventus to the summit of the table.

The hosts broke through in the 22nd minute as Politano rounded off a strong run by drilling a low shot beyond Stefano Turati in the Monza goal.

The visitors were then victims of their own downfall as Napoli doubled their lead 11 minutes later.

Turati pass out from the back went straight to Frank Anguissa, who then combined with Scott McTominay to set up Kvaratskhelia to volley home.

Though Monza improved in the second half, they were unable to truly trouble Napoli, who held out for the three points and their fourth clean sheet of the campaign.

Data Debrief: Politano matches Zapata and Dybala

Napoli are back at the Serie A summit for the first time since the final day of the Scudetto-winning season of 2022-23.

Politano got the ball rolling as he became one of only three players to score in each of the last 10 Serie A seasons, along with Duvan Zapata and Paulo Dybala.

Kvaratskhelia doubled the lead with what was his fifth direct goal involvement (three goals, two assists) of the campaign, a tally only bettered by AC Milan's Christian Pulisic (six).

The Partenopei have now gone 388 minutes without conceding a goal, and have recorded three successive clean sheets in Serie A for the first time since February 2023.