Milan Skriniar will no longer captain Inter after agreeing to join Paris Saint-Germain, says Simone Inzaghi, but the Nerazzurri boss still expects the defender to start Sunday's derby against Milan.
Skriniar revealed he had reached an agreement with PSG last week, though the move will not occur until the expiration of his contract in June after Inter stood firm on his €20million valuation in the January transfer window.
The Slovakia international sat out Tuesday's Coppa Italia win over Atalanta, but he captained Inter on his last appearance against Empoli on January 23, when he was sent off.
With club captain Samir Handanovic losing his starting spot to Andre Onana, Skriniar has skippered Inter for much of the season, but Inzaghi has now revealed that will no longer be the case.
"We have hierarchies based on appearances, but because of what happened he will no longer be the captain," Inzaghi said at Saturday's pre-match press conference.
"We talked about it very calmly with the club and the boy.
"The captain is Handanovic, then we'll scale based on appearances with [Marcelo] Brozovic, [Danilo] D'Ambrosio and Lautaro [Martinez].
"The thing that matters most to me is the match."
Inzaghi remains likely to name Skriniar in his line-up against city rivals Milan, who have slipped out of Serie A's top four amid a six-match winless run in all competitions.
"I don't judge his choices but the man and the player, who are unique," Inzaghi said of Skriniar. "He is a splendid boy, who works very well every day. He will probably be a starter."
While both Milan giants have struggled to match the pace set by runaway leaders Napoli this campaign, Inzaghi expects the derby to be fiercely competitive.
"I can say that two teams are facing each other who fought for the Scudetto last year, who played in the Supercoppa Italiana, who are well-equipped and want to make their run without thinking about the others," he said.
"In all the derbies I have seen that they are special matches, which live as single episodes, where a single decision can change the game from one moment to the next.
"We know that there is this gap, at this moment of the season every point is fundamental for any goal, whether it is to bring Napoli closer or to detach ourselves from the teams pursuing us."
Having lost September's return fixture 3-2, Inter are looking to deny Milan a first Serie A double over their rivals since the 2010-11 season.
Jamaica tops Group B after victory over Honduras in CONCACAF Nations League
Jamaica claimed a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Honduras on Tuesday night, propelling them to the top of Group B in League A of the 2024/25 CONCACAF Nations League as the September match window concluded. The win secured Jamaica’s position as the group leader, while Nicaragua now sits in second place after their draw against Cuba.
In a tightly contested match at Estadio Nacional Chelato Uclés in Tegucigalpa, the Reggae Boyz opened the scoring early in the second half when Honduras’ Denil Maldonado inadvertently scored an own goal in the 49th minute after Norman Campbell delivered a dangerous ball into the box.
However, Honduras quickly responded with an equalizer in the 50th minute, as David Ruiz finished from close range. Despite the quick turnaround, Jamaica continued to apply pressure, and in the 76th minute, Michael Antonio scored the match-winning goal from the penalty spot.
The victory puts Jamaica in first place with four points from two matches, giving them the edge in the group standings. Honduras, with one point, drops to third in the group, just one point off the top.
Elsewhere in the group, Cuba and Nicaragua played to a dramatic 1-1 draw at Estadio Antonio Maceo in Santiago de Cuba. After dominating much of the first half, Cuba took the lead in the 42nd minute through a penalty converted by Karel Espino. The hosts came close to extending their lead in stoppage time, but Karel Pérez’s strike narrowly missed the far post.
Nicaragua, however, found a late equalizer in the 90th+7 minute, with Widman Talavera salvaging a point for his team. The result keeps Nicaragua level with Jamaica on four points but in second place due to tiebreakers. Cuba, with two points from consecutive draws, sits in third place.
In the final Group B matchup of the evening, Trinidad and Tobago and French Guiana played to a scoreless draw at Dwight Yorke Stadium in Scarborough, Trinidad and Tobago. Both teams created chances throughout the game, with Loïc Ball forcing a save from Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper Denzil Smith in the 27th minute, while Daniel Phillips hit the woodwork with a long-range strike in the 39th minute for the hosts.
Despite the opportunities, neither team managed to score, with both goalkeepers recording clean sheets. The result gave French Guiana their second point of the campaign, while Trinidad and Tobago secured their first point.
As the September match window concluded, Jamaica leads Group B, with Nicaragua close behind in second place. Honduras, Cuba, French Guiana, and Trinidad and Tobago round out the group, as all teams look to improve their standings in the next round of matches.
De Ligt was subbed off to protect him, says Koeman
Ronald Koeman revealed that Matthijs de Ligt's substitution was made to protect him during the Netherlands' 2-2 draw with Germany in the Nations League.
Tijjani Reijnders had given the Netherlands the lead in the second minute, only for Deniz Undav and Joshua Kimmich to hand the visitors the advantage at the break.
For Germany's equaliser, Manchester United defender De Ligt saw his pass under no pressure intercepted by Jamal Musiala, resulting in Undav levelling the scores.
Koeman had previously addressed De Ligt's errors during the Netherlands' 5-2 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina last week and had to do so once again on Tuesday.
"Of course, I would rather have kept Matthijs de Ligt on the pitch. It just looks like he is now in a period where all his mistakes are being punished," said Koeman.
"I gave him a new chance today, but eventually protected him by taking him off."
However, Liverpool captain and defensive partner Virgil van Dijk was more blunt in his assessment, saying the punishment is bound to follow against the top sides.
"This is football. You have to learn from this," Van Dijk said. "It was one moment but at the highest level you will get punished for it."
But at the top end of the pitch, Koeman was impressed with the performance of Ajax striker Brian Brobbey, who was given the chance to shine in place of the absent Memphis Depay.
Brobbey, who made only his second start for his country against Germany, proved a handful for the visitors' defence, notching the assist for Denzel Dumfries' equaliser, with his five touches in the opposition box a total only bettered by Cody Gakpo (seven).
The Dutchman's display forced Julian Nagelsmann into making a defensive substitution of his own at the break, replacing Bayer Leverkusen's Jonathan Tah for Borussia Dortmund new boy Waldemar Anton.
"Tah was not substituted for nothing," said Koeman. "He pulled Brobbey’s shirt five times and committed a foul each time. Brobbey held him off very well.
"The second goal also came from Brobbey. I am super satisfied with him. He got his chance, and it was great that he took it like that.
"I am glad I chose him. He is fast and strong."
There was cause for concern, however, for Manchester City defender Nathan Ake, who pulled up off the ball on the stroke of half-time and was replaced by Jurrien Timber.
Ake left the field on a stretcher and was visibly upset, with Koeman able to provide a brief update on the injury.
"It looks like a muscle injury for Nathan, though I am not certain," Koeman said.
United States 1-1 New Zealand: Waine leveller leaves Pochettino plenty to ponder
Ben Waine's late goal earned New Zealand a 1-1 draw with the United States, who ended the night on a low after the confirmation of Mauricio Pochettino as their new head coach.
Christian Pulisic looked to have earned victory in Tuesday's friendly with his 69th-minute finish, only for Waine to fortunately capitalise on some poor defending by the hosts a minute from the end.
A lacklustre first half saw just one shot on target from either side as the USA failed to make their dominance count, entering the interval with 66.4% possession.
But Milan's Pulisic emerged from the bench to spark the contest into life, rounding off a free-flowing move with a left-footed finish low into Max Crocombe's goal.
However, USA's dismal run, which has seen them win one of their last seven games, continued after a moment of defensive misfortune.
Nando Pijnaker's hopeful punt caused trouble, with Mark McKenzie's attempted clearance striking Waine and looping over the helpless Matt Turner.
Data Debrief: Plenty to do for Poch
If Pochettino had any illusions about the scale of the task that awaits him as newly-appointed USA head coach, this showing will have set him straight.
Despite registering 17 shots, USA only saw five hit the target, underperforming their expected goals (xG) total by 0.33.
But Pochettino can hold on to hope that captain Pulisic can lead his side back to glory.
His introduction from the bench in the 57th minute saw him register an xG of 0.27, a total only bettered by Brenden Aaronson (0.29), while the former Chelsea man also created more chances (four) than any of his team-mates.
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