Milan: A city of divided football loyalties and fortunes

Can a renewed direction be the answer for two of Europe's biggest teams and their flagging fortunes?

22nd May 2010 and 23rd May 2007 may seem like inconsequential dates for the average football fan. But in the city of Milan, one of the fashion hotspots of the world, the dates hold special meaning.

For Inter, 22nd May 2010 was the day a team from Serie A became the first-ever to win a domestic and continental treble when Jose Mourinho's ageing Inter side outsmarted Bayern Munich 2-0 at Madrid.

Milan, on the other hand, extracted revenge on their shock loss to Liverpool in 2005 by beating the Merseysiders 2-1 in Athens. Carlo Ancelotti's creaking Milan team managed one last Champions League title before a decline that has had severe long term repercussions, began.

Since then, Milan and Inter have had passive stints in the Champions League, with Inter's quarter-final appearance in 2010-11 being the last time any of these clubs managed to get past the Round of 16.

Both clubs have seen overseas investment, mediocre performances on the domestic front, squads and coaches which barely do justice to the stature of the club. What has gone wrong at both these great teams and does this season represent a chance to start afresh?

The fierce rivalry between both clubs is one of the most awaited fixtures

Inter - Don Antonio's arrival the key to Inter's resurgence

The seats for the players in the Inter dressing room at the San Siro comprises of a bench and does not have any fuss or frills. This is a direct contrast to the Milan dressing room where each player has a leather chair of their own.

The claim by members of SempreInter, a popular Inter fan group, is that the seating in the Inter dressing room represents what the club is about, humility and hard work while Milan's ornate seating speaks more to the elite section of society.

Antonio Conte's arrival at Inter signalled an intent of the club to align with these very values of humility and hard work. Conte, a terrier of a midfielder for Juventus, and a hard taskmaster during his stints as manager of Juventus, Chelsea and Italy, immediately indicated his policy for the players. Work, work and more work.

Having being schooled in a brutal fitness routine by then Juventus fitness coach Giampiero Ventrone (nicknamed the Marine), Conte has never been one to accept anything less than 150% effort and team spirit, a trait he picked up from Marcello Lippi.

With the coaching department being in order, Inter moved swiftly to bring in Giuseppe Marotta as CEO of sport from Juventus, someone Conte would know very well during his time at the club.

Marotta is well known within the European circles as one of the shrewdest operators in the transfer market, having pulled off steals like a 32-year old Andrea Pirlo for free from Milan, a budding Paul Pogba from Manchester United and midfield enforcer Arturo Vidal for a stunning €10.5m. The trend has continued as Inter brought in grizzled veteran Diego Godin on a free transfer from Atletico, promising Italian midfielder Nicolo Barella on loan and permanently signing Mateo Politano.

What would comfort Inter fans is the sense of order both these executive appointments bring to the table, something that was once synonomous with Italian teams. Both Conte and Marrotta have proven records of success and building teams and more importantly, they preach a winning attitude right from the word go. Not since the days of Jose Mourinho have an Inter side looked a potential threat to the Scudetto.

This along with overseas investment from their Chinese owners, Inter look set to challenge the hegemony that Juventus have had on Serie A for the last 7 years. 

Why A.C. Milan and Inter Milan Split Up: The Milan Derby (Roots of the Rivalry)

Milan - Giampaolo's appointment an attempt at normalcy for the Rossoneri

For a club that has been in the hands of some of the best managers in Europe like Carlo Ancelotti and Max Allegri, Marco Giampaolo may not come across as the typical household name that you associate with the Diavolo. Pippo Inzaghi, Clarence Seedorf and Rino Gattuso have all tried their hand at reviving the spirit of the old Milan, but have only served to inspire in sparks whilst being abysmal in the transfer market and at an executive level.

The change of ownership from Silvio Berlusconi to a host of Chinese investors and finally to the hands of Elliott Management Group has seen a lack of stability at the boardroom level which has translated into inconsistency on the pitch. One of the world's biggest football brands in one of the great footballing cathedrals was reduced to being synonymous with how a club falls when it is mismanaged. 

The last two seasons have seen Milan make promising moves in the transfer market such as Ricardo Rodriguez, Mattea Caldara, Andrea Conti, Alessandro Romagnoli and Krzysztof Piatek joining an already bloated roster.

Gattuso's attempt to play a more possession-based approach led to Milan either being defensively poor or specialists in drawing games. They missed out on Champions League qualification and also were barred from the Europa League for violating FFP rules. The expulsion from European competition may represent the best chance for Milan to hit reboot on their existence as a club. 

The Diavolo have always being burdened by their position as 7-time European champions and this has always been the barometer with which any Milan team has been measured against. Marco Giampaolo's arrival from Sampdoria represents a change in direction for Milan as they seek to add more zip to their play on the pitch and also make full optimal use of the squad that Milan have.

Giampaolo's work at Sampdoria was noticed as they were a plucky team to encounter and his work with veteran Fabio Quagliarella was particularly impressive as the former Juve man racked up 26 goals for the club.

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The absence from Europe can actually help Giampaolo reshape the club's performances on the pitch and maybe even lead the team back into Europe. 

Conte and Giampaolo are fine managers in their own regard. But they will have their task cut out as they seek to reignite two of the biggest names in world football.