The choice made by Cristian Chivu during the last match played and won by Inter in the league against Lazio was, in some ways, surprising. During the second half of the match, the coach decided to give a rest to a Dumfries who was not particularly inspired and, above all, not in top physical condition. In his place, however, Carlos Augusto was sent onto the field in the unusual position of right winger.
The former Monza defender, who at Inter has always played as a left-sided center-back or wing-back, had already played in that role for about ten minutes at the end of the home match won against Fiorentina just three matchdays ago. When everyone expected Luis Henrique to come on, it was instead the left-footed Brazilian who took over Dumfries‘ flank and, moreover, put in an excellent performance.
Carlos Augusto not only defended his side of the pitch very well against Zaccagni‘s attempts, but on a couple of occasions he also reached the byline and crossed with his weaker foot to surprise Pellegrini. This move, as reported by Corriere dello Sport, originated in Chivu‘s mind for at least three reasons.
The first concerns the incredible reliability always shown by Carlos Augusto: Chivu considers him a wild card and in return he always guarantees maximum commitment in training as well as in matches, in any position. The second reason concerns the unpredictability that a left-footed winger – but also skilled with his right – can provide when playing on the right flank with his foot inverted.
The last reason, probably the most important and decisive, stems from the below-expectation performance of Luis Henrique. The Brazilian former Marseille player is not yet up to the standards required by Chivu and therefore does not inspire confidence when he is on the pitch. Before entering the Inter rotation, the winger will have to go through a growth process in the defensive phase and show more personality in the offensive phase.
