Simone Inzaghi‘s Inter is currently enjoying a positive streak: after the defeat against Milan in the derby on September 22nd, the black and blues have achieved thirteen consecutive useful results, eleven of which were victories. The team has only conceded two goals in the last seven matches, showing a defensive solidity far from the vulnerabilities of the early season.
Despite the progress, two aspects still concern Inzaghi, as reported by Tuttosport this morning. On one hand, the injuries, which have increased compared to previous seasons, and on the other, the fluctuating form of Lautaro Martinez. The captain, who had a difficult night against Parma, missed three scoring opportunities and had two penalties cancelled by VAR. Despite his effort, the Toro seemed far from his best version.
The worrying statistic is the drop in productivity. Lautaro, who had started very strongly last year, has scored just 6 goals in 17 matches between the league and Champions League. Since last March, his performance with Inter has plummeted: 7 goals in 24 matches, compared to the 11 scored in 16 appearances with Argentina during the same period. A reversal of trend compared to the past, when he struggled with the Selección but shone in the black and blue jersey.
However, Inzaghi looks ahead with optimism. If Inter can maintain high standards in both competitions despite their captain’s difficult moment, the prospects can only improve with a rediscovered Lautaro.
The chosen strategy is to allow the Argentine to play more and more to regain rhythm and confidence. For this reason, it is likely that Lautaro will start from the first minute in the crucial match against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday: a win would qualify them directly to the Champions League round of 16 without having to go through playoffs.
The Argentine captain, with only one European goal to his name against Red Star, is eager to make his mark again. In the next few hours, Inzaghi will decide whether to rely on him with the objective of returning the Inter captain to dominate the opponents’ areas.
