Inter has lost Carlos Augusto to injury, and his absence will inevitably weigh in the coming weeks. For an accurate estimate on recovery time, we’ll have to wait for the official statement, but it can already be assumed that number 30 will miss some games.
The Brazilian is a true wildcard who can be used as both a left winger and a third left defender, thus filling the roles of Federico Dimarco or Alessandro Bastoni. Let’s then make some reflections on the scenarios awaiting the Nerazzurri in the coming period, always busy with commitments between the Serie A and Champions League.
1 Let’s start right here, with the two starters who will inevitably be called to do overtime in the coming matches, namely Dimarco and Bastoni. Inzaghi’s concerns are related more to the former, who historically suffers from fatigue even during the game and will instead be called to play a match every three days and will be deprived of his natural substitute, to whom Inzaghi almost always resorts after an hour of play. For Bastoni, the discussion is slightly different, because – even in the absence of Carlos Augusto – there are more alternatives in his role to allow him to rest.
2 One of the options gradually establishing itself as left centre back in recent weeks is Yann Bisseck. If last season the German was always played on the right, as an alternative to Benjamin Pavard, in recent matches Simone Inzaghi has tried him on the other flank, starting him in that role against Young Boys in the Champions League. This approach is very likely to be further explored.
3 Matteo Darmian becomes even more of a joker for the coach, with the absence of Dimarco. The Italian has been regularly playing as a right back for several months, alternating with Denzel Dumfries, but he can also fall back to replace Pavard. And from this moment, he will be a strong candidate to move to the left to give rest to Dimarco or even Bastoni, in case of an emergency, thanks to his versatility, even though he feels decidedly less comfortable on the left side.
4 A key role in this context will be played by Tajon Buchanan and his return from a serious summer injury broken tibia. The Canadian could be recalled for the upcoming matches, but with a different task compared to what was hypothesized in recent weeks. With all the wingers available, in fact, he would have been a candidate to play on the right as he did at Bruges to provide different characteristics compared to Dumfries and Darmian. At this point, however, his return is mainly needed for the left lane, where, after all, Inzaghi has always employed him in the second part of last season. Besides the date of his return, a lot will depend on how long it will take him to get back into condition.
5 The effects of Carlos Augusto’s injury could also affect Tomas Palacios. As mentioned at the beginning, the Brazilian can also play as a third left defender in place of Bastoni, exactly the role for which the Argentine was acquired at the end of August. So far, there has been talk of a possible loan in January given that he has not yet accumulated even an official appearance, now things could change. And the comparison with Bisseck is useful once again because last year the German entered the rotations – in fact – after Pavard’s stoppage. Perhaps the same will happen to Palacios.
