Italian Cup – AC Milan – Inter Milan: Lautaro Martinez, orphan of “Big Rom”

Head down, face closed, Lautaro Martinez had decided to apologize to the “Curva Nord” after Inter Milan’s defeat against Sassuolo (0-2) on February 20. For defeat, first. But also for his new poor performance, then. For several weeks, the “Toro” has become harmless. He doesn’t even scare anyone anymore. His latest feat? December 17 on the lawn of the Salernitana. Since then, a penalty converted into the Italian Super Cup against Juve (2-1) … and then nothing. Not a goal, not an assist.

In the Champions League, the Argentinian didn’t leave any traces either, unlike in recent seasons. He was then exalted in arenas like the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, the Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund or the Camp Nou in Barcelona. Inter hopes that Anfield will be able to wake him up on March 8 in the round of 16 return to Liverpool (0-2 first leg). On the bench against Genoa last Friday, Lautaro entered the second half without managing to corner the “Grifone” (0-0).

“Nothing special happens to himwarned his compatriot Juan Sebastian Veron in an interview with The Gazzetta dello Sport. Do you know a striker who scores in every game? It is obvious that he is going through a period of less well. But he’s a fantastic, modern striker: he’s good with his feet, good in the box and good with his head. For midfielders, it’s always an advantage to have this profile in attack. You know where to put the ball for him, then he manages the rest. All it takes is one goal to unlock” Simone Inzaghi, his coach, hopes it will be for this Tuesday evening against AC Milan, in the semi-final first leg of the Italian Cup. “I still have great confidence in him, he is a great player“, likes to hammer the Nerazzurri technician, who never hesitates to make him join the bench during the match.

Management that irritates the player

Since the beginning of February, the Italian champion club has been skating. On the clock, three defeats (AC Milan, Liverpool and Sassuolo), two draws (Napoli, Genoa) and only one victory (against Roma in the Italian Cup). Symbol of this crisis, a silent attack as rarely. To date, Inter have 53 consecutive shots without a goal. It’s his longest streak since February 2019 (54 shots). While the away goal rule still exists in the Coppa Italia, the Nerazzurri would do well to remember the path to the opposing goal.

The duet with Dzeko, a problem?

After two seasons spent forming a formidable duo with Romelu Lukaku, Lautaro had to reinvent himself alongside Edin Dzeko. Not easy. Alongside the Belgian, the Argentinian had his habits. The two players knew each other by heart, with movements repeated, integrated and absorbed to perfection. Their complementarity was obvious, off and on the pitch. When one proposed as a pivot, the other took depth. The Chelsea striker also liked to start his runs on the sides, leaving the axis completely free to his friend. Their qualities matched perfectly. The “LuLa” terrorized the Italian defenses for two years, and it is probably missed by the two protagonists today.

“I miss him on the pitch, I could have died on the pitch for him (…) He is in the top 3 teammates I have had in my career. To see him play Chelsea with me in the future? No… He can stay in Milan, I’ll be back“, even dropped “Big Rom” last December in a now famous interview with Sky Italia. For the time being, this return remains hypothetical despite increasingly insistent rumors. So, Lautaro would do well to take his troubles patiently and refine his agreement with Dzeko, promising (26 goals in all competitions) but much less fluid than the previous one. It must be said that if the 3-5-2 has not moved, Conte and Inzaghi have two very different ways of doing it. design.

“For me, the two profiles do not completely match each othersaid Giuseppe Bergomi, a Lombard club legend and consultant for Sky Italia. You no longer have a player who takes depth, but only players who go against the game. I hope Inter will quickly recover Correa because his characteristics fit perfectly with both.”

For Mario Sconcerti, a well – known editorialist of the Corriere della Sera, the Dzeko-Lautaro duo is not complementary enough either. “The Bosnian often abandons him in the middle of the opponents because he has his own characteristicshe wrote on February 20. He often evolves far from the other attacker. With Lukaku also able to pick up the ball quite far from the box, the opposing defense was already scattered when Lautaro received it.” “There is an assembly problem, Dzeko is very good in construction but he is bulky in front, forcing his teammate to dezone and find space elsewhereAldo Serena, a former Inter striker, summed up The Gazzetta dello Sport.

Departure rumors

After nine consecutive matches without scoring, the “Toro” must also deal with Italian media never tired of the transfer window. Despite his extension, the transalpine press believes that he is no longer “untouchable“and that an offer”living up to Inter’s expectations” could call the rest of the story into question. For its part, the Lombard club has already advanced its pawns in several cases, including in particular that of Gianluca Scamacca, impressive with Sassuolo this season. According to several sources, the Nerazzurri are even in pole position for the one who is considered the future center forward of the Nazionale.

“Lautaro is happy at Interhowever warned his agent Alejandro Camano at FCInter1908. His personal success doesn’t interest him, he just wants Inter to win. Lautaro is not concerned about Lautaro, Lautaro is concerned about Inter. He’s a world-class player, everyone has to be quiet. Everything will pass. He is happy at Inter and simply wants to make the tifosi happy. So, what better than a goal in a derby to achieve this…?