After Inter’s defeat in their second preseason friendly against Sion, yesterday, there is cause for concern that Inter might be too reliant on Radja Nainggolan. The rotation after his substitution certainly backs this theory up.
However, there is the factor of fitness to consider in this early debate, as it was apparent that Sion were far more prepared. Against Sion, we were at least able to watch 20 minutes of the match with Nainggolan, even if he wasn’t at full pace either. However he has clearly already made his position his own, and his departure was a turning point in the match.
As detailed by Gazzetta dello Sport: “At the 20 minute mark he was forced to come off, under the 30-degree sun which was causing the players all sorts of problems. He requested a substitution due to fatigue in his left thigh, in an attempt to prevent the matter from becoming worse.
“The medical staff gave him an ice pack to watch the rest of the game with and he was seen still limping out of the stadium after the game. However Belgian was confident he would be ready for tomorrow (today), when we will understand if the injury requires a full exam or not.”