Gazzetta dello Sport have taken a look at just how important Radja Nainggolan has been to Inter this season, particularly in terms of helping Inter win.
“It is true that Inter without Nainggolan has found a new system in the 4-3-3, but it is also true that Inter without the Ninja are having trouble winning. In Serie A and Champions League Inter has played 16 games, 11 with Radja on the field and 5 of them without him. In the 11 game with the Belgian on the field Inter wins 82% of the times (9 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat). Without him there are three losses (Sassuolo, Barcelona and Atalanta), all of them away from San Siro, and only one victory against Lazio on the first day of the new 4-3-3.”
The impact of Nainggolan’s absence was particularly present during the last game against Atalanta: “Not being said that Radja’s presence against Atalanta would have changed anything, but what was obviously missing was a leadership during a period of the game when Inter was in a lot of difficulty. Someone who new how to shake things up, pushing his teammates. Radja is now enjoying some time off thanks to the international break and aims to make his return against Tottenham, Roma and Juventus, three decisive away games. And the conclusion is very clear: Inter can not do without Nainggolan.”