It remains to be seen whether Inter will be with or without Mauro Icardi for the rest of the season and Gazzetta dello Sport have examined what Inter could do in the event that it is the latter.
Inter are missing a lot of goals and this is why there must always be hope that he is able to mend this situation. Lautaro Martinez is his natural substitute but so far the Argentine has not proved himself worthy of such an important role in the squad.
Since he has started every game, he has only scored one goal against Rapid. Maurito is one of, if not the worlds best within the box but it is agreed that Lautaro offers more to the team in their build up. Lautaro has also never started two games in a row until recently, Cagliari being the fifth now. In Florence his weakness started to show. He had fewer shots and this was visibly clear due to wear and tear game play he adopts. There will be three games a week for the next few weeks and it’s unimaginable that Lautaro plays them all.
Keita Balde’s expected to return in the next couple of weeks and that will be vitally important. From Monday he started working with the ball at his feet again since his injury. Inter are hoping to have him back in group training within 10-15 days but there will be great caution. He has different characteristics to Maurito and Lautaro but he would certainly find the role more transitional than someone like Perisic.
If worst comes to worst? Spalletti tested Matteo Politano during the closing stages of Inter’s game against Rapid Vienna in which he also scored from that position. Spalletti believed this was a good sign but if this was mere luck, Facundo Colidio could be promoted from the Primavera.