Inter coach Antonio Conte wants striker Lautaro Martinez to turn up and score goals in big games more, according to noted Italian football journalist Mario Sconcerti.
Lautaro has proven himself to be a very promising striker but at the same time, he is very inconsistent and has had several spells in his Inter career where he will go a long time without a goal.
The 23-year-old Argentine, who is contracted to the club until 2023, has 10 league goals this season but very few of these have come against big sides.
“Conte is not satisfied with his performances, he would like to see him score in the matches that count,” Sconcerti claimed in an interview with Italian news outlet CalcioMercato.com.
“Only two of Lautaro’s 10 goals have come against teams in the top seven in the league, with one against Lazio and the other against Atalanta.
“The other eight have come against Fiorentina, Benevento twice, Torino, Hellas Verona and against Crotone he got a hat-trick.
“It is fine to score in these matches, but they are the matches where the difference in quality between the teams is clear and there is less need for him to score.
“What is missing is the presence of Lautaro against Inter’s top-level opponents.
“Much more is needed.”
Sconcerti then proceeded to downplay Lautaro’s importance in Inter’s much talked about Lu-La strike partnership with Romelu Lukaku.
“The presence of Lautaro in the Lu-La attacking duo is not yet justified, it is more just Lu-Lu,” he argued.
“Lautaro has in fact only scored in eight games out of 20 played in the league.
“In four of the games, his goals were useful but not decisive as Inter would have won anyway.
“This is a problem that must be resolved and the player has a lot to do with that.”
In 31 games across all competitions to date this term, former Racing Club player Lautaro has scored 12 goals and has also provided a total of six assists for his teammates.
El Toro most recently netted in the league during the 4-0 win over Benevento on January 30.
