Former Inter forward Antonio Cassano has launched a scathing attack on Nerazzurri striker Romelu Lukaku, whilst praising coach Antonio Conte.
Inter currently sit six points clear at the top of the Serie A table as they look to secure a first Scudetto since 2010, with Lukaku leading the club’s scoring charts with 18 goals in the league.
However, Cassano remained unimpressed with the Belgian and criticised his impact on the European stage following Inter’s elimination from the Champions League at the Group Stage in December.
“The first option is the ball to Lukaku and in the Italian league he is unstoppable, like he’s playing a different sport,” Cassano claimed during a live Twitch stream with fellow former Inter striker Christian Vieri yesterday.
“I’d like to see him against [Rafael] Varane, [Sergio] Ramos, Marquinhos though. In the Europa League he did pretty well, in the Champions League he struggled. There you need good technique, which he doesn’t have.
“He is not one of the best strikers in the world. Lukaku, if he goes to Real Madrid, Barcelona, or Bayern Munich would have to play football. Conte prepared him physically and based it around him.
“From my understanding, the best teams in the world are not looking at Lukaku. How would Lukaku fit into [Manchester City coach Pep] Guardiola’s ideas? [Sergio] Aguero is a different level.”
Cassano, who won the Serie A title with AC Milan in 2011, looked at Inter’s chances in the title race and felt that there was no other team capable of stopping the Nerazzurri this season.
“At the moment Inter know what they need to do and have no rivals. It is theirs to lose and they have the strength and awareness to keep going.
“Playing once per week is a godsend. Yesterday [against Parma on Thursday] Conte impressed me when he took Achraf Hakimi and slammed him to praise him. It makes you understand why everyone is following the coach.
“Conte is doing a good job, Inter are solid and taking home the points. Congratulations to those who were on the sidelines before too, as even if [Alexis] Sanchez and [Christian] Eriksen have quality, the credit goes to Conte. Inter have their destiny in their own hands.”
Inter hope to move a step closer to winning the title when they welcome Champions League-chasing Atalanta to the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on Monday evening.
