Legendary former Inter defender Beppe Bergomi feels that both the decision not to start Hakan Calhanoglu and the ineffective second-half substitutions were contributing factors to the Nerazzurri’s 3-1 defeat against Lazio.

Speaking to Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview published in today’s print edition, Bergomi gave his view on the choices by Nerazzurri coach Simone Inzaghi that lost the team the match.

Inter had went into Friday’s match at the Stadio Olimpico with some optimism given that they’d won both of their opening matches of the Serie A campaign, but they faced something of a brutal reality check by the time that the match was done.

Post-match analysis has focused on a number of factors, but the choice of personnel has been one of the most prominent issues identified by many in considering how the result happened, and Bergomi feels that the coach got it wrong on the night.

“Sarri never really gave them the possibility to get in behind, or look for Lukaku,” he said. “Regarding the selection decisions, Gagliardini is a player who can be used for certain solutions. However, on a footballing level, Calha’s quality was missing, that’s undeniable.”

And of the second half substitutions, Bergomi said that “Dumfries and Lukaku coming off changed things, they should have stayed on because they force the opposition defense deep and always give them something to think about.”

And regarding the Nerazzurri’s attitude on the pitch, he said that “I continue to see nervousness and impatience, which isn’t good. Inter must be able to read moments like Conte’s Inter did. They can’t expect to dominate every match for ninety minutes.”