Some Inter fans are still not happy with the choice to bring in Francesco Acerbi on loan from Lazio, with the defender’s role in an important goal for AC Milan chief among their reasons for not wanting the 34-year-old.
This according to today’s print edition of Rome-based newspaper La Repubblica, who report that some Nerazzurri supporters feel mistrustful of Acerbi following his role in the Rossoneri’s late winner last April, a key moment in the Serie A title race.
Acerbi has been highly-rated for long periods, having even been seen as the best Italian defender at one point a couple of seasons ago, and on paper makes sense as a profile to replace the experienced Andrea Ranocchia in defense, especially considering he has already worked extensively with Simone Inzaghi.
However, there has been some unrest at the 34-year-old’s arrival, with a number of Inter fans posting on social media with the hashtag “#AcerbiNonLoVogliamo” or “We don’t want Acerbi.”
As La Repubblica notes, a key reason for this goes back to the defender’s error at the back in the dying seconds of his team’s 2-1 loss to Milan in April, which allowed Rossoneri midfielder Sandro Tonali to score, with those three points giving them more belief than ever in the Scudetto.
Moreover, the 34-year-old had been caught smiling on camera in the moments after that goal was scored, something which was naturally not received very well by Inter supporters.
It would take Inter losing their game in hand against Bologna a few days later to finally hand Milan the initiative in the title race decisively, but Milan’s victory against the Biancocelesti was undoubtedly itself a watershed moment.
For some Inter fans, this moment means that they can never fully embrace Acerbi as a Nerazzurri player, and so the controversy on social media has been in the background for much of the club’s pursuit of the Lazio defender.
