The more counterattacking style of play that Inter employed in their Serie A win over Sassuolo yesterday appeared to be a sign of how they want to play when Romelu Lukaku returns from injury.
This according to today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, who suggest that the Nerazzurri are already tweaking their tactics so that they’re prepared to get the best out of the Belgian.
Lukaku’s return always raised some questions about how he would fit into an Inter setup that looks very difficult than the one he left last summer.
The team had become much more possession-based under Simone Inzaghi than the counterattacking machine that had been built by Antonio Conte with Lukaku at the tip of the spear.
The answer to these questions has largely been delayed by the lengthy injury that has kept Lukaku out for more than a month.
However, a return is very much in sight, and so it will become clear how Simone Inzaghi wants the team to play to make the best use of the Belgian’s qualities.
Against Sassuolo, the Nerazzurri were happy to sit back and absorb pressure, and then wait for the opportunities to emerge on the counter.
This was not a wholly effective approach with Lautaro Martinez and Edin Dzeko leading the line, but Lukaku is a much different type of striker than either.
With the Belgian in the team, the sense is that the situations that the team created attacking spaces left in behind by the Neroverdi could be punished more than they were with Martinez and Dzeko.
Already, it seems as though Inter are getting ready for life with Lukaku back in the team.
