Legendary former Inter midfielder Nicola Berti feels that Romelu Lukaku’s return could still be the decisive factor in a more competitive title race in Serie A over the rest of the season.
Speaking to Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview published in today’s print edition, via FCInterNews, the former midfielder predicted that if the 29-year-old striker can make an impact starting with the Nerazzurri’s match against Napoli, the title race can be back on.
The eleven point gap that separates Inter from league leaders Napoli looks like a chasm, whilst the eight and ten points for AC Milan and Juventus respectively don’t look much better.
However, the Nerazzurri can have hope that if they can reduce the gap by three points right away on January 4, the complexion could change.
In the view of Berti, it could come down to the kind of impact that Lukaku has.
“Clearly for Inter everything depends on the match on January 4,” he said, “if they beat Napoli, then yes they can and must continue to believe in the title.”
He continued that “Inzaghi has a brilliant attack, and Lukaku’s return could turn the Scudetto race on its head.”
“He can be used in many different ways, depending on his partner in attack,” Berti said of Lukaku, “he’s still refining his understanding his understanding with Dzeko, and he and Lautaro already have a long history together.”
“This is why I believe that Inter have everything they need to win the title,” he continued, “including Barella and Dimarco, two players currently having extraordinary seasons, the other teams don’t have players like that.”