Legendary former Inter goalkeeper Walter Zenga feels that perhaps there will be some regret on the Nerazzurri’s part that they haven’t had striker Romelu Lukaku and midfielder Marcelo Brozovic fit and available for long periods of the Serie A title race.
Speaking to Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview published in today’s print edition, via FCInterNews, Zenga stressed how the absence of the two key players may well have been decisive in Inter being so far back in the title race now.
Going into the season, Lukaku and Brozovic were certainly anticipated to be two of Inter’s key players in their quest for the Serie A title.
In truth, the duo’s long absences through injury have not necessarily been felt as much as may have been expected, as other players like Hakan Calhanoglu, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Edin Dzeko, and Lautaro Martinez have stepped up to show their best form and push the team on in midfield and attack.
However, the sense will surely remain that having to cope without Lukaku and Brozovic has put a strain on the team, particularly in terms of the relative lack of depth, and this may have shown in the slip-ups that have seen the Nerazzurri fall so far behind Napoli at the top.
Of Inter’s subpar form in the league so far this season, Zenga noted that “It’s not easy to judge from the outside, but one explanation may be the absence of Lukaku and Brozovic.”
“Inzaghi has practically never had either available,” he noted.
“They’re two important players, maybe things would have gone differently had they been available.”