Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi could be feeling that some key players in the squad have let him down when he’s needed them most.
This is the suggestion in today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, who argue that a number of key players in the Nerazzurri squad have not looked up to par in the moments when the team have needed them to stand up and counted.
One of the players who has been the biggest surprises of this season for Inter, and certainly not in a positive way, has been midfielder Marcelo Brozovic.
The 30-year-old had been so crucial for making the Nerazzurri tick last season, but this season he has unfortunately missed significant chunks of time recovering from injuries.
Perhaps even more problematically, when the Croat has been available, he has not quite looked like the same player he was last season.
Whether it is a lingering lack of fitness, or a certain mental distraction, Inzaghi has never gotten the same Brozovic as before, even when the 30-year-old’s return has looked like just what was needed to refresh the team in midfield.
Meanwhile, striker Lautaro Martinez has continued to show one of the more negative sides to his game, namely his inconsistency.
Whilst the Argentine certainly showed what he’s capable of with his blazing run of form after the winter break, his missed penalty against Spezia seemed to kick off a run of anonymous form culminating in his poor display in a turgid 0-1 loss to Juventus.
Whether it is fatigue in a physical sense or faltering confidence, Martinez has once again “flattered to deceive” by emerging as an apparently reliable outlet for goals and a leader on and off the pitch right before disappearing in the most crucial moments.
Defender Milan Skriniar’s situation needs no introduction any longer, and there is no doubt that the way things are ending between Inter and the 28-year-old former Sampdoria defender has created headaches for Inzaghi throughout the season.
Whilst the Slovakian’s performances when he’s been fully fit and available have generally been to their typical standard, he’s out with an injury currently, and there could be one or two questions about his focus given his imminent move to Paris Saint-Germain.
Lastly, the Gazzetta names wingback Denzel Dumfries as a player who Inzaghi has been frankly let down by, as the Dutchman has endured perhaps his worst run of form in an Inter shirt since the return from the winter break.
After his first season was spent settling in and then nailing down a starting spot on the Nerazzurri’s right flank, expectations were fairly high that Dumfries would be capable of kicking on in his second campaign in Milan.
Instead, the 26-year-old former PSV man has struggled with the basics, and on both sides of the ball, after a World Cup that seemingly depleted him of energy and form.
All of these situations have added up to a team that has looked disjointed, a fact which was laid bare in the Nerazzurri’s profoundly mediocre display against Juventus in their Derby d’Italia defeat.
The verdict from the Gazzetta is that these players have to take at least some of the blame for an Inter season which has been characterized by far too many highs and lows, and have even “betrayed” their coach by not playing to their level.
