Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi opted to rotate his starting lineup for the Champions League clash against Real Sociedad. But was it exaggerated?
After pummeling AC Milan over the weekend, the Nerazzurri coach rang some changes for the first European contest of the season. He made five tweaks overall.
With Hakan Calhanoglu unavailable, the manager had to make a mandatory change. He introduced Kristjan Asllani in the injured Turk’s stead.
However, the other four changes were completely optional. Stefan de Vrij replaced Francesco Acerbi at the heart of the defense. Benjamin Pavard made his Inter debut at the expense of Matteo Darmian.
Moreover, Carlos Augusto and Marko Arnautovic made their full debuts, replacing Federico Dimarco and Marcus Thuram.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport via FcInterNews, Inzaghi’s turnover was massive and ill-advised. The source argues that it’s still too early to make five changes in one fell swoop.
The report suggests that this overhaul took its toll on the team’s performance. The Nerazzurri spent the vast majority of the match trailing.
La Gazzetta dello Sport Believes Inter Coach Simone Inzaghi Exaggerated In Squad Rotation Vs Real Sociedad
They could have conceded more than one goal, but eventually managed to escape with a point thanks to a late onslaught, culminating in an equalizer from Lautaro Martinez.
So while Inzaghi was hoping to re-energize his ranks by making changes in personnel, the maneuver completely backfired as the source explains.
The coach had no choice but to resort to his regular starters (the likes of Thuram and Dimarco) who entered the pitch in the second half to salvage the result.