Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni isn’t worried about the goal-scoring form of Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez at the international level.
The Nerazzurri superstar has been firing on all cylinders for his club since the start of the season.
The 26-year-old found the back of the net 14 times in his 16 appearances across all competitions for Inter.
However, his clinical form for the club didn’t transmit to the international level.
The Inter skipper has 21 international goals from 53 caps. Yet, he hasn’t scored for the Albiceleste since September 2022.
Nevertheless, Argentina manager Scaloni remains unbothered by his striker’s goal drought.
The World Cup-winning tactician points to Lautaro’s goal-scoring form with Inter. He also downplays the importance of statistics in football.
“We need to see how many matches he played. Saying ‘a year without scoring for the national team’ means fifteen matches,” explained Scaloni in his pre-match press conference (via FcInterNews) ahead of the World Cup qualifier against Brazil.
Argentina Coach Lionel Scaloni Not Worried About Lautaro Martinez International Goal Drought
“Lautaro scored in the penalty shootouts against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals in Qatar which was very important.
“I’m not a big fan of statistics. He often scores at Inter. The same goes for Julián Alvarez who often scores for Man City. So I’m not worried.
“It’s a relative statistic. It’s obvious that they have goals in their feet. So I’m not concerned about them. It’s difficult to choose between the two.”
While Scaloni refused to reveal his choice, an earlier report claimed Lautaro is the favorite to start against Brazil ahead of Alvarez.
The Selecao will host their eternal rivals Argentina at the iconic Maracana Stadium on Tuesday night in the sixth round of the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers.