Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez showed perhaps the biggest flaw in his game in Wednesday’s win over Atalanta.
Today’s print edition of Rome-based newspaper Corriere dello Sport, via FCInterNews note that the Argentine’s Achilles heel from the penalty spot was very much visible in the Serie A win.
Martinez showed many of the most positive aspects of his game against Atalanta.
Of course, the 26-year-old’s goal was important. Martinez grabbed his 23rd goal of the season in Serie A with a stunning long-range effort.
And Martinez’s overall match was an impressive one.
The Inter captain is always a player at the heart of his team’s attacking play with his movement and linkup play.
Martinez’s endless running and intelligent closing down were also part of the reason why the Atalanta backline never really looked able to settle into a comfortable rhythm.
Inter Captain Lautaro Martinez Shows Achilles Heel Vs Atalanta
But Martinez did have one major error.
And it is not a new one from the Argentine either.
Martinez has never been the most consistent of penalty-takers for Inter. He has taken a total of 22 spot kicks for the Nerazzurri. And the miss against Atalanta was his eighth.
That means that Martinez scores has scored just 64% of the penalties he’s taken for the Nerazzurri. And missed 36%.
Meanwhile, Hakan Calhanoglu has scored nine penalties from nine for Inter this season alone. It is therefore not a huge mystery why the Turk is the team’s first-choice taker.
In the end, Martinez’s saved effort didn’t hurt Inter. Federico Dimarco was on hand to turn in the rebound from Marco Carnesecchi’s save.
But for Martinez himself, it could be a problematic trend.
The 26-year-old is aiming to equal – or exceed – Ciro Immobile’s and Gonzalo Higuain’s record of 36 goals in a single Serie A season.
Clinical efficiency from the spot could be what makes the difference in that regard.
And the attempt against Atalanta was one more reason to doubt that Martinez can provide that.