Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi has a number of issues that he will have to address in order to get the team back on track following a 3-1 defeat against Lazio, with five key ones noted in today’s print edition of the Gazzetta dello Sport.

The Milan-based newspaper highlights the physical condition of the team, the integration of Romelu Lukaku, getting the midfield balance right, the use of substitutions, and moving on from the departed Ivan Perisic as the five main problems that the coach is currently facing.

In terms of the physical condition of the team, the Nerazzurri’s fitness issues have been apparent since preseason, and in their defeat against Lazio the same issues that had been seen in preseason friendlies seem to recur.

Inter looked vulnerable to the Biancocelesti’s counterattacks, particularly later on in the match, as they lost their compactness between the lines when they lost the ball, seemingly because of the players tiring and not being able to cover the spaces that opened up.

The poor performance by Lukaku looked to be partly an issue of fitness as well, with the Belgian striker not quite his dynamic best, but there was also no question that work needs to be done before he and Inzaghi have a real understanding on a tactical level.

The coach’s use of Roberto Gagliardini in the starting eleven seemed to highlight a lack of trust in his starting midfield trio of Marcelo Brozovic, Hakan Calhanoglu, and Nicolo Barella.

However, the 28-year-old’s performance saw the midfield’s technical level drop off significantly, part of the reason they lost control of the match against Lazio, and Inzaghi will be going back to the drawing board on how he can get the best balance in the centre of the bench between the starting trio and the backup options.

The substitutions were another issue that led to Inter failing to take anything from their trip to the Stadio Olimpico, as Inzaghi’s changes in the second half if anything hurt his team rather than giving them a boost.

And lastly, the puzzle of rebuilding the left flank following Perisic’s departure to join Tottenham Hotspur on a free transfer at the beginning of the summer appears to be one that Inzaghi has yet to solve.

Federico Dimarco and Robin Gosens have both been used in the role during Inter’s first two matches of the season, but neither have reached anywhere near the levels that Perisic had done all through last season.

If Inzaghi can make headway on solving these five problems, then the Nerazzurri could start to reach and surpass their levels from last campaign, but if he is unable to, then the team could really be in trouble.