Inter Milan may have secured a crucial 2-0 home win over Como on Monday, but one pressing concern lingers: the goal drought plaguing their star striker and captain Lautaro Martínez. The Argentine marksman, Serie A’s leading scorer last season, has now gone over a month without finding the back of the net, last scoring the winner against Venezia in early November.
Despite the worrying dry spell, Inter coach Simone Inzaghi remains steadfast in his support for Martínez. Speaking after the Como victory, the Italian tactician emphasized his understanding of the ups and downs forwards face.
I was a striker, I know these moments happen. Lautaro was one of the outstanding performers against Lazio.
The forwards are working hard, we ask a lot of them and are trying to rest them as much as possible in the circumstances.
– Simone Inzaghi, Inter Milan Coach
Inzaghi’s vote of confidence comes as a timely boost for Martínez, who has cut a frustrated figure in recent weeks. The Inter coach also offered sage advice to his misfiring striker:
I told Lautaro to relax, because he has always scored goals and always will, luck will turn and he should only be worried if he doesn’t get scoring opportunities.
– Simone Inzaghi, Inter Milan Coach
Inter’s Resilience Shines Through
While the Nerazzurri may not have replicated the goal-scoring exploits of their 6-0 demolition of Lazio last week, Inzaghi was quick to praise his team’s mature and focused performance against a determined Como side.
Clearly we are maintaining a very high level. All teams are running ahead, there are opponents like Como who come to play great games, but we played an important game as a mature and aware team.
– Simone Inzaghi, Inter Milan Coach
The Inter boss acknowledged the challenges posed by a congested fixture list and squad rotation, but remained pleased with his team’s ability to dig deep and emerge victorious.
I feared this match a lot, we had some weaknesses in the back line. We played a game of concentration, in the first half we weren’t as sharp as usual. Then in the second half we raised the intensity and struck at the right moments.
– Simone Inzaghi, Inter Milan Coach
Inter’s Serie A Title Pursuit
The hard-fought win over Como keeps Inter firmly in the Serie A title hunt. Goals from Carlos Augusto and Marcus Thuram proved enough to secure the three points, lifting the defending champions to 37 points, just three behind leaders Atalanta having played a game less.
As the season enters its busy winter period, Inter will need Martínez to rediscover his scoring touch if they are to keep pace with their title rivals. With Inzaghi’s unwavering support and a squad packed with quality, the Argentine striker will be desperate to end his drought sooner rather than later.
The Nerazzurri faithful will hope Martínez’s barren run is merely a blip, and that their talismanic forward will soon be back to doing what he does best: terrorizing Serie A defenses and firing Inter towards another Scudetto.
