While celebrating their first Scudetto triumph in more than a decade, little did the then-ecstatic Inter fans know about the summer storm that was gathering steam in the horizon. Nonetheless, the first major sign didn’t take too long to appear, as Antonio Conte left his post few days after the grand celebration. But that was far from being the last blow, as Achraf Hakimi and then Romelu Lukaku were both sold to Paris Saint Germain and Chelsea respectively. Therefore, Simone Inzaghi is facing an uphill battle to keep the trophy at Inter whilst being in charged of a financially struggling club that deprived him from two world class players.
So how should we expect the newly-appointed manager to line-up his team for next season?
Goalkeeper and Defense
Despite celebrating his 37th birthday, Samir Handanovic remains the undisputed number one for the club, as he faces no real competition to speak of for a starting berth. The current economical crisis suggests that the Beneamata will be willing to squeeze the last remaining years left in their captain’s tank rather than spend what little funds they have on a younger replacement.
Luckily for Inzaghi, he will be able to rely on arguably the best defensive trio in Italy, as Inter have rightfully maintained the services of Milan Skriniar, Stefan de Vrij and Alessandro Bastoni.
Since the former Lazio manager is a fan of the 3-5-2 formation, the three defenders should be handed similar roles to the ones they had during Conte’s reign.
inter had best defense in Serie A last season and are returning whole unit again, no one on it is old and bound to get worse. Inzaghi a good defensive coach, in Serie A usually you give up less goals you do almost always very well
— David Amoyal (@DavidAmoyal) August 10, 2021
Central Midfielder
When it comes to the three midfield spots, two of them seem to be pretty-much secured with one up for grabs. Marcelo Brozovic has cemented himself as one of the most reliable players in the Regista role, and he should maintain his act for at least another season.
Nicolò Barella was ever-present in Conte’s formation, and he should continue to feature in the box-to-box role under the guidance of his successor.
Which leaves us with the final spot (to the left of Brozovic). During the last campaign, Arturo Vidal occupied the role at first before being usurped by Christian Eriksen, but both men could be set to leave the club for different reasons.
After making the move from the club’s cross-town rivals, Hakan Calhanoglu should be pushing for a starting position, but he could find a competitor in Stefano Sensi. The Italian’s Inter stint has been heavily damaged by injuries, but IF he can stay fit, he could be deployed by Inzaghi in a reminiscent role to the one performed by Luis Alberto at Lazio, acting as the link between the midfield and the attack. On another note, a fit-again Matias Vecino could be the outsider’s bet.
2020/2021 midfielder goals:
Barella: 3
Eriksen: 3
Gagliardini: 3
Brozovic: 2
Vecino: 1
Vidal: 1Seeing Inter lost 31 goals with Lukaku (24) and Hakimi (7). With Inzaghi being more flexible with his midfielders than Conte, specially seeing L Alberto and SMS goalscoring stats.
— Siavoush Fallahi (@SiavoushF) August 14, 2021
Wingbacks
After the departure of Hakimi, the new tactician was perhaps hoping for a reunion with his Biancocelesti pupil Manuel Lazzari, but the management instead signed PSV’s Denzel Dumfries. Even though Matteo Darmian could feature at first, the Dutchman should make the right flank his own as soon as he adapts to his new environment.
On the opposing flank, reinforcement was supposed to arrive, but we all know how this summer turned out to be for the defending champions. Thus, Ivan Perisic is tipped to start again on the left, unless Federico Dimarco proves to be the surprise package for the club this season. The aging Aleksandar Kolarov remains an alternative option.
#Inter have chosen to go for #Dumfries as replacement of #Hakimi, but not only – #Nandez is not alternative, but an extra player for depth in the midfield and on the right wing too. Nandez also could come if an agreement with Cagliari is found on the conditions that Inter want. pic.twitter.com/qGpbfmAPUe
— ENJOY INTER (@EnjoyInter) August 11, 2021
Strikers
Despite earning an astronomical sum from Lukaku’s passage to West London, Inter preferred to keep the money in their pockets, and instead went for a low-cost acquisition, uniting Inzaghi with a former foe from the Roman Derby.
Edin Dzeko is expect to partner Lautaro Martinez upfront, even if other rumored new strikers were to land in Milano.
Updated Post: Breaking: Inter Set to Complete Joaquin Correa’s Signing https://t.co/nEDLR0APOG pic.twitter.com/wyjOorTDPx
— The Cult of Calcio (@cultofcalcio) August 9, 2021
Inter Probable Lineup
Inter XI (3-5-2): Hanadnovic; Skriniar, de Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Brozovic, Calhanoglu, Perisic; Martinez, Dzeko
