Lautaro Martinez is certainly on a mission this Serie A season, and it isn’t to win the trophy.
Okay, maybe that’s a little unfair. Inter are currently first in the Serie A standings with a healthy separation from second-place Juventus and have the best attack and defence in the league.
By all accounts, they look set to take the Serie A by storm, but Martinez has another thing to contemplate too: the prestigious Golden Boot.
As of right now, Martinez is leading the Serie A capocannoniere standings with a total of 18 goals and 2 assists. Meanwhile, Juventus’ Vlahovic is behind on 11 goals, while Milan’s Giroud is on 10, and Hakan Calhanoglu and Sassuolo’s Berardi are on 9.
Is Martinez’s Lead Insurmountable?
Being a whopping seven goals ahead of Vlahovic, many are saying that Martinez is already standing in an insurmountable position. He’s at the top of Mount Everest, and what’s more, he’s been building on top of the peak to make his position even higher.
It’s important to note, however, that the championship only started back in August, and there are still plenty of Serie A matches to go before it finishes on May 26th, 2024. That’s plenty of time for players like Giroud and Vlahovic to stake their claim. That gives plenty of time for Ngonge to state his claim, and he’s sitting at the bottom of the pack with 6 goals to his name!
Winning the Golden Boot is not about short bursts of ability, it’s about consistency. Not just for the player, but for the team. The 18 goals that Martinez has scored are not just a solo effort – he has been put into that position by his team members, by the rampant attack formations and the stable defensive plays. Martinez’s quest to claim the Golden Boot is going to be decided by the efficiency of Inter, and no one else.
So Will Inter Continue Their Dominance?
Despite their clear dominance in the Serie A right now, Inter’s continued dominance is not a given. Lest we forget that Inter have had a pretty shaky Champions League campaign, drawing with Real Sociedad twice, Benfica once, and only just sneaking past Benfica and RB Salzburg. They’re in the round of 16, so things are ultimately positive, but there’s a big question mark over whether they have the power to take the trophy.
The last time Inter won the Champions League was back in 2010 when they beat Bayern Munich 2-0. It’s hard to say that, since then, they haven’t been underperforming. The truth is that Inter are a strong team with strong management. They should have claimed the Champions League trophy since then, and yet something has been stopping them.
If Martinez is to secure the Golden Boot, Inter need to stay on top of their fortunes and keep their Champions League inefficiencies at the back of their mind – making the Champions League a completely separate entity, rather than a very real sign of Inter’s inherent vulnerabilities.
What Will Happen?
In our opinion, this shouldn’t be too hard to do. In the next few weeks, Inter are due to play Roma, who have just sacked their coach Jose Mourinho, as well as Udinese and Bologna, and while these are formidable opponents, they are games that Inter should win given their form recently. Plus, there’s the confidence that Martinez has undoubtedly instilled in them.
When people are talking about your captain being a Golden Boot shoe-in, that creates a buzz around a team, and a confidence that could easily work in their favour. If people are talking about Martinez being a shoo-in, then they are simultaneously expecting the team to win, and this expectation could prove useful in the tougher games. Other teams will feel threatened by Inter, and this could lead to mistakes. Martinez will certainly be hoping so. He is on the cusp of history, and right now, the goalposts have his name written all over them.