A raging punch in the void on a miserable summer evening. By knocking out Naples a quarter of an hour after coming into play with a clear strike from 20 meters (2-0), Lautaro Martinez set the record straight, on the penultimate day of Serie A. Inter Milan had nothing more to play, ending the season runner-up to Juventus. But his Argentine striker, he had to revive. With 2 goals and 2 assists in 11 matches before Napoli, Martinez struggled with the 3-month-long cut. He even had to share his playing time with Alexis Sanchez, glowing since the resumption and definitely bought from Manchester United in early August. Together, the Interists have a lot to play this month. For Martinez, the stake is twofold.
Martinez's best goals with Inter Milan
The Nerazzurri did not need the tumultuous exit of their coach, Antonio Conte, against his leaders after the final victory against Atalanta on August 1 (2-0) to have headaches. For several months, the Lautaro Martinez file has been on the lips of all Italian and Spanish journalists. FC Barcelona would insist on recruiting the 22-year-old Argentinian, to the point of investing more than € 100m. "I always try to give 110% for Inter, for people who love this club and this shirt," Martinez replied last July, remaining closed to any questions about his future.
9 goals in 2018-19, 19 goals this season
There is enough to understand Barça. His liveliness on the ball, his growing ease of combining in small spaces and his complementarity with Lukaku made him dizzy in Italy. And in Europe too, with 5 goals in the Champions League group stage, including one against ... Barça (2-1 loss). In total, 19 goals scored this season, against 9 the previous season, which was his first on the Old Continent. The old one of Racing is growing fast. "You have to accept the ups and downs when you are in the process of progress", analyzed Antonio Conte in July, describing "a serious boy, with his head on his shoulders".
Facing Bayer Leverkusen on Monday (9 p.m.), Lautaro Martinez could well play his last minutes in the blue and black jersey, at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf (Germany). The opportunity to definitively confirm the hopes placed in him, and especially the rumors that shake his summer. For the Argentinian, it is also an opportunity to restore the image of an Inter who finally comes out of the water, after 8 years away from the Serie A podium. On the European scene, the Lombard club does not has not reached a last four since 2010. It was the year of the coronation in the Champions League. For a club like Inter Milan, it's an eternity.
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