Inter’s first enforced spell without Lautaro Martinez is set to test the depth Cristiano Chivu has built around his attacking department. The Argentine’s injury against Club Brugge in the Champions League removes the usual reference point from the front line, but it also brings a decision that had previously been made only by choice back into focus.
Before Lautaro’s setback, Chivu had left him out only once in recent weeks: against Udinese at San Siro. That was a calculated rest rather than an absence imposed by circumstances. Roma were approaching, Argentina duty involved long intercontinental travel, and Lautaro had also carried the exertion of the match at the Bernabeu.
Inter responded emphatically that day, scoring five times through five different players. Marcus Thuram, Pio Esposito and Ange-Yoan Bonny were all among the forwards to find the net, offering a reminder that the squad has alternatives even when its captain is not on the pitch.
The hierarchy now appears clearer, at least in principle. Thuram is expected to carry the principal responsibility in attack, while Esposito has been regarded as the natural partner from the start. Bonny, meanwhile, has often offered Chivu an energetic and useful option during the match. Yet the trip to Bologna suggested that the order may not be fixed for long.
Bologna leaves Chivu with a genuine choice
Esposito arrived at the Dall’Ara after a demanding sequence. He has been used regularly both by Chivu at Inter and by Mancini with the national team, and the physical burden was evident in Bologna. He lost a number of duels, collected an unnecessary yellow card and was unable to create a sustained threat, apart from a significant opportunity missed near the end of the first half.
Bonny’s introduction before the hour gave Inter greater freshness and helped raise their attacking output. The improvement cannot be reduced entirely to one substitution: the team’s performance as a whole changed considerably between the first and second halves. Still, the contrast between the side with Esposito alongside Thuram and the later French pairing was difficult to overlook.
With Lautaro unavailable, Thuram’s place at the centre of the attack looks close to certain. The more open question is who joins him. Esposito remains a serious candidate, despite the demands placed on him in recent weeks, while Bonny has made his case through the impact he brought in Bologna.
For the next month, Chivu may find himself revisiting that selection every weekend. It is a competition within the squad rather than a crisis, and one shaped by the work Inter have done to involve each of their forwards. Without Lautaro, however, the choice between Pio Esposito and Bonny becomes one of the more important small decisions in Inter’s season.
