Inter face a defining stretch without Lautaro Martinez, with the captain expected to miss at least seven matches and roughly six weeks of the season. For Cristian Chivu, the absence removes both a leading scorer and a reference point in the biggest evenings, particularly as the club pursue a place in the Champions League last 16.
Key takeaways
- Lautaro Martinez is set to be unavailable for a minimum of seven fixtures.
- Chivu can turn to Marcus Thuram, Sebastiano Esposito and Ange-Yoan Bonny during the Argentine’s lay-off.
- Inter won eight, drew four and lost two of the 14 games Lautaro missed through injury last season.
- The Nerazzurri scored five times against Udinese without their captain, with five different players on the scoresheet.
- Inter’s recent record without Lautaro suggests their attack can still produce, though the most demanding ties have exposed his importance.
More responsibility for Inter’s other forwards
The coming run will test Inter’s squad rather than simply its first-choice attack. Thuram, Esposito and Bonny are now likely to receive a greater share of the minutes while Lautaro recovers, and each has already shown he can contribute when the captain is absent.
The clearest recent example came at San Siro against Udinese a month ago. Lautaro was rested, yet Inter scored five goals through Carlos Augusto, Nicolò Barella, Thuram, Esposito and Bonny. Significantly, all of the other forwards in the squad found the net in that match.
That result offers Chivu evidence that his side retain different routes to goal without their usual leader. The immediate challenge, however, is the timing: several forthcoming fixtures will help determine whether Inter can secure progress into the Champions League knockout rounds.
A strong record, with two painful exceptions
Last season, Lautaro missed 14 games in all competitions because of physical problems. Inter’s return across those matches was broadly encouraging: eight victories, four draws and two defeats.
Most of those wins were convincing. Inter beat Ajax and Dortmund in the Champions League, Venezia and Como in the Coppa Italia, and Lecce, Genoa, Como and Cagliari in Serie A. Across those eight victories they scored 23 goals, close to three per game. Including this season’s win over Udinese, the average rises to 3.1.
The draws were spread between league and cup commitments. Inter shared the points with Atalanta, Fiorentina and Torino in Serie A, while the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final against Como ended 0-0. They later reached the final by winning the return match at San Siro.
There were, though, two defeats that underline what Lautaro represents when the pressure rises. Inter lost the return leg of their Champions League play-off against Bodo/Glimt after he had been injured in the first meeting. The other setback was the early-March derby against Milan, settled by Estupinan and still Inter’s most recent league defeat.
Inter have therefore demonstrated that they can maintain their output without Lautaro, particularly against opponents they can control over 90 minutes. Yet the captain’s value becomes sharper in the tightest contests. Over the next month and a half, Chivu’s alternatives have an opportunity to carry the load, but they will do so in matches where the margin for error may be far smaller.
