By Tommy Lund
(Reuters) – Inter Milan visit Serie A surprise package Udinese on Saturday and anything short of a victory could ring alarm bells for the champions who are sixth in the standings after five rounds.
Inter manager Simone Inzaghi finds himself under scrutiny after Italian media reports suggesting the club’s board are dissatisfied with the team’s mediocre start to the season.
With AC Milan’s late 2-1 win in Sunday’s derby easing the pressure on their coach Paulo Fonseca for now, the spotlight is firmly on Inzaghi whose side have just eight points.
Inter face a formidable challenge at third-placed Udinese, whose unbeaten start includes three wins in four games though they suffered their first defeat when AS Roma beat them 3-0.
While Inter’s Marcus Thuram has started the season well with four goals to jointly top the scoring charts, Inzaghi needs captain Lautaro Martinez to return to form after a goal drought.
Inter were heavily reliant on their top scorer last season when he netted 24 league goals, but the forward has yet to find the net in the new campaign.
After a demanding summer with Argentina when he won the Copa America, Martinez has had limited opportunities for rest.
“I feel that responsibility and realise I am not doing what I did last season,” Martinez said. “I’m lagging behind, but all I can do is keep working to get stronger.”
MILAN BOOST
While Milan’s victory over Inter gave Fonseca a big boost, he is not out of the woods yet, although a home win over 17th-placed Lecce on Friday would give him some breathing room.
Another victory could also buy him valuable time to gain trust in his vision for the team, especially with Milan’s board reportedly pleased with the progress they saw against Inter.
Fonseca will, however, most likely be without team captain Davide Calabria, who has recently struggled with fatigue.
Unbeaten Juventus have made a decent start to the season and have yet to concede a goal but they are in fourth place after three consecutive goalless draws.
The lack of goals has presented a challenge for manager Thiago Motta, who lacks a dependable striker to lead the line.
Dusan Vlahovic’s recent dip in form has sparked calls from some quarters for him to be dropped while Arkadiusz Milik’s persistent injuries have not made things any easier.
With the transfer window closed, Juve have limited options and if their scoring woes continue Timothy Weah and 19-year-old Kenan Yildiz could get more chances in the starting lineup.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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