Inter Milan football manager Simone Inzaghi confirmed that Alessandro Bastoni could be deployed as the wingback against Feyenoord and replace the injured Federico DeMarco.
This article will focus on the currency injury crisis at wing back and the two candidates who will replace Dimarco at Inter Milan.
Current Injury Crisis at Wing-Back
The 48-year-old Italian football manager and current Inter Milan head coach, Simone Inzaghi, confirmed that there is still a decision to be made at wing-back prior to Inter facing Feyenoord in their Champions League round of 16 first leg on Wednesday. He also stated, though, that one of two Nerazzurri centre-halves will be coming in to replace unavailable Federico Dimarco.
The Nerazzurri are undergoing a crisis of wing-back injuries, and only Denzel Dumfries has emerged as the lone fit player and available to play on both flanks. Dimarco, Carlos Augusto, Nicola Zalewski, and Matteo Darmian have been ruled out.
This means that Inzaghi will have to reshuffle his team or select a player out of position to feature at left wing-back against Feyenoord.
There were rumors about Inter dropping the 3-5-2 and switching to a 4-4-2 to address the Dimarco issue, but Tuesday suggests that the more likely shift is a 3-5-2 with a center-back operating at wing-back.
Two Key Candidates to Replace Dimarco
According to pre-match reports, the left-footed footballer Alessandro Bastoni, who is known for combining his play with Dimarco on the left flank of Inter Milan, is highly likely to be playing at the left-wing back when this week. However, Inzaghi has reported that there might be another option with Francesco Acerbi being a viable alternative. Inzaghi was interviewed on Tuesday evening at his pre-match press conference where he said, “We know we have a bit of difficulty in a very specific part of the pitch. In addition to Dimarco, I would add Zalewski, Carlos Augusto and Darmian.
We no longer have players in that position, probably one of Bastoni or Acerbi will play there. But the principles of the game will not change. We are here to play a round of 16 match and we will do our best.”
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The display of Bastoni and overall the left flank of the Inter side will most likely dictate the fortunes of the Nerazzurri in the first leg in Rotterdam, and it can well function, although a Champions League tie may not be ideally the best time to make such an alteration. But Feyenoord are struggling a lot due to injuries too and Inter might try to go more on the attack on their right flank using Pavard and Dumfries, as the two have been playing together already since last year and they are a good combination.
Inter and Inzaghi’s biggest concern will come later in the game, when in the second half he won’t have anyone on the left to replace Bastoni and defender Francesco Acerbi, who will feature on the left side of the three-back defense. The Nerazzurri must just cope with the first leg, hoping to regain some of their options for at least the second leg that will be held next Tuesday in San Siro, a few days before Atalanta make their visit for the decisive Serie A encounter.
