Roma-Inter, Lukaku-Dybala against Lautaro-Thuram | Gazzetta.it

Double pair of great strikers tonight at the Olimpico, Dybala-Lukaku against Thuram-Lautaro, and a double tangle of feelings, of the transfer market, of revolving doors. Free from the contract with Juve, in 2022 Dybala should have gone to Inter but instead he didn’t, he signed for Roma, because Marotta and Ausilio decided to take Romelu Lukaku back from Chelsea. A year later, in the summer of 2023, Lukaku had a tormented flirtation with Juventus, broke Inter’s hearts and settled at Roma, waiting to perhaps move on to cash in Arabiaa. Dybala is the failed Inter player and Romelu is the traitor Inter player, in the opinion of Nerazzurri fans: an unpopular romance, mitigated by the hiring of Marcus Thuram. The transition from LuLa to ThuLa was advantageous in some ways, but today’s Roma-Inter will confirm or deny it. Inter are looking for the plus 7, awaiting Juve-Udinese on Monday. Lukaku, more than Dybala, will be moved by strong motivations and who knows if he will shake Lautaro’s hand. From friends to enemies in the flutter of a butterfly’s wings, in the days when Lukaku, flattered by Juventus, no longer answered phone calls from the Inter world, without distinguishing between managers or brotherly companions.

the numbers

—

If we look at the naked goals of this season, the gap is clear: Lautaro and Thuram add up to 32 in all competitions, 22 for the Argentine and 10 for the French; Lukaku and Dybala stop at 24, the Belgian’s 15 and Joya’s 9. Eight goal difference, not a few. The Inter players shared more time, they were on the pitch at the same time for 1,785 minutes compared to 1,329 for the two Roma players, less playing time which was affected by Dybala’s stops due to injury. The data on couple reciprocity is interesting. The records show three assists from Dybala for Lukaku and one from Lukaku for Dybala. In the Inter tandem, Thuram offered Lautaro the ball for a goal 6 times, while Martinez has not yet repaid his debt, with zero assists for his teammate. So far the Inter duo have expressed a clear hierarchy, with Thuram in Lautaro’s wake and this is certainly the case, the Argentine has earned the role of center of gravity in Inzaghi’s game. Lautaro as the last magnet.

features

—

Different assortments, between technique and strength Dybala and Lukaku form a classic couple, mixing the genius of the number 10 and the power of the number 9. There are no misunderstandings: Dybala is the painter, Lukaku the one who hangs the picture on the wall. On paper we are close to perfect, it is difficult to combine two attackers better. In practice, not everything went smoothly. Partly due to injuries and partly because José Mourinho, Daniele De Rossi’s predecessor, put too much trust in the two – let them take care of the message – without worrying about the surroundings. Today, not even the “ball to Maradona, he’ll take care of it” wouldn’t work. A game must be built around great players, the ball must be delivered in multiple ways, short and long, you cannot live on throws alone. De Rossi, in the three matches won against Verona, Salernitana and Cagliari, corrected the course, the ball circulated better and was lower. This evening he is the first reliable test. It is curious how in the Inter couple the characteristics are reversed compared to the roles. In the center forward Lautaro, technique and dexterity are condensed. In the second striker Thuram, strength and running are concentrated. The new mixture strengthened Lautaro, freed him from sharing the area with Lukaku. Thuram starts from afar and spreads out more than he centralizes. At Inter, clarity has become clear as to who the first striker to score goals is.

how to stop them

—

Mancini and Llorente, Acerbi and Bastoni. Roma defends with four, Inter with three. De Rossi should rely on two pushing full-backs such as Karsdorp on the right and Angeliño on the left, the control of Lautaro and Thuram will fall on the two central defenders, Mancini and Llorente. Mancini will have to be careful and moderate his entries to avoid an early warning. On the other side, Dybala’s talent should “unload” on Bastoni because the Argentine usually starts from the right to return on the left foot. A point of fragility and rupture could be created there, with Acerbi unable to come out for the second goal. Acerbi will have to stick to Lukaku. The two have faced each other five times in official matches – two wins each and a draw, two goals from Lukaku, no fault from Acerbi in an Inter-Lazio match in 2021 – and who knows how many in a practice match in Appiano last season. They have similar physical structures, Acerbi turns 36 today and will want to give himself a gift.