The melee with Inzaghi’s deputy, the shots with the athletic trainer: this is how Lukaku was reborn

The goal against Porto, which followed the penalty four days earlier against Udinese, perhaps marked the end of the tunnel Romelu Lukaku had entered on 28 August, the day of his first injury (in training) at the left thigh. Now the months spent on the physiotherapist’s bed in Appiano Gentile, Belgium or at his home (where he has a personal physiotherapist who has been following him for years), the days in the gym or the extra sessions on the pitch seem a little further away. Certainly without all this work, which Big Rom underwent with uncommon willpower and incredible professionalism, the number 90 would not have experienced a night… like the one on Wednesday. Now “Rome” dreams of being the first in a long series and that tomorrow at lunchtime against Bologna they will be able to concede the trio in terms of goals scored.

THE MARKING OF FARRIS

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In the past it was Andrea Ranocchia who trained him in the melee, during the practice matches at the end of the session. “He became so strong because I put a lot of effort into him” the former Inter captain joked. Now, on the other hand, marking Lukaku, making him sweat to take a position on the edge of the area and then concluding is… Massimiliano Farris. Inzaghi’s deputy holds out as best he can, thanks to a career as a defender between B and C, but clearly the difference in body and age is felt. Despite this, this exercise, carried out together with others (all with the ball) after the end of the session with his teammates, allowed Romelu to improve in terms of condition. When midweek commitments allow it, there is always an extra part of work for him, with personalized loads carefully studied by Inzaghi’s staff. The goal was and is to get him back in top shape as quickly as possible. Initially he focused on strength and reactivity, to regain the habit and power of keeping his opponents at a distance and then reaching the conclusion or bank for his teammates.

THE SHOTS

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Now the extra sessions (they have always been a couple a week to avoid overloads) are more focused on speed, with sprints… dry under the gaze of the athletic trainer Ripert and his collaborators, but it also happens to see Romelu pulling a weight . Physically and reactively, he’s OK (check out his goal against Porto for confirmation, especially the speed with which he pounced on the ball cleared off the post), but lacks some pace to attack depth, to give those accelerations that made him slip behind the opposing defense and put any team in crisis when Conte sat on the Nerazzurri bench. Inzaghi, who would like to exploit him in the same way and who fought to get him back in the summer, hopes that Lukaku will soon be able to add this last “brick” to his athletic condition. To be complete and go back to being … unstoppable like from 2019 to 2021, the seasons at Pinetina in which he scored 64 goals for the nerazzurri.