Former Inter Milan defender Walter Samuel shared his thoughts on the upcoming Supercoppa Italiana final against AC Milan, offering support for Lautaro Martinez and praise for Simone Inzaghi’s squad.
Samuel, a key figure in Inter’s 2010 treble-winning side, begins by defending Lautaro Martinez against recent criticism. “Leave Lautaro alone,” he insists. “There’s too much talk about him. If he misses one chance, it seems like a tragedy… He’s a golden boy: positive, generous, always putting the team before himself.”
The Argentine coach dismisses concerns about Lautaro’s recent goal drought, stating, “It’s normal for a striker to want to score, and he might feel a bit down when it doesn’t happen, but there’s no danger or cause for alarm.” Samuel emphasizes Lautaro’s overall contribution, noting, “Inter has many ways to score, not just one. You should only worry if Lautaro wasn’t shooting, wasn’t in the right position, or wasn’t creating dangers, but he knows how to create chances and sacrifices for his teammates.”
Regarding the final against Milan, Samuel expects a challenging match. “It will be a difficult game. Milan is dangerous, they have the momentum of a new coach, and this is still a derby, even if it’s not played at San Siro,” he explains. However, he remains confident in Inter’s abilities, praising their performance against Atalanta in the semi-final.
Samuel commends Simone Inzaghi’s management style, saying, “He has great command of his role and knows how to make players like him… He knows how to transmit tranquility to everyone.” The former defender also highlights Inter’s defensive improvements, crediting the entire team’s collective effort.
On individual players, Samuel praises the growth of Yann Bisseck and the consistency of Stefan de Vrij. He reserves special praise for Alessandro Bastoni, calling him “one of the best in Italy, if not the best” and “the prototype of the new central defender for how he comes out with the ball without losing anything in defense.”
Samuel concludes by expressing confidence in Inzaghi’s judgment regarding young talent like Valentin Carboni, stating, “There’s only one person who knows when it will be right to give him space: his name is Simone Inzaghi.”
