Inter director Beppe Marotta is not concerned by Lautaro Martinez’s goal drought and confirms that Marcelo Brozovic will sign a contract extension within a week.
Marotta spoke to Sky Sport Italia following the Nerazzurri’s loss against Sassuolo. Simone Inzaghi’s men have collected just one point in the last three Serie A matches and lost 2-0 against Liverpool in the Champions League last week.
“There are moments in life and the sport when you need to be aware of suffering. This is that moment for us now,” Marotta told Sky Sport.
“We must have the strength and the determination to continue what we’ve done, working even harder. We need trust as a result of what we’ve done this season. Our position in the table is important and I remember that we have a game in hand. We won the Supercoppa and we’ve played spectacular football.
“We don’t want excuses, but we knew we would have faced many strong opponents. We played nine games against top teams since the start of the year and we knew that January and February would have been the most difficult months.
“I repeat that this is no excuse. We need to be aware that we must face the remainder of the season as protagonists. That’s our role. We need to work hard with self-confidence, knowing that this season is a race that will be decided at the last kilometre.
What does Inzaghi guarantee in terms of results and work?
“He is a great professional, very prepared. He is doing what he’s been asked,” said Marotta.
“Yesterday’s defeat was deserved and must give us the motivation to see what didn’t work, with awareness and self-belief. This credibility is given by the coach. The team has clear targets. We are the defending champions and we must aim for the Scudetto and the second star.”
Lautaro Martinez has recently extended his contract until 2026, but hasn’t yet scored in 2022 and has gone 13 games without scoring in the Champions League. Did Marotta expect him to be more clinical this season?
“I repeat what Simone said after the game. Highs and lows are a normal thing for a striker,” said Marotta.
“Lautaro put in the right commitment day in, day out. He is missing the goal, which is the most important thing. It’s a temporary thing and it’s up to the team and the coach to support him. Hopefully, he will return to scoring and be the young champion everyone knows.”
Barcelona dealt transfer blow as Brozovic signs Inter extension
Marotta confirms that Marcelo Brozovic has agreed to sign a contract extension with the club.
“Today, we have the awareness that the club and the player want to continue together,” the director said.
“This means that in the next few days, maybe in a week, he will surely sign a contract extension.”
On the other hand, Ivan Perisic and Handanovic see their deals expire in June. Will Inter try to renew with them?
“We are lucky to have great professionals like them in the team,” Marotta confirmed.
“They must be admired for what they do every day, the same goes for Andrea Ranocchia and many others. I’ve already spoken about the team’s strengths. Perisic and Handanovic are two professionals, we want to open talks quickly. They deserve to be confirmed and we’ll have to sit down together because they’ve proved that they deserve this shirt.”
Inter have been linked Gianluca Scamacca, Davide Frattesi and Giacomo Raspadori. The Sassuolo starlets beat the Nerazzurri at San Siro yesterday and Scamacca even found the net.
“Sassuolo have many interesting young players, they play with lightheartedness and it’s no coincidence that they beat us, Milan, Juventus and Milan,” Marotta admitted.
“Many top clubs have set their sights on them and I am happy for their club and director Giovanni Carnevale.”