‘Big Rom is back’ but Gosens ‘a distant relative of himself’ in Inter win

Romelu Lukaku was sufficient enough in Inter’s 2-1 win over Lecce yesterday but the Italian media were distinctly unimpressed with Robin Gosens.

The Nerazzurri took an early lead in their season opener against the Puglian side yesterday thanks to the Belgian star, who immediately announced his return to Italy, but things then full quiet as the Nerazzurri struggled to put the game to bed. Lecce found an equaliser in the 48th minute and a disappointing evening looked to be on the cards for Inter, until Denzel Dumfries netted a late winner.

Lukaku put in a decent shift in his first game back with Inter and his early goal ultimately proved key. La Gazzetta dello Sport highlighted his contribution, noting “there’s still a lot to synchronise, but the message echoes clearly from Salento: Big Rom is back.” 

Corriere della Sera were a little less positive, saying “an easy goal only if you put yourself there. The rest, however, is effort.” Corriere dello Sport were even less generous, highlighting a late miss by the Belgian, “Inter got lost and he got lost too. In the final part he missed a sensational chance, making even Inzaghi despair.”

Gosens’ match was significantly more negative. Corriere della Sera’s analysis was fairly scathing, suggesting that it’ll take time to forget his predecessor Ivan Perisic, “before Perisic is forgotten, it’ll take some. He needs the pitch and to be sought out by his teammates. Two things that occur little.”

La Gazzetta dello Sport were a little more forgiving to the German wing back, paying attention to his positive start, “in the first 20 minutes he delights, but then he’s eclipsed and almost zero good crosses rained down.” Corriere dello Sport were less polite and looked back at his time with Atalanta, saying “he continues to be a distant relative of the one who made the difference at Atalanta.”

Gosens’ ratings in the Italian newspapers:

La Gazzetta dello Sport: 5.5

Corriere della Sera: 5

Corriere dello Sport: 5.5

Tuttosport: 4.5

Lukaku’s ratings in the Italian newspapers:

La Gazzetta dello Sport: 6

Corriere della Sera: 6

Corriere dello Sport: 6

Tuttosport: 5.5