Lautaro Martinez revealed the advice he gave to Mauro Icardi and how they are “fully aware we’re challenging for one place” in the Inter line-up.
The striker has seemingly pushed his fellow Argentine to the bench recently, as Icardi has not yet been fully embraced by the team and Coach Luciano Spalletti since his six-week tantrum.
Lautaro Martinez revealed the advice he gave to Mauro Icardi and how they are “fully aware we’re challenging for one place” in the Inter line-up.
The striker has seemingly pushed his fellow Argentine to the bench recently, as Icardi has not yet been fully embraced by the team and Coach Luciano Spalletti since his six-week tantrum.
“We spoke for a long time during those days. I always told him how important he was for the team, but also that the problems between the directors and his wife and agent should’ve been resolved directly by them,” Lautaro told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“We as a team should not have been involved, as it wasn’t our fault, so we were just on the sidelines of this thing. We are fully aware that we’re challenging for just one place in the starting XI. We get along well off the field, but it’s each man to his own in training.”
The younger striker is expected to start in this evening’s Derby d’Italia against Juventus.
“Inter are in good shape coming into this game, more than the recent results would suggest. The point against Roma was positive for us to achieve our objective and we mustn’t fail. We’ve got to play the way we did against Milan.
“Looking at the gap in points, you’d think there was this huge difference between the teams, but we are a big club and it is my dream to win the Scudetto with Inter.
“You need more than talk to achieve your aims, you must consolidate the positive thoughts and belief of fans, directors and players.
“I did expect Inter to go further in the Coppa Italia and Europe. It was such a strong Champions League start, then we seemed to just hit a wall. I had a lot of confidence in the Europa League, but them we managed to lose at home. We were all very sad and disappointed.”
Lautaro’s first season at Inter has not been without controversy too, as he considered a January exit and his father insulted Luciano Spalletti via social media.
“I arrived from Racing, where I’d play all the time, and here was dealing with a monument of Inter like Mauro Icardi. I knew it’d be difficult to play, but also that it was frankly unlikely we’d play together.
“When my father said that, I called him up and shouted that he shouldn’t have dared to do such a thing. He’s a human being, he can make mistakes, and he was a professional player too, so he understood.
“He cancelled the tweet, but it was too late by then. He apologised to me, then I called the Coach to pass on his apology. We had a three-man summit to discuss it between Javier Zanetti, Spalletti and me.”
Lautaro was asked bout the potential for playing alongside another Argentina international, Juventus star Paulo Dybala.
“Paulo is a top level player and everyone would love to play alongside him, because he helps you to improve and score more goals. I wouldn’t say I’ve changed my way of playing to suit Italy, but I did add some ingredients. Spalletti is always encouraging and gives me pointers on technique, ball control and said he’s impressed I am such a fast learner.”
Inter are currently in third place and a win over Juventus this evening would practically secure their Champions League qualification.
“I hope next season the Champions League can be more my tournament. I always try to set short-term objectives and go into a trophy believing I can win. It becomes much easier if you think about the victory. If you focus on coming second, then you’ll never win.”