Four goals in two games against Belgium: Lukaku is returning to Big Rom and Inter are smiling

Romelu Lukaku is sending unequivocal messages: he is returning to excellent form and the two games played against Belgium have done his morale a lot of good. He scored a hat-trick last Saturday, in the match valid for qualifying for the European Championships against Sweden’s “enemy” Ibrahimovic, while in last night’s friendly against Germany he made the momentary 2-0 in the victory of his (3 -2). This afternoon he will be at the Pinetina for an exhausting workout, even if now Big Rom doesn’t feel tired and flies on the wings of enthusiasm. The feeling is that his “real” season … starts now.

SUPER NUMBERS

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“Still Big Rom” wrote the Inter account on Twitter. On the night Calhanoglu was hurt, Inzaghi can at least smile at the progress of his number 90 which can be tremendously useful to him in this 2022-23 finale. Certainly from today he will find a striker with much higher morale than the one who left for Belgium after the defeat at San Siro against Juventus. Romelu has reached 72 goals (in 106 appearances) with the Diavoli Rossi shirt: he has long been the best scorer in the history of Belgium and is now in fifth place in the all-time ranking of the best bombers with the respective national teams ( Cristiano Ronaldo 122 centers, Puskas 84, Lewandowski 78, Kocsis 75, Lukaku 71). Served by a through ball from De Bruyne, at the RheinEnergie in Cologne he took off in an overbearing way, like in the good old days, and beat Ter Stegen. Then he cheered with his arms wide. On social networks, the Nerazzurri fans were already ecstatic.

SINGLE TIP

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The feeling is that these days of work with Belgium have done him good: at Pinetina he certainly doesn’t take a vacation (on the contrary, he carries out extra work sessions and with those he has greatly improved his condition which in January, after the new stop due to the annoyance knee, was precarious), but a change of scenery and sweating under the orders of the new coach Giovanni Tedesco and his staff gave him a great benefit. In the 4-3-3 of the Diavoli Rossi, then, he fits in wonderfully also because he has De Bruyne behind him who always verticalizes and almost never makes mistakes. Lastly, playing as a lone striker, he has more space and can move as he wishes: making the bank using the “center-mark” physique or attacking deep when the opponents raise the line. Since his return to Inter he has never been as devastating as in his last two games against Belgium (4 goals in 153 minutes). Because it wasn’t good. Does the fact that Lautaro steals some space from him also have something to do with it? Can be. The two matched perfectly in the year of the Scudetto with Conte because that formation had two wingers like Hakimi and Perisic who flew and gave width on the wings. The opponents had to dilate the line behind so much, that Big Rom and the Bull had enough field to never step on their feet. Now, however, fewer dangers arise from the side lanes and the formations in front of Inter are more dense in the middle. Or at least, it has been so far. If Big Rom goes back to being himself though…

FIVE NETWORKS

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Romelu for the moment is stuck at 5 goals in the Nerazzurri shirt. He played 19 games, but only from February onwards, despite alternating with Dzeko, did he find a continuity of use unknown in the previous months due to the double injury to his left thigh. Now he will return from matches with the national team with the conviction of being able to play two months as a protagonist. Also because he wants to convince the Viale della Liberazione club to confirm it. Not an easy mission and subject to Chelsea’s economic demands, but Big Rom intends to stay in Milan. And he will do everything possible to make that happen. Starting on Saturday against Fiorentina.