Despite Inter's success in winning the first half of Serie A this season, it will not be easy for the Nerazzurri to embroider a second title star on their shirts. The real challenges and difficulties facing the team are yet to come, especially in the first half of the season, when the Nerazzurri's biggest hidden danger is not resolved, and if not resolved in the winter transfer window, the chances of Inter having the last laugh in Serie A this season remain in doubt.
One of the biggest problems that plagues Inter is the unsatisfactory nature of the team's substitute strikers. The two main strikers, Lautaro and Thuram Jr., are tired to support the Nerazzurri's attack. One only has to look at such a set of stats to make it clear why the issue of Inter's current bench strikers is so important.
At the end of the 19 rounds of the first half of this season's Serie A, Inter's two substitute strikers Arnautovic and Sanchez have scored only one goal, and Sanchez has not even scored a goal since returning to Serie A. In contrast, last season's Inter substitute strikers of Romelu Lukaku and Correa had four goals at the end of the first half of Serie A.
In the previous five seasons, the lowest goal stats for Inter substitute strikers in the first half were Sanchez and Pinamonti in 2021 and Sanchez and Esposito in 1920, both with only two goals in the half. Just by looking at the stats, you can see that the weakest link in Inter's squad this season is the team's substitute striker.
The two main strikers, Lautaro and Thuram Jr., cannot be fully rested without qualified substitutes, which is extremely harmful to the team. If Inter fail to strengthen their forward line in the winter transfer window, then they can only pray that Lautaro and Thuram Jr. will not be injured, because if either of them falls, the consequences will be dire. Therefore, the Nerazzurri do need to strengthen their forward line during the current winter transfer window.
However, as things stand, the Nerazzurri, who are mired in financial crisis, are not confident in bringing in a new striker this winter window. If Alexis Sanchez fails to leave in the winter transfer window, Inter's forward line-up is likely to remain the same as in the first half, namely Arnautovic and Alexis Sanchez, who will still be on the bench. As for strikers like Taremi, who was reported, they may have to wait until the summer transfer window to get a visa.
Although Mouriel is only half a year away from the expiration of the veteran Serie A contract, his performances in the first half of the season are still impressive. He played 21 games for Atalanta in all competitions, playing a total of 638 minutes, scoring six goals and providing one assist, an average of one goal per 106 minutes. Therefore, there is no reason for Atalanta to let him go in this season's winter transfer window, especially given that the team already has no transfer budget.
It will be very difficult to bring in a new striker in the winter transfer window, so the only hope for the team is to dig deep inside. According to the latest news from Italy, new wing-back Buchanan could be used as the team's fifth striker. According to Sport, Buchanan also has previous experience as a striker, so he could be an additional solution for the striker.
In addition to revamping existing players to play as strikers, Inter Milan also have another approach, which is to seek a change of formation. Mkhitaryan could be moved up front while Frattesi fills his void in midfield and the team will switch to a 3511 formation. This would not only satisfy Frattesi's starting requirements, but also alleviate Inter's forward problems. However, the biggest drawback of this is to break up the strongest striker duo of Lautaro and Thuram Jr.
Therefore, whether Inter Milan's offensive firepower can be guaranteed has become a question that Inzaghi Jr. needs to think about seriously. Whether digging deep within or bringing in new signings, Inter Milan must strengthen the team's forward line. However, in the face of the current predicament, the ultimate key is that the club does not have enough funds.