Match-breaker, wild card, luxury reserve … Muriel is now ready for Inter

Borrowing a concept dear to basketball, with Luis Muriel we could talk about the sixth man. The perfect sixth man. That is, the one who starts from the bench and yet affects more than many owners. For some it is a strategy, which with the five substitutions is also becoming good in football; for others a need in the name of balance. The Inter attack has the face of LuLa and it will be like this also in the next season, but the Muriel idea seems to marry perfectly with the needs of Antonio Conte.

More competitions

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In addition to Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez, there is Sanchez, who has a contract until 2023 and will remain with the Nerazzurri unless there are any surprises. The Colombian from Atalanta would therefore be the fourth striker, the one who at least (only) on paper this season is Pinamonti. But the presence of Muriel would inevitably shift the balance and would be the ideal solution to face all the competitions chest out and without too many calculations: Conte flies towards the first Scudetto in the Nerazzurri, next year Inter cannot fail to focus on the Champions League after three consecutive outings in the groups (the first with Spalletti). In this sense, it should not be forgotten that if the Nerazzurri were to win the Scudetto they would be in the first tier of the draw: a possible advantage to be exploited.

Jolly

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Muriel would be the ideal solution to get Lukaku and / or Lautaro Martinez to breathe without making them miss too much. His season with the Nerazzurri della Dea speaks for itself: 20 goals, of which 16 in the league and 3 in the Champions League in addition to the one against Cagliari in the Italian Cup. Numbers from very titular, but reality says that in Serie A the native of Santo Tomas started from the first minute on 11 occasions and entered the bench 15 times. Here is the sixth man who can break games. But beyond that, what makes Muriel potentially perfect for Conte’s board is his ability to play indiscriminately as first or second striker. The credit for this evolution must be given to Gasperini, capable of transforming the Colombian into an attacker who feels the goal like few others. Muriel at Inter could play indiscriminately paired with Lukaku, Lautaro or Sanchez. A very precious joker, with which Conte would feel more serene even in letting Big Rom rest, practically essential with the current squad.

Some unknowns

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In all this, one cannot fail to consider some darker aspects. It should not be forgotten that Muriel is now thirty years old (he will turn them on April 16) and therefore it is a purchase exclusively for the present, not future-proof like other precious pieces at Inter. And the story says that the Colombian has definitely exploded in the hands of Gasperini, after years in which his crystalline talent was unable to show itself completely: separating him from the coach with whom he grew up could be a risk. All faces of the same die: this year Muriel didn’t make a mistake and inevitably attracted a lot of attention. Sixth man, match-breaker, wild card: Conte identified Luis as the missing piece to make his Inter even bigger.