Mauro Icardi Should Adapt to Mancini’s More Pragmatic System

Mauro Icardi has been having some difficulties in Inter Milan lately. He was left ashamed on the bench as an unused substitute over the 1-0 victory over Genoa on Saturday, while head coach Roberto Mancini greeted Inter’s return to the first place in Serie A table.

It seems that Mancini’s philosophy of “rotation, rotation, rotation” has worked out when it comes to Inter this season, as the Italian grand has returned at the first place in the national championship. The club even managed to win over Genoa without Icardi, who has long been considered as the coach’s “talismanic” front man, as part of the starting eleven.

The match against Genoa which Inter Milan managed to emerge victorious from was spectacular. The tempo was quick, and Mancini’s players actually moved the ball a lot quicker compared to their games up to date. Inter demonstrated solid defence at the back – a characteristic that has somehow been taken for granted over the current campaign. At the same time, the midfielder Adem Ljajic showed creativity and wonderful game, especially at the moment when his free kick deceived everyone in the match.

Inter Milan had succeeded in winning their seventh game with a 1-0 result so far this season. What is more important, he team has managed to do that without Icardi. So, manager Mancini decided it was the right time for him to explain the situation to the media.

He shared that after all, he is head coach of the entire team, not of specific players. According to Mancini, Inter have “many excellent forwards”, all of who deserve to be granted playing time. The manager also shared his belief that Icardi and Ljajic would be able to play along with each other, but the rest of the players deserve to play, too.

Mancini also explained that Icardi’s goals would be absolutely crucial in case that that the club gets into the Champions League. Still, the head coach said that the fact that the forward is so precious for the team does not mean he cannot be rested every now and then.

The 22-year-old Icardi was not the first player who gets such treatment in Inter Milan. Earlier on the current campaign, Ljajic has been dealt with in the same manner. Still, Icardi may have his reasons to feel bad. The player was granted with the Capocannoniere award over the 2014/2015 season after he managed to score a total of 22 goals in the league. In comparison, he has netted the ball only four times in 12 games so far over the current campaign.

Now, the forward will be forced to adapt to the more pragmatic shift implemented in the system by Mancini. Apart from offering more players a chance on the pitch, the head coach of Inter Milan is also aimed at making Icardi work well in collaboration with Joveric. The two players have started together in six matches only.

Normally, Icardi is focused on demonstrating a proactive approach to each individual opponent. He has not been forced to become more adaptive on the field during the matches, but he would now have to try being more flexible.