No Cause For Alarm As Inter Milan Captain’s Substitutions Testament To Nerazzurri’s Improved Squad Depth

Cristian Chivu and his decision to substitute Lautaro Martínez in back-to-back matches has generated noise, but inside Inter Milan there is zero sense of alarm.

The captain came off after 66 minutes in the derby and after 62 in Madrid, visibly frustrated in both cases.

However, the context paints a very different picture from the outside speculation.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport points out, the change simply reflects how much Inter have evolved.

Last season Simone Inzaghi relied on Lautaro almost to exhaustion.

Indeed, with a bench made up of weak alternatives.

This year Chivu has four high-level forwards.

Therefore, he intends to use all of them, rotating on form, fitness and match strategy.

Lautaro Stays At The Heart Of Inter Milan As Chivu Enjoys Strong Rotation

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JUNE 20: Cristian Chivu, Head Coach of FC Internazionale Milano attends a press conference ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 match between FC Internazionale Milano and Urawa Red Diamonds at Lumen Field on June 20, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

Lautaro remains the emotional centre of the team and enjoys full trust from his coach, who continues to praise him privately and publicly.

However, the Argentine must also adapt to a squad where workload is shared more evenly. His irritation at seeing the No.10 illuminated in red is natural competitive fire, not evidence of friction.

Chivu is managing a delicate post-break transition, looking to keep every attacker at peak sharpness.

Even Hakan Calhanoglu has been substituted twice in a row—less for mistakes, the paper notes, and more for overall performance dips.

There is no ‘Lautaro case’. The striker has eight goals this season and, like last year, could yet explode as Inter’s primary driving force once rotation stabilises.