Inter: Sensi, come back in small steps. But Conte wants more

A small step forward for Stefano Sensi. Now it’s just a matter of getting going after regaining confidence on the pitch at the end of November, after a long ordeal dotted with six injuries for a total of 199 days in the infirmary and 35 games lost since landing in Milan, in the summer of 2019. Conte awaits us, he believes us, proof of this are the 32 ‘that were granted to him against Cagliari, which had not happened since the second day of the championship against Benevento (when Marcheman played 65’ in a median completed by Gagliardini, Vidal, Hakimi and Young). But the Nerazzurri coach is waiting for the quality jump to be able to count on that alternative that has so far failed in the five-man midfield. Not surprisingly, after the success of the Cagliari comeback, Conte spoke of a “Sensi still reduced by half”.

THE ALARM

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Against the Sardinians, the man from the Marches took the place of Eriksen exactly as happened on the first day of the championship against Fiorentina, then the starting opportunity in Benevento and the new stop that inevitably changed the plans that Conte had in mind at the beginning. . . The second leg, against Sassuolo, Real Madrid and Lazio, highlighted a Sensi that is still smooth, low rhythm, without the intensity that Conte’s mechanisms feed on and, probably, also a bit slowed down from a psychological point of view. Hence the only six cumulative appearances thus far in just 159 total minutes on the field. Against Cagliari, to find a Sensi capable of accumulating more than half an hour on the pitch, we must go back to February 12, the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final against Napoli (66 ‘as a starter). Too many muscle problems (five in a year), impossible to deny. But now the worst is behind us and we have to submit. Conte tries to spur him on in the hope of seeing more wickedness and conviction also in training, a reason that also explains the frank judgment of the subsequent victory in Cagliari. The technician’s hand is extended, now is the time for Sensi to react.