Serie A's injury weekend forces Inter, Roma and Napoli to improvise
With Lautaro, Pavard, Dybala and Malen all missing, Chivu, Gasperini and Allegri must rebuild their attacks on the fly, while Juventus weigh a two-striker switch and Frosinone's Antonio Raimondo keeps scoring.
Inter, Roma and Napoli all return to Serie A this weekend carrying fresh absences from their Champions League defeats, and each coach is being pushed toward a different solution, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport and Tuttosport, as reported by Football Italia.
The common thread is enforced change rather than chosen evolution. None of the three sides is rotating by design; they are patching gaps left by injury before matches that still carry real weight in the table.
Inter and Roma hand responsibility to their youngest forwards
Cristian Chivu goes into the trip to Bologna without Lautaro Martinez and now also without Pavard, Gazzetta reports, which pushes 21-year-old Pio Esposito into the central striker's role Lautaro would normally occupy.
That is a significant jump in responsibility for a player still establishing himself, and it changes how Inter will have to build attacks: without their most experienced finisher, the side likely needs more support arriving from midfield rather than relying on one player to create something from nothing in the box.
Roma face a similar squeeze. Gian Piero Gasperini is missing both Paulo Dybala and Malen for the visit of Genoa, so Evan Ndicka's teammate Castro leads the line alongside 19-year-old Rodrigo Mora, per Gazzetta's coverage.
Losing two senior attacking options at once forces Gasperini to lean on a teenager and a striker who would not normally be first choice, which typically means less individual craft to unlock a deep defence and more reliance on combination play and movement off the ball.
Napoli's double playmaker experiment in Venice
Antonio Allegri is set to deploy two playmakers for Napoli's away fixture at Venezia, a structural change from his usual approach, Gazzetta reports. Tuttosport adds that Allegri is hoping Lucca can deliver the goals once that platform is built.
Pairing two creative midfield profiles together usually trades some defensive solidity for extra passing options between the lines, a trade-off that only makes sense if the forward on the end of it, in this case Lucca, is capable of finishing the chances that structure is designed to create.
Juventus weigh starting two strikers together
Tuttosport reports that Juventus are considering building on the pairing that scored in Vigo, with two centre-forwards now looking like a genuine starting option for Luciano Spalletti rather than just a substitution. Former player Serena told the paper the pair "complement each other well. But you have to put balls into the box…", pointing to service as the condition for the system to work rather than the pairing itself.
Tuttosport also notes work being done with Cambiaso, including psychological work, and the emergence of Sarr as a positive from the recent run. Celik is due to return against Lazio, and the paper suggests that puts pressure on Francisco Conceição's place, framing it as a risk for the winger rather than a confirmed change.
That competition for places follows comments from Sergio Conceição, speaking about his son's reaction to being substituted in Vigo. He told Gazzetta, "My son's anger is good. But Spalletti is right." The remark separates the player's frustration from an endorsement of the coach's decision, which is a notable distinction from a parent commenting on a tactical call rather than defending it outright.
Raimondo's run and Milan's interest in Tresoldi
Away from the top flight's injury list, Antonio Raimondo continues to force his way into the conversation. The 22-year-old scored three as Frosinone beat Sassuolo 4-2 on Friday, taking his tally to seven goals and prompting Gazzetta to label it a "Frosinone fairytale". Tuttosport frames the same hat-trick as a direct pitch for an Italy call from Roberto Mancini.
Separately, Gazzetta reports that Milan are pursuing Club Brugge forward Tresoldi, with owner Gerry Cardinale understood to want the deal done. The paper notes Tresoldi is a Milan supporter and scored a hat-trick against Inter at San Siro in the Champions League, and says €53 million is available in the club's accounts for market activity. None of that is confirmed as an agreed transfer, only as reported interest and available funds.
Tuttosport's weekend coverage also raises an unconfirmed question over Inter's ownership, asking "HBJ: who is the sheikh who wants Inter?", which the paper presents as speculation rather than a settled development.
Taken together, the weekend's fixtures are less about tactical innovation than about coaches managing absences under pressure. How Chivu, Gasperini and Allegri cope with missing personnel, and whether Spalletti's two-striker idea survives beyond Vigo, will shape how each club is judged heading into the next round of fixtures.