“Big mistake”, “It’s over congrats City” – Inter fans disappointed with 30-year-old star not being in Champions League final line-up
Inter Milan fans have bemoaned the decision of Simone Inzaghi to drop Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku for the Champions League clash against Manchester City.
The Nerrazuri will square up against Pep Guardiola's side later tonight for the opportunity to be crowned champions of the 2022–23 Champions League season. Both teams head into the final on the back of a decent run in the tournament thus far, which has seen both City and Inter defeat a couple of top European sides.
While Guardiola's side have been tipped as the bookies favorites, Italian giants Inter Milan would be hoping to prove doubters wrong by picking up a surprise victory at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey.
The head coach of the Nerrazuri has rolled out his side's starting XI for the clash, which has a couple of first-team stars, including Edin Dzeko, Lautaro Martinez, Nicolo Barella, and Hakan Çalhanoğlu, among others.
However, there seems to be a major omission from Inter Milan's starting XI, as Inzaghi has opted to start Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku from the bench for the crunch encounter.
per #ManCityInter 
I nostri 1️⃣1️⃣⚫🔵 per #ManCityInter 🔝
Forza ragazzi 💫
#UCLFinal #UCL #ForzaInter https://t.co/6a2dJZmXJL
The decision hasn't really gone down well with a cross section of Inter Milan fans online, with a couple suggesting that Inzaghi's decision not to start Lukaku could cost their team the Champions League final against Manchester City.
One Inter fan on Twitter, with the handle @Elhenreo5, tweeted:
"Big mistake leaving Lukaku on the bench."
Another with the handle @Malikismail6, tweeted:
"Where is he" with a picture of Lukaku following the tweet.
Below are a couple of tweets from fans of the Nerrazuri expressing their displeasure with Inzaghi benching Lukaku for the Champions League clash against Manchester City.
@Inter Where is he...? https://t.co/xYTEbuD7iB
@Inter Sub Lukaku on asap
@Inter_en Big mistake leaving Lukaku on the bench
@Inter_en @eyome_ Where’s lukaku
@Inter_en Lukaku deserve to start
@Inter_en Lukakuuu mannn
Kaku on the bench yeah it’s over congrats city twitter.com/inter_en/statu…
Hope I'm wrong, but I think it's a huge mistake not to start Lukaku. twitter.com/Inter_en/statu…
Meanwhile, Inter will have to rely on the duo of Dzeko and Martinez to deliver upfront against City, with Lukaku probably poised to come on later in the game.
How has Romelu Lukaku perfomed this season ahead of Champions League final clash?
The 30-year-old striker will have to make do with a place on the bench when his side take on Manchester City in the final of this season's Champions League.
The decision of Inter's head coach Inzaghi to drop Lukaku for the crunch encounter has come as a huge surprise to many, especially as the Belgian is currently on a decent run in front of goal.
Lukaku has so far scored a combined total of 14 goals and registered seven assists in 36 appearances across all competitions for Inter Milan this season.
The Belgian is currently on the same amount of goals as Dzeko (14), who was given the nod to start in the final against City. Argentine striker Martinez, however, has scored more than Lukaku and Dzeko this season, with 28 strikes to his credit.