Lautaro: "It’s a key period and we’re focused on our upcoming games"

APPIANO GENTILE – After providing an assist for Roberto Gagliardini and bagging a penalty to make it 2-0 in the Week 15 victory over Spezia, Lautaro Martinez spoke to Sky Sport about life at the club.

You’re attached to the city of Milan now. Was that a factor in your decision to sign a contract renewal?

“I spoke a lot about it with my family because we’re happy here. We love the city of Milan and I’ve bought into the club’s projects. I like the way they’ve spoken to me about them and I’m pleased to stay here with my family.”

How much do you feel you’ve matured and how much do you show that on the pitch?

“Becoming a father has matured me so much on and off the pitch. I always try to improve as a player and as a person. My wife and family in Argentina are always behind me and they really help me out.”

In this very even title race, do you think Inter have something over the others?

“I’m enjoying it this season because you can see the teams are improving, as well as the competition overall. It’s important for us to always be up there. We have to defend our Scudetto title from last season, which was our first in many years. It’s very significant to wear the Scudetto patch on our jerseys.

“We always try to implement on the pitch what the coach asks of us, to be on the front foot, get lots of players forward and also defend together, putting in practice what we work on in training. Other teams are doing well. We’ve dropped some points so far, but we’re now recovering. It’s a key period for us.”

You’re performing very well in the league, but it hasn’t quite come off for you in the Champions League yet. Are you saving it for the clash at the Bernabeu?

“I always try to give my all on the pitch and help my team-mates. Sometimes I score, sometimes I don’t, but we’re still doing well. I feel good within this squad and I link up well with whoever else is playing. That’s important because it means we’re all focused and our heads are in the right place.”

Could the Real Madrid game help you understand how far you could go in the Champions League?

“We’re currently preparing for the game against Roma and then we’ll think about Madrid. We’ll have to go there to win, as we always do, to do our job. A victory would be an important signal for us. It’ll be a key clash for our development as a team.”

So many coaches have helped you throughout your career, but what role has Simone Inzaghi played?

“He’s helping me so much. We met when I came back from the Copa America and before that point, we’d already spoken quite a lot on the phone. He’s helped me so much with my performances. I always try to learn as much as I can from coaches because they have a wealth of experience and they always try to do the best for their players.”

What sort of game will it be against Roma? What type of spirit will Inter need to show?

“The team spirit that we’ve shown up until now, with desire and focus. We have to pick up three key points to build on what we’ve been doing. We’re on the right track, but we have dropped some points along the way that we’re now making up for. 

“Roma are a good team with a coach who gets his teams playing good football. We’ll have to try to recover well and go there to play our game in a very heated atmosphere, but it’ll be a wonderful match and a chance to send a message to the league.”