How will Inter Milan line up in the 2018/19 season?

Back in the Champions League for the first time since 2012, Inter Milan are looking to become part of Europe’s elite once more.

The Nerazzurri pipped Lazio to finish fourth in Serie A on the final day of last season with a 3-2 win against the capital club, seeing Inter edge it on head-to-head.

Inter have already used the lure of Champions League participation to enhance their squad ahead of the upcoming campaign. Luciano Spalletti has made seven transfers so far this summer, bringing in the likes of Radja Nainggolan, Lautaro Martinez, Federico Dimarco, Stefen de Vrij and Kwadwo Asamoah on permanent deals, with Sime Vrsaljko and Matteo Politano also joining on loan.

These new players link up with an already established team which Spalletti has slowly been nurturing to drag Inter back up the league table after years of poor finishes not befitting the 18-time Serie A champions. But how can Spalletti make the most of these signings to help the 2010 treble-winners reinstate themselves as giants of Italian and European football? Here are three potential Inter line-ups, containing stars, new and old, for the upcoming season.

Inter line-up I: Full strength

4-2-3-1: Handanovic; Vrsaljko, De Vrij, Skriniar, Asamoah; Modric, Brozovic; Candreva, Nainggolan, Perisic; Icardi.

Assuming all players are fit and available for selection, this would arguably be Inter Milan’s strongest possible XI for the season ahead in Spalletti’s favoured formation.

In goal, Samir Handanovic practically picks himself, having proven to be reliable for the Nerazzurri since joining in 2012.

The back four brings in two new signings with Vrsaljko going straight into the XI when he returns from Croatia’s exploits at the World Cup. The right-back performed well for Atletico Madrid last season as they won the Europa League and can use the extended game time he’ll get at Inter to build upon it.

At left-back, Inter need to replace Davide Santon, who left for Roma this summer, and new boy Kwadwo Asamoah can be the player to do so.

In between them, a new partnership of De Vrij and Milan Skriniar, unfortunately, sees Miranda dropped, but both proved themselves last year for Lazio and Inter respectively and could be the future of the club through combining defensively solidity and ability to play out from the back.

In their version of an ideal world, Inter secure the mooted signing of Luka Modric from Real Madrid to forge a defensive-midfield partnership with compatriot Marcelo Brozovic. The World Cup’s Golden Ball winner can dictate play from deep or push further up the pitch when required, with Brozovic holding the fort in his absence.

With Modric’s potential introduction, Radja Nainggolan can make a name for himself in the more advanced midfield position, one of Inter’s weaker areas with regards to depth. Borja Valero is ageing and Joao Mario looks likely to leave before the summer transfer window is out, allowing Nainggolan to become a creative influence further up the pitch.

Either side of the one they call ‘Ninja’, usual suspects Antonio Candreva and World Cup star Ivan Perisic will cause defences problems with their direct style of play and creative ability. The duo combined to record 17 Serie A assists last season, with Perisic setting up nine goals to Candreva’s eight.

Up front, assuming Inter do keep hold of him, is captain Mauro Icardi. The 25-year-old Argentine will be looking to further improve on his 29 Serie A goals last season.

Inter line-up II: Rotation

4-3-3: Di Gennaro; D’Ambrosio, Ranocchia, Miranda, Dimarco; Vecino, Valero, Gagliardini; Politano, Martinez, Karamoh.

Commitments now come in the form of the Champions League for Inter, adding to domestic cup competitions. There may, therefore, come a time when Luciano Spalletti looks to rotate his side for fitness reasons, without completely hampering his chances of winning.

While Handanovic has Inter’s number one jersey wrapped up, behind him things are a little more unclear as to who will be his back-up. In pre-season, Daniele Padelli got the nod in certain friendlies but Raffaele Di Gennaro could be the future of the club at 24 and would do well to get some game time this year.

In front of him lies a blend of experience and youth. This Inter line-up’s back four consists of Danilo D’Ambrosio, Miranda, Andrea Ranocchia and Dalbert. Miranda was Skriniar’s partner in defence last season but will likely lose out to Stefan de Vrij this year and slowly wind down his career at 33. The Brazilian will remain a brilliant addition to a rotated side, however, calling on his years of experience with Atletico Madrid to lead from the back.

Given the limited number of central attacking players, we could see Inter line up in a 4-3-3. Here, Matias Vecino, Borja Valero and Roberto Gagliardini make up the midfield trio. Vecino and Gagliardini hold slightly deeper in this formation, allowing Valero to be more creative and move up the pitch without destabilising Inter in defence. At the same time, though, all three have shown they can contribute in attack; Vecino scored three goals and recorded two assists last season, resulting in links to Chelsea.

A youthful attacking trio would bring something new to this Inter formation, with new signing Lautaro Martinez leading the line. The Argentine has impressed so far in pre-season but will have a hard task in replacing Mauro Icardi as the starting striker, so back-up status might have to do for the time being.

Either side of him, Matteo Politano and Yann Karamoh can cause defensive problems for opponents with their goal-threat and dribbling skills respectively. Last season for Sassuolo, Politano scored 10 goals in 36 appearances while Karamoh averaged 2.1 completed take-ons per 90 minutes for Inter – though still has a lot to improve on.

Inter line-up III: Argentinian attack

4-2-2-2: Handanovic; Vrsaljko, Skriniar, de Vrij, Asamoah; Brozovic, Nainggolan; Politano, Perisic; Icardi, Martinez.

The least likely of the three line-ups for Inter to use, though one providing the exciting prospect of Luciano Spalletti testing both Mauro Icardi and Lautaro Martinez up front together. The Argentine duo could be the future of their national team, should Icardi overcome all odds and actually earn a call-up, having missed out on the World Cup for what is widely thought to be off-field reasons despite scoring 29 Serie A goals. Martinez can learn a lot from his compatriot to improve his already impressive game, having scored 13 goals in 20 appearances for Racing Club de Avellaneda in the Argentinian Primera Division last season.

For the rest of this team, a strong back five includes Samir Handanovic, Sime Vrsaljko, Skriniar, De Vrij and Kwadwo Asamoah in his more natural position at left-back.

A more narrow formation sees Brozovic and Nainggolan keep their places in the midfield pivot, while in front of them Politano and Perisic make up a central attacking two. However, the pair will still have the freedom to move out wide to fashion chances for the Argentine duo up front as well as create more for themselves.

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