Coach Gerardo Martino has shown confidence that the premature departures of Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba in the last game of Inter Miami They were due to fatigue, not muscle injuries.
“I spoke with both of them,” said ‘Tata’ at a press conference. “The discomfort refers to the previous (discomforts). I don't think there's anything new and nothing bigger than what they've been having. It's fatigue, I don't think there is a muscle injury. and we go day by day.”
Messi and Alba had already been absent from the clash against Atlanta United (which ended in a tough defeat for 5x2), and this Wednesday they could not finish the first half of the duel against Toronto.
While waiting for what the medical reports reveal, one thing is certain: neither of them will go out on the field in the September 24 clash against Orlando, corresponding to the final stretch of Major League Soccer. Instead, all means will be tried to intervene in the final of the US Open Cup, scheduled for the next day the 27th against Houston Dynamo.
“If we made them play it is because they were fit and it was probably better to make them play today and not on Sunday,” said the coach. “It is clear that they had to have at least 45 or 60 minutes of play to arrive in better rhythm conditions for the final. I am cautious about what may happen. After talking to them I don't have the same pessimism that I had when I took them out.”.
Finally, Martino emphasized that both the Argentine star and the Spanish full-back lined up of their own free will, without any pressure to come into play.
"If they were young kids you could say 'the coaching staff put pressure on them', but we are talking about Messi and Alba," he recalled.
Inter's aspirations to advance to the playoffs remained strong despite the departures of Messi and Alba, as the team managed to win 4-0 and now adds 31 points in 28 days.
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