Antonio Conte Says Romelu Lukaku 'Must Train More' After Inter Loss to Juventus

Inter Milan manager Antonio Conte thinks Romelu Lukaku "needs to train more" following the team's defeat to Juventus in Serie A on Sunday. 

The Nerazzurri's perfect start to the 2019-20 season was ended in Week 7 after they were beaten 2-1 on home soil by the defending champions. Following goals from Paulo Dybala and Lautaro Martinez in the first half, Gonzalo Higuain settled the game 10 minutes from time for Juve.

While a number of strikers shone in the contest at San Siro, Lukaku struggled to make an impact on the game. Conte said afterwards that the former Manchester United man needs to put more work in on the training pitch, per Sacha Pisani of Goal:

"Romelu is definitely a player that must train more, because being a player with a massive body he needs to train, to play, to be in great shape. In this beginning of the season he had this back issue, now he's been dealing with this other quadricep issue since the game against Lazio.

"But I think he gave everything, it's inevitable that against Barcelona we didn't have Lukaku and it was important to have him. And we didn't have him. However, Romelu as well was very committed today, he tried to do his best, and now let's hope he can leave these little issues behind him and be at his 100 per cent."

Here are highlights from the game in Milan, where Juventus moved back to the top of the Italian top flight:

As Conte noted, Lukaku was a doubt for the encounter on Sunday, although he did end up featuring in the fixture. 

The Belgian toiled against a strong Juventus defence for long spells, though. As broadcaster Mina Rzouki noted, Bianconeri centre-back Leonardo Bonucci was able to nullify the influence of the Inter forward:

Although he wasn't at full fitness, the match showed why some wouldn't consider Lukaku to be among the game's world-class strikers.

The Belgium international can struggle with his hold-up play and awareness in the final third. While he tends to be clinical when chances come his way, Lukaku has become renowned for having an erratic first touch, which is something elite defenders can capitalise on.

SB Nation's Zito Madu commented on why he thinks Lukaku can frustrate at times:

Conte has traditionally demanded a lot from his centre-forwards. In addition to scoring goals, the Italian will want Lukaku to be a focal point for the team and someone who can occupy defenders so other attacking players can thrive.

It's been a positive start to life at Inter for Lukaku. However, Conte is a coach who always demands more from his players, and that type of determination should benefit the forward as he seeks to add new facets to his game.