Inter’s comprehensive victory over Cagliari on Tuesday night enabled the Nerazzurri to recover several key players that had gone off the boil in recent weeks, according to Corriere della Sera.

The Milan-based news outlet wrote on Wednesday that a timid and submissive Cagliari outfit were the perfect opposition for players such as Marcelo Brozovic, now crucial in central midfield, and Rafinha, back to his best between the lines, to rediscover their form.

As well as the reassuring signs in midfield though Inter also saw their two main sources for goals make a welcome return to the score-sheet: Mauro Icardi, now on 25 goals for the season (a new personal record), and Ivan Perisic, culpable for having missed various chances against Atalanta at the weekend.

As far as the defence was concerned, Corriere approved Spalletti’s decision to revert to a four-man defence after switching to a back three for the trip to Bergamo, which in their words had left the Nerazzurri looking ‘pained and confused’.

“There was no point meddling with a defence as watertight as theirs,” they wrote, “having conceded just one goal in their previous seven games [before Tuesday night].

“Granted, Cagliari weren’t the most credible of tests for them. Lopez’s men never made it into Inter’s box, they gave up after Cancelo’s opening goal and stopped playing after three minutes. Handanovic did not have a single save to make.”

Yann Karamoh also received praise for his ‘irreverence’ in attack, before the paper underlined Inter’s tendency to be wasteful in front of goal: “they could and should have killed the game in the first half.”