Inter’s upcoming matches against Milan, Barcelona and Lazio will reveal what the Nerazzurri are truly made of this season, according to Corriere dello Sport’s Andrea Ramazzotti.
Luciano Spalletti’s side are in the middle of a six-game winning run in all competitions after last Sunday’s 2-1 victory over SPAL, which has left them joint-top of their UEFA Champions League group and lifted them up to third in the Serie A table.
But after the October international break they will face three titanic encounters in the space of eight days, starting with the Derby della Madonnina against Milan on 21 October.
“We’re about to find out what this team are really made of,” Ramazzotti said while appearing as a guest on Inter TV yesterday.
“Milan, Barcelona and Lazio: if it’s not the moment of truth, it’s almost that.
“It won’t be easy for Inter in those matches but Spalletti is doing a good job. His imprint on the team is becoming ever clearer; after a difficult start to the season the players have begun to understand what he wants.
“Milan seem like a good team to me but Inter are a more complete side, and they’re also further along in their technical project [than the Rossoneri].
“I thought Inter showed great character against SPAL: the match came after a series of tough games and there was the risk of it becoming a trap for them.
“They showed resilience but also maturity, which is where they’ve made a real improvement since the start of the season.”
Ramazzotti believes the arrivals of Radja Nainggolan and Kwadwo Asamoah in particular have helped Inter to become more psychologically strong than in previous seasons.
“In the past, before Spalletti arrived, Inter tended to fall apart at the first sign of adversity, whenever they conceded a goal.
“Now though they have brought in some players who have helped them improve in that regard: Nainggolan and Asamoah both know how to win.
“The two positive things we’ve seen from Inter recently are their character and their fitness levels: when you don’t have much energy in the tank it’s hard to fight all the way to the end of the season.”
