Inter must keep their feet on the ground if they are to win the Scudetto this season, according to the Nerazzurri’s legendary former striker Sandro Mazzola.
Antonio Conte’s side moved to the top of Serie A on Sunday after beating Lazio 3-1 at San Siro, following AC Milan’s surprise defeat at Spezia the previous evening.
Inter hold a one-point gap over the Rossoneri heading into the coming Sunday’s Derby della Madonnina and Mazzola is confident his former team are on the right track.
“Inter’s position in the table is a sign that they’re doing a good job,” Mazzola remarked in an interview with Italian news outlet TuttoMercatoWeb.
“If they continue like this with strength and humility, they can reach their objective.
“I don’t know if the Milan derby will be decisive, but it is certainly an important match like it was in my day.
“Fans would come up to me and say: ‘If we win, we are the best in Milan.’
“Therefore the fixture is also significant for this, as well as the rest of the season.”
Mazzola, who spent the entirety of his playing career with Inter, then went on to speak about the importance of Romelu Lukaku to the Nerazzurri’s cause, with the Belgian forward having scored 22 goals in 29 games this term.
“The individuals become important if there is a group that works, otherwise they get lost along the way,” Mazzola argued.
“We need to continue like this.
“Lukaku as far as numbers go is having an exceptional season.
“I try to look at certain details and I see that he often looks around the pitch to understand where to position himself, being in the best place also to eventually help his teammates.”
The Grande Inter hero was asked whether the midfield battle between Marcelo Brozovic and Hakan Calhanoglu can could be key to deciding the outcome of Sunday’s big match at San Siro.
“Yes, it could be, however, in these matches you need a player who can set an example and if everyone follows him, he can show the way to victory,” he added.