Antonio Conte can put a lot of Inter’s recent success down to three partnerships formed between his players, an Italian media report argued today.

The Nerazzurri are four points clear in Serie A after Sunday’s derby win over AC Milan and Corriere dello Sport’s print edition believes they have six players in particular to thank for their lead.

Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez have always been formidable up front for Conte, but now Achraf Hakimi and Ivan Perisic are combining to deadly effect on the wings too.

Marcelo Brozovic and Christian Eriksen have also learned how to play together, after weeks of hard tactical work from Conte in training.

Lukaku and Lautaro’s numbers this season are exceptional, with the Rome-based paper pointing out that only Bayern Munich duo Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller have combined for more goals in Europe.

Hakimi is absolutely lethal on the right-hand side and Perisic has now become similarly as potent on the left, having got back to his best after fully adapting to his new role.

As for the final partnership, when Eriksen arrived he did not appear suitable for the left ‘mezzala’ role, given his reluctance to make forward runs and the lack of filter he guaranteed for the defence.

Conte has persisted and now the 29-year-old is forming an effective pairing with Brozovic in central midfield.