Christian Eriksen and Ivan Perisic could make the difference for Inter in their Serie A title charge, at least if you believe the Nerazzurri’s legendary former defender Riccardo Ferri.
Antonio Conte’s side are currently sitting four points clear of second placed AC Milan at the top of the table, having won 13 of their last 16 league games since the end of November.
Eriksen and Perisic were both strongly linked with moves away from Inter in January, but both ended up staying put and have become key players for the Nerazzurri in their last few games.
Asked why it took so long for Eriksen to nail down a place in Inter’s XI, Ferri told TMW Radio: “I don’t think Conte wants to hurt himself.
“OK, Eriksen seemed to be out of the project, but then there was a change in strategy and in the meantime Eriksen always remained professional.
“Conte probably didn’t think he could give anything more, but then he started playing him and Eriksen settled into his new role.
“The same goes for Perisic, who at the moment is providing an extra boost for Inter.”
Ferri was also full of praise for Romelu Lukaku, who found the net once again during last weekend’s win in the Derby della Madonnina.
The 27-year-old has scored 23 goals in 30 appearances this season and Ferri admitted it is hard to find any weakness in his game.
“Lukaku has no flaws,” Ferri argued.
“He weighs 100kg but he moves at an incredible speed.
“The ideal way to stop him would be to stop him leaving or perhaps to handcuff him to his house.
“When he is given space, he is unstoppable and he is truly complete.
“He is also generous and anyone would like to have him on their team.”
Ferri, who played for Inter between 1981 and 1994, also looked ahead to Sunday’s crucial match at home to Genoa and warned Conte’s side that they would not have an easy afternoon against the Rossoblu.
“Genoa have only picked up one point less than Inter since Davide Ballardini was re-appointed and they are a team that are in a good physical condition,” he added.
“I haven’t seen easy games this year, the provincial teams now all have their own identity.
“It’s a weekend Inter need to exploit (with AC Milan facing Roma on Sunday) but Genoa are not an easy opponent to overcome.”