Former Inter defender Massimo Paganin feels that the Nerazzurri’s key weakness in their loss to AC Milan on Saturday was that they struggle to be at their best for the full ninety minutes of matches.

Speaking to Italian broadcaster Rai Radio 2, the former defender emphasized that despite looking strong for long periods of the derby, the Nerazzurri didn’t managed to show their quality for the entirety of it and faltered in the decisive moments.

Inter dropped off in the final twenty or so minutes of the derby, and in that period they allowed their city rivals to take control and snatch all three points from them.

Even after the Rossoneri had overhauled the scoreline with a quickfire Olivier Giroud brace, the Nerazzurri never really got back into it or showed the composure they had earlier on in the match.

This was not the first time this season that Inter have struggled in this way, and Paganin emphasized how important it is to cut this pattern out.

“In football, you always have to control the game for ninety minutes,” he emphasized.

Paganin also made the point that “February will be a very important month for Inter mentally, for the amount of energy that the team will have to expend.”