Inter suffered a “knockout blow” to their self-confidence and trust in themselves after losing to AC Milan at the start of February, and have yet to recover from it.
This according to today’s print edition of Rome-based newspaper Corriere dello Sport, who highlight the derby defeat as the decisive moment that instigated the Nerazzurri’s miserable run of form in Serie A.
The Nerazzurri took the lead in the first half against the Rossoneri, and had they held onto the result then they could have gone ten points ahead of their city rivals.
Instead, Milan responded in the second half, with a quickfire brace by Olivier Giroud reducing the gap at the top of the table.
Inter still enjoyed an advantage over their rivals after that match, and also saw out a 1-1 draw against Napoli in the very next match, but over the five subsequent games they have won only once.
Now, Inter find themselves trailing the likes of Milan and Napoli in the table, with their performances having lacked the conviction that they had shown right up until their late capitulation against the Rossoneri.
If Inter do not come back and win the Scudetto for the second season in a row, they will likely look back at their loss to Milan at the start of February as a decisive moment in their season.
