Italian journalist Matteo Marani believes that Inter are struggling with the pressure of having been presumptive Serie A title favourites earlier in the season.

Speaking to Italian broadcaster Sky Sport Italia, Marani identified this pressure as being at the heart of why the team have fallen off and allowed their rivals to nip ahead of them at the top of the Serie A table with their form.

The Nerazzurri had established themselves as the team likeliest to go on and win the league title, at least on paper, with the form that they showed to go eight matches without dropping points in the league just a couple months ago.

However, this seems to have evaporated in recent weeks as the team have won just once since the start of February, taking seven points from their last seven matches and suddenly finding themselves chasing at the top of the table, albeit with more than enough time to make up the ground.

“Inter looked like they’d already won in December,” he said. “Since then they’ve taken seven points from seven games and they are feeling the weight – the expectation that they have to win.”