There were plenty of reasons for Inter to worry about their form and the future despite the ultimately positive result in yesterday evening’s Coppa Italia win over Parma.

This according to today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews, who argue that the Nerazzurri already looked like a team who are paying for the exhausting fixture list just three matches into the return of the club season from the winter break.

Inter required extra time to get the better of Serie B side Parma.

The Nerazzurri played with a heavily rotated eleven that looked out of joint and sluggish in possession.

Meanwhile, trusted first team players like Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Lautaro Martinez also looked sloppy and some way from their best.

The result is what matters for the knockout competition, but if the Nerazzurri are honest with themselves they will see clear signs that they are already struggling with the pace of their fixture list just a week after they got off to a flying start against Napoli.