Inter’s continued slip-ups in Serie A are starting to mean that they have to go all-in on the Champions League in order to give a real sense of direction to their season.

This is the view in today’s print edition of Rome-based newspaper La Repubblica, via FCInter1908, who argue that the Nerazzurri will have to rely on their exploits in Europe in order to give meaning to the rest of their campaign.

Even if Inter had beaten Sampdoria yesterday evening and reduced the gap to league leaders Napoli to thirteen points, catching up at the top would not have looked easy.

However, fifteen points looks even worse, and more than just the size of the gap at the top, the sense that the Nerazzurri have started to capitulate to the Partenopei has started to set in.

For La Repubblica, there is little left for Inter do in the league except maintain a consistent enough pace to at least avoid the catastrophe of missing out on the Champions League.

However, in Europe, there is a real sense that something special is still within reach, starting with next Wednesday’s clash with Porto at the San Siro.