Legendary former AC Milan defender Alessandro Costacurta believes that part of the reason why Inter have dropped off in form is that they’ve had such a challenging fixture list.
Speaking to Italian broadcaster Sky Sport Italia, Costacurta identified the packed schedule against largely tough opposition as a major factor in the Nerazzurri looking tired and sluggish in recent matches.
Inter had surged to the top of the Serie A table in November and December with their run of eight wins in the competition, and they began to look as though they were the form team and the likely champions.
From the start of February onwards, the team have struggled more than they have all campaign, and surrendered what looked like a solid lead at the top.
Between their run of matches in the league as well as commitments in the Coppa Italia and the Champions League, there has been a significant drain on the team’s energy, and Costacurta feels that they could be paying for this.
“We expected an open match,” he said of their clash with Fiorentina, “in my opinion one of the two sides was more tired than the other.”
“It was a match where there were opportunities,” he went on. “I think Fiorentina deserved something more. I looked at Inter’s fixture list and it’s crazy, I understand that they’re a little tired.”