Internazionale manager Roberto Mancini has dismissed any hopes of his club competing for the Scudetto, as a string of poor performances see them 11 points adrift of the top.
Second half goals from Mauro Icardi and Ivan Perisic helped Inter salvage a draw against bottom placed Verona. This is the latest blow to the club’s title prospects, which seemed very bright after their successful run at the beginning of the season.
However, they have now won only one game out their last five fixtures, leaving them 11 points behind league leaders Napoli with just 14 games to go. Manager Roberto Mancini offered a very realistic take on their chances this season after the match.
“For third place we are optimistic, if we win against Fiorentina and climb over them,” he said, according to fourfourtwo.com.
“The Scudetto? That it is now a closed story.”
Race for the Serie A title
Inter will now be forced to enter a three pronged fight for the third position, which is the final guaranteed Champions League spot for clubs in the Italian top tier. They have Fiorentina ahead of them by a point, and AS Roma breathing down their necks just a point short of Mancini’s men.
The reason for Mancini’s cynical approach on the title chase is the utter dominance of the top two teams in the division, Napoli and Juventus. While Napoli have been riding the wave of Gonzalo Higuain’s goal fest this season to become a mainstay at the top, the Bianconerri are currently on a record-equaling 12-game win streak in the Serie A.
