Inter Milan Shortcomings Exposed In Bologna Defeat As January Showdown With Napoli Looms Large

Inter Milan’s Supercoppa defeat to Bologna has reignited doubts about the Nerazzurri’s ability to deliver in decisive moments, with Italian media framing the setback as part of a wider and worrying pattern as a pivotal clash with Napoli in January awaits.

From the Supercoppa lost to Milan at the start of the year to the penalties squandered against Bologna at the end, Inter have closed 2025 “without titles.”

Indeed, a conclusion that fuels what the paper defines as a new obsession: “the syndrome of the big win.”

Inter Go From ‘Unplayable’ To ‘Inexplicable’ As Napoli Challenge Awaits

MILAN, ITALY – AUGUST 25: Petar Sucic of Internazionale applauds the fans at full-time following the team’s victory in the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Torino FC at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on August 25, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

The shift in tone is telling.

Mkhitaryan’s famous “unplayable” description of Inter’s football has morphed into “inexplicable.”

According to Gazzetta, isolated episodes can be random, but “the accumulation of incidents becomes structural.”

Individual errors, Bisseck cited as a recurring example, have turned key moments into collective discomfort.

And yet, the picture is not straightforward.

Inter sit top of Serie A and sixth in the Champions League table, “provisionally admitted to the round-of-16 lounge.”

The Supercoppa objective was missed, but other fronts remain open.

The concern, Gazzetta argues, is perspective and timing.

The road ahead is steep. Cristian Chivu faces Atalanta away before the year ends, then Bologna again at San Siro on January 4.

But the real reckoning arrives a week later: the head-to-head with Napoli.

After leaving Saudi Arabia “more like a flash mob than a campaign,” the direct duel with Antonio Conte’s side becomes decisive.