Being Inter is not enough to end form slump – Mancini

Roberto Mancini insists that “simply being Inter” is not enough to guarantee the Italian giants success, but says he feels no pressure from president Erick Thohir.

Inter sit ninth in Serie A and are without a win in seven matches in all competitions.

“Despite recent results, the team is putting in a lot of hard work,” said Mancini. “I’ve been a bit harder on them this week to make them understand that often you only get the result if you put in more effort than your opponents on the pitch.

“We need to remember that simply being Inter is not enough to win football matches. We need some success in the next nine matches to set ourselves up well for next season.”

The club’s recent form places added expectation on Saturday’s trip to Verona, but Mancini is not feeling the heat from Thohir, who is not based in Milan.

“The president is always very positive,” he added. “Having said that, like everyone, he doesn’t like it when things don’t go so well. But that’s a natural, human reaction.

“The club is working hard to change things. With Thohir, [chief executive Michael] Bolingbroke and [director general Marco] Fassone we’re building for the future and there’s no problem with the president being a distance away.

“You don’t lose matches because the president lives elsewhere.”