Hernanes laments lack of Inter focus

Inter midfielder Hernanes said a lack of focus saw the San Siro club slip to a third straight draw in Serie A.

Inter midfielder Hernanes said a lack of focus saw the San Siro club slip to a third straight draw in Serie A.

The hosts in Milan twice coughed up a one-goal lead, with Mauro Icardi’s brace cancelled out by strikes from Bologna’s Michele Pazienza and Panagiotis Kone in a 2-2 stalemate.

Hernanes, who only joined Inter on transfer deadline day in January from Lazio, said he and his team-mates failed to play with a winning discipline.

“I don’t believe in bad luck but you do get moments when you can’t keep a calm head or play with the right level of tension,” the Brazilian playmaker told Inter’s website.

“We let our concentration slip and conceded fortuitous goals but that sort of thing mustn’t happen. You have to maintain your focus for 95 minutes. It’s not all down to luck, we have to accept our own responsibility too.

“We can’t go looking for excuses or alibis. Today we were finally given a penalty but we weren’t able to make the most of it.

“That’s the way it is, we just have to knuckle down and stay calm so that we can stick together during the game and play with the aggression we need to get a result.”

Hernanes, 28, said while he had ambitions of representing the hosts at the 2014 World Cup later this year, he conceded he needed more game time before he is named in Luiz Felipe Scolari’s squad.

“Me starting for Brazil at the World Cup? I haven’t managed to express my full potential yet as I’ve had a few physical problems,” the former Sao Paulo man said.

“I really want to go to the World Cup and not just as a reserve. I want to go into the tournament in good form because it means a lot to me.

“Playing regularly I can reach my physical peak but first of all we have to turn things around and get them going our way again.”

Meanwhile, Hernanes’ team-mate Javier Zanetti said it is the club’s decision as to whether or not the 40-year-old plays on next season.

The veteran right-back injured his Achilles in 2013 but recovered to full fitness, only to appear in the starting line-up three times in the league this campaign.

The Argentine said it was up to Inter if he played on, or if his tenure at the Italian giants ended at 19 years.

“I train as best I can. I know what my role is and try to give a positive response every time I am called into action,” Zanetti told Sky Sport Italia.

“At the end of the season we’ll see what my future holds and what the club wants.”