Lucio: Spalletti must win trophies to be compared to Mourinho

Luciano Spalletti needs to win trophies before he can be compared with Jose Mourinho, according to former Inter star Lucio.

The Nerazzurri thumped Chievo 5-0 to move top of Serie A on Sunday and underline their credentials as potential Scudetto winners before this weekend’s huge showdown with champions Juventus.

Spalletti has won praise for his efforts at San Siro since taking charge in June and has even been compared with Mourinho, who steered Inter to an historic treble in 2009-10 before leaving for Real Madrid.

The former Roma boss dismissed such talk as “ridiculous” last month and Lucio, who played a key role in Inter’s triumphs seven years ago, also believes it is too early to discuss Spalletti alongside his old boss.

“First of all, I am not a fan of these kind of comparisons,” the World Cup-winning defender told DAZN. “Mourinho wrote history, he is a great winner and he already proved that his work philosophy has been very successful.

“He is the type of guy who loves to win. Inter’s new coach has a long way to go, he needs to win a lot of trophies if he wants to be compared with Mourinho.”

Inter travel to the Allianz Stadium knowing that a win will see them move five points clear of Juve in the table, and prolong their unbeaten start to the campaign.

But Lucio, who had a short spell in Turin after leaving Inter in 2012, feels Massimiliano Allegri’s side still have the upper hand.

“We are talking about two big clubs,” he said. “Juventus have been living a winning era, with great management year on year, but Inter are also strong and they are now rebuilding their confidence.

“However, I think Juventus are still a bit ahead of Inter at the moment.”

Inter’s 15 league games without defeat has seen them concede just 10 goals, prompting praise for centre-back pairing Miranda and Milan Skriniar, who has hugely impressed since signing from Sampdoria in July.

“I know Miranda a bit better, as I follow him for the Brazil national team, too. But they are definitely two great players,” Lucio said. “They’re making a solid partnership and tend to be more confident after every match.

“The defence is always a very demanding sector of the team, so it’s important to have stability there. It’s something crucial for winning matches and titles.”