Mauro Icardi believes the race is not over for Inter to qualify for the Champions League: 'We showed we can defeat anyone'.
The Nerazzurri looked like Scudetto contenders for much of this season, but their most realistic target at this stage appears to be third place.
“Until mid-December we were having a 9 out of 10 season,” Icardi told Il Corriere dello Sport. “We were doing really well.
Mauro Icardi believes the race is not over for Inter to qualify for the Champions League: 'We showed we can defeat anyone'.
The Nerazzurri looked like Scudetto contenders for much of this season, but their most realistic target at this stage appears to be third place.
“Until mid-December we were having a 9 out of 10 season,” Icardi told Il Corriere dello Sport. “We were doing really well.
“In the last month we suffered a decline and we dropped a few points in the standings. The overall performance went down a bit, but we can get back up if we work until the end.
“I believe in the Champions League ever since July, when we discussed it in Riscone. I knew we could make it then and I believe that even more strongly now.
“Until early January we were first. We proved that we can beat anyone and that we can be at the top.
“I have a great desire to play in the Champions League. It's my objective and Inter's too.
“We had the good fortune of doing well until mid-December, but you can't expect everything to go perfectly all the time. Every team has its ups and downs over a year.
“Juventus and Napoli had their negative periods at the beginning of the season, we're getting that now.”
Icardi scored in Inter's last two games against Chievo and Verona, but he believes credit for his performance should go to teamwork.
“Earlier in the season things were harder for me because we were new and didn't know each other in pitch very well.
“Now we understand how our teammates move and what we have to do. In the last two games we created many more chances and we even played a better football.
“Unfortunately we dropped important points against Lazio, Sassuolo and Carpi. The time has come to give more and stop making mistakes.”
The 22-year-old said in November that he scored three goals out of four balls that had been passed to him.
“I didn't mean for that to be polemical, but I know you journalists like polemics! That sentence was a bit of a joke and I didn't mean to disrespect my teammates.
“I'm a striker and my job is to score as much as possible while helping my team.”