One certainly can’t say Jose Mourinho had not warned his players earlier this week. On paper, a home match to Panathinaikos seemed like an easy routine job for Inter, just the Portuguese manager’s concerns had a strong smell of pre-tactical (José-patented) “mindgames”.

Instead, those concerns were well-founded. This was indeed a tough match to handle for the Nerazzurri but what no one expected above all, was how inherently unmotivated and predictable the Milanese team played tonight. On the positive front for Mourinho, tonight’s tied game between Anorthosis and Werder Bremen effectively qualified Inter for the playoff round, but the Nerazzurri will have to wait matchday 6 to determine first-rank seeding business. And the ride to Germany promises to be a bumpy one.

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