Marcus Thuram has agreed with Nicolo Barella and Alessandro Bastoni that Inter must change their mentality after Saturday’s 3-1 defeat by Milan.
The France international was speaking alongside manager Cristian Chivu before Inter’s Champions League match against Feyenoord in Rotterdam on Tuesday. The game kicks off at 21:00 CET [20:00 GMT].
The loss to Milan was Inter’s first defeat in Serie A this season and extended their run to eight consecutive derbies without a victory. After the match, Barella and Bastoni both said the team’s mentality needed to improve.
“I fully agree with what they said,” Thuram said. “They’re two leaders, and their words were important.”
Thuram said Inter needed to recover the determination they showed in their Champions League victory over Shakhtar Donetsk, when they secured a late win despite being reduced to 10 men.
“The attitude we had in that game, especially when we were down to 10, must be the same one we show again in both the Champions League and the league,” he added.
That message was reinforced by the blunt assessment: “It’s a joke. If a derby can’t motivate them, nothing will.”
Thuram has become an increasingly important figure for Inter while Lautaro Martinez has been unavailable through injury. He has started every match since the October international break and had scored in three successive league games before facing Milan.
The 29-year-old was deployed as Inter’s only recognised striker in the derby after Pio Esposito and Ange-Yoan Bonny were both ruled out by fever.
“I’m very happy with the minutes I’m getting,” Thuram said. “My role? I can also play as a lone striker. I don’t have a problem with that.”
Inter have taken three points from their opening three matches in this season’s Champions League. Chivu believes approximately 16 points will be required to secure a place in the top eight.
