MILAN -- If we look at the recent Champions League numbers, Inter are not a serious contender. The Nerazzurri have lost seven of their last eight European matches stretchning back to last season, and lost the opening two matches of the current league phase against Real Madrid and Club Brugge. While the opening defeat against Jose Mourinho's team showed some positive aspects, the second match was completely different. Inter were defeated 4-3 at San Siro on Tuesday, putting forward a crushingly bad defensive performance. Cristian Chivu's side looks dominant in Italy, but in Europe it is much different and they're going to need to change something over the remaining six matches of the league phase if they want to succeed or even simply repeat what they have done over the last several years, when they finished as runners up in two Champions League finals in three years from 2023 to 2025. Here's the four most worrying things that took place in Milan on Tuesday: 

1. Defensive issues 

The defense is seriously becoming an issue for the Nerazzurri. Inter conceded six goals in the opening two Champions League games and eight in six Serie A matches for a total of 14 goals conceded in eight matches so far. Numbers that are not enough if Inter want to compete domestically and in Europe, considering the level of their rivals. While in the Italian league conceding goals don't mean losing games, as Inter are still undefeated thanks to some incredible comebacks against Napoli, Udinese and AS Roma, in Europe things are much more difficult. Apart from numbers, there are some players that are not at their best form up to now. One of them is Manuel Akanji who was signed permanently in the summer from Manchester City. After both Stefan de Vrij and Francesco Acerbi left the club in the summer 2026, he's the one leading the defense now, as John Stones is still recovering from a muscular injury. So far, he has yet to deliver the performances expected of him, and Inter's most recent goal conceded against Club Brugge exposed clear signs that the team is still short of its ideal physical condition. Clearly, Inter's defensive issues are not an issue of a single man, but there are some worrying signals coming from the most expert players. 

2. Woeful goalkeeping 

For the second Champions League match in a row, an Inter goalkeeper made a costly mistake that led to Club Brugge scoring the second goal of the game, the one that basically changed the momentum of the game. Even if Josep Martinez made a few more saves that helped the Nerazzurri to avoid more goals conceded, this is a moment of reflection for Chivu as second goalkeeper Ivan Provedel is likely to have a chance in the next weeks to pick up some minutes through rotation. A mistake doesn't define a player, but this is the second one in less than a month. 

3. Lautaro's biggest mistake 

It's not just about defenders or the goalkeeper; Inter captain and striker Lautaro Martinez missed a key chance in the second half that was probably going to change the direction of the game. The Argentinian player missed a goal in front of his former goalkeeper and teammate Yann Sommer, who now plays for Club Brugge. More than a save, it was a mistake of Lautaro, who also scored two goals at San Siro but wasn't able to replicate the hat trick of his rival on Tuesday, Nicolò Tresoldi, the MVP of the night in Milan. The Italian striker, who currently represents Germany at Under-21 level, is expected to decide which national team to represent next summer, after the U21 European Championship. Italy may have found a striker to build its future around, or at least this is what Roberto Mancini is hoping for. 

Add CBS Sports on Google