Inter Milan’s dream season is at risk of turning into a nightmare. Recent results prove this well. First, the loss to Bologna allowed Napoli to catch up in the league standings, followed by a bitter elimination from the Coppa Italia by AC Milan, and finally another defeat against Roma, which handed the top spot to Antonio Conte’s team.

It can be said that the world turned upside down in seven days, as Inter failed to score in three consecutive games for the first time in over 13 years, dating back to February 2012 under Claudio Ranieri.

Now, Ranieri is managing Roma, condemning Inzaghi’s team to tougher days. In just one week, Inter lost their league lead and bid farewell to a competition that mattered to their fans. On Wednesday, they will face Barcelona in the Champions League semifinals at the worst possible time of the season. It’s clear that something has stalled in Inter’s machinery this April.

Fatigue: The evident lack of oxygen, lifelessness in attack, disarray in defense, and inability to react to opponents’ goals are among the major issues Inter faces these days. The glorious victory at the Allianz Stadium against Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals might have created the illusion that the team had overcome the intense schedule and its hardships.

Where Lautaro Martínez and even Simone Inzaghi declared Inter’s ambition to win all competitions, everything is different today. The relentless schedule of back-to-back matches has exhausted the legs and minds of the team.

Inter tried persistently to control possession against Roma but to no avail. The slow, predictable possession never led to clear chances to at least equalize, a result of both physical and mental fatigue, reinforcing the feeling that when Inter isn’t at their best, everything collapses.

Inzaghi spoke of physical and especially mental fatigue after the derby. This issue remains unresolved, as after Bologna and Milan, a third consecutive defeat without scoring followed.

Absence of Marcus Thuram: Thuram’s absence significantly impacted the team’s attacking play, but Lautaro couldn’t shoulder the burden alone, appearing frustrated and hopeless. Zero goals in the last three games is a number that undoubtedly worries Inzaghi.

Inter still boasts Italy’s best attack with 72 goals in 34 games, averaging over 2 goals per match. However, the problem lies in recent weeks, especially this April, which was supposed to launch Inter’s treble ambitions but instead has left them fighting to reclaim the league lead.

The team has given their all until about a week ago. But the relentless schedule has dampened their attacking fire. It’s also clear that the substitutes aren’t as good as the starters. Neither Correa, Arnautović, nor Taremi have shown they can adequately replace Thuram.

Defensive Weakness: Inter’s problems aren’t limited to the attack. The machine that barely conceded goals last year has hit a wall. Months ago, conceding a goal like the one against Roma was unthinkable for Inter.

Poor Reactions: Fatigue (both physical and mental) didn’t allow Inter to find the energy to react quickly to opponents’ play. Against Roma, there were almost no clear chances. In the league derby, the first two goals came at the end of the first half and the start of the second.

In Bologna, while Orsolini’s goal came in stoppage time, Inzaghi’s team often seemed distracted without ever feeling they could take the lead.

Inter only managed timely reactions against Bayern, both in the first leg and the return match. Before that, between Parma and the Coppa Italia semifinal against Milan, Inzaghi never managed to turn a negative game in their favor. But for the match against Barcelona on Wednesday, it’s best to pull everything together to avoid slipping from dream to nightmare again.