Dejan Stankovic has hit out at Inter Milan's critics.

The midfielder snapped: "We do not feel pressure from other teams for the title. I remember all too well what it felt like to be in the chasing pack, it meant stepping on to the field knowing we could not afford the slightest mistake.

"Now that I am in the lead, it is a very different feeling altogether."

Stankovic was considered one of Roberto Mancini's chosen men and on the verge of a sale to Juventus in the summer, but has since become a firm fixture in Jose Mourinho's squad.

"That Juventus affair lasted three days, just long enough for me to discuss things with Inter and know they were still counting on me. There is nothing else to say about it."