Inter Milan coach Luciano Spalletti insists Cagliari made things tough for them after their 3-1 win.

The scoresheet was dominated by a brace from Mauro Icardi.

“This was the performance of a strong side, because we started with some difficulties," Spalletti told Mediaset Premium.

“Icardi got this knock early on and for 10 minutes he couldn't run smoothly. We tried to press them higher, as we were reacting as individuals rather than as units, and Cagliari were flinging themselves into the fire to get to these loose balls first.

“We had some difficulties creating moves from the back, as Cagliari were pressing us so hard it was violent. They were rushing at us at full force the second we got the ball."

Inter even moved to 3-5-1-1 midway through the first half, coping the Sardinian shape.

“We had to modify a through things, as Cagliari had an excellent start and we suffered under pressure, the way a great team ought to.

“In order to not cause confusion, we went straight for the shape we thought fit this squad and the characteristics of the players. When you do have to change a few things, it can take a while to get used to, but we did much better in the second half.

“I wanted to change our shape, so we basically mirrored Cagliari's tactics, but it was an issue of getting to grips with the distances and movements. In the second half, we went back to a four-man defence and played more of our football."