Contrasting fortunes in the Serie A and Champions League may well represent the synopsis of Inter's huge success on the domestic scene - four league titles in a row - and the blatant underachievements in Europe.
The 5-0 annihilation of Europa League hopefuls Genoa at the Marassi stadium and a lacklustre 2-2 draw at home with unfancied Ukrainians Dynamo Kiev are the latest clear signs that Jose Mourinho did little to eradicate the Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde syndrome within his star-studded side.
Before, it was often argued that Inter, currently leading the Serie A two points ahead of Sampdoria, had all cards in place to start leaving their mark on the continent.
The critics also reckoned, however, that Inter still needed a coach with a proven track record in the Champions League.
With that reasoning in mind, club supremo Massimo Moratti deemed it fit to show Roberto Mancini the backdoor in 2008 notwithstanding the fact that the coach's contract was still half-way through. Instead, Inter appointed the shrewd Mourinho, the 'Special One' who steered Porto to an unexpected triumph in Europe in 2004.
With Mancini on the bench, Inter always made it to the knockout stages with flying colours only to be found wanting when the going started to get tough. Now, with Mourinho, it seems Inter are also struggling to qualify from the group.
Last season, from the 16 teams that made it to the knock-out stage, Inter were the side to collect the least number of points - eight - and their opponents in the group were far from unbeatable.
This time round, Inter are again playing with fire as they are bottom of Group F with only three draws to show from their first three outings, two of which played at the San Siro.
Now, the Nerazzurri have to win at least one of their remaining two away fixtures (vs Dynamo Kiev and Barcelona).
Mourinho has always said that Group F is the toughest of the lot.
But, is this the proper way a man of his standing, reputedly the highest-paid coach in Europe with €11 million-a-year, instils a winning mentality in his players to not fear opponents?
Mourinho has been getting it all wrong for Inter in Europe since the word go. Before the competition got underway in September, the Portuguese tactician was quoted as saying that "those who think Inter have to win the Champions League know nothing about football".
Such declaration does not contribute positively to the club's cause. It looks like Mourinho is already throwing in the towel.
But, the outspoken Mourinho is not new to mind games. Sometimes, he says things simply to ease the pressure off his shoulders.
Inter have a long history of failures in Europe and the self-acclaimed 'Special One' Mourinho has, so far, done nothing to change the trend.
By his recent declarations, he has failed to address his players' evident fear factor and low self-esteem when they come to play Champions League football.
The way forward for Mourinho should be to induce more and more confidence in his players, starting from their upcoming trip to Kiev.
On Saturday, Inter played a low-key match against Catania but still won 2-1 to retain their top placing in the Serie A.
Winning games in adverse and precarious situations is doing little to help Inter perform admirably in Europe. One expects less talk and more work from Mourinho in this crucial phase of the season because he could easily run out of time and ideas... Inter can ill-afford another early exit from Europe.
Statistics
1st win for Juventus after a four-match winless run as they left it late to beat Siena 1-0 on Sunday. The Tuscany side have now gone seven games without a win.
2nd consecutive upset for Roma as they were surprisingly beaten at home by Livorno, for whom new coach Serse Cosmi was making his debut. Roma were coming from successive home wins - vs Fiorentina (3-1) and Napoli (2-1) - whereas Livorno were still without a win.
3 straight wins (vs Udinese 2-1, Genoa 5-0 and Catania 2-1) propelled champions Inter to the top of the table, two points ahead of Sampdoria. Inter's latest victims were Catania, who have only two draws to show from their first five away outings.
3rd successive win for Palermo (vs Juventus 2-0, Livorno 2-1 and Udinese 1-0) to stretch their positive streak to five games. For Udinese, this was their third consecutive upset (vs Inter 1-2; Atalanta 1-3).
4 players - Alfonso De Lucia (Livorno), Marco Di Vaio (Bologna), Emiliano Moretti (Genoa) and Ousmane Dabo (Lazio) - received marching orders last weekend. Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri was also ordered off his bench.
26 goals were scored last weekend. Daniele Mannini (Sampdoria) and Alessandro Nesta (Milan) grabbed the only braces of the day. Antonio Di Natale is the top marksman with nine goals.