Inter coach Roberto Mancini does not mind if his side continues to grind out results as he cannot see anybody else "playing like Barcelona" in Serie A at present.
The Nerazzurri continued their perfect start to the season with a 1-0 win over Hellas Verona on Wednesday. It was their third 1-0 win of the campaign, with their other victory a 2-1 at Carpi.
They lead Fiorentina, who they meet on Sunday, by three points and Mancini -- who has recently defended his team's style in the wake of criticism -- reiterated his happiness with their recent results.
"You can say what you want about us being boring but my question is: have you seen a side playing like Barcelona so far?" Mancini said on Wednesday night, reports Il Corriere dello Sport.
"Each game's difficult and it's only rare that you win by a lot of goals. When you're spending so much time in possession and you are getting in more shots than your opponents, though, then you must be doing something good.
"Fabio Capello's AC Milan won the title with plenty of 1-0 wins and they were the best team that season."
Mancini did nevertheless criticise his side for not finishing off Hellas with another goal, but said he was still happy to get the desired result which "allows us to put some hay into the barn for the winter months."
He added: "We have every right to be happy, but we've also got to keep things real because difficult times will also come."
In addition to being branded "boring," Inter have developed a reputation for being robust and aggressive, with one player more than any other incorporating those attributes: Felipe Melo.
It was his goal which secured Inter their fifth straight win of the season and he does not subscribe to the "boring" reputation either.
"I couldn't care less what other people think," the midfielder told Mediaset television. "All we are thinking about is how we do in the league, but like I've said before it's not important to start well, but to finish well.
"It's not easy to play against a team who defend with all their men behind the ball. Thank God for my goal and for my teammates. We deserved these three points.
"I'm delighted to be here. It's a club I've loved for many years, even before I was playing here. Now I want to fight for this team which opened its doors for me. We've got to get better because we're not yet good enough to win the title."
Inter face a serious test of their title credentials against Fiorentina at the weekend before travelling to Sampdoria. After the international break, Mancini's men come up against defending champions Juventus, with 10 points currently separating the two rivals.