Former Italian prime minister Giulio Andreotti once famously noted that “Power wears out those who don’t have it.”

After becoming the first and only Serie A club to win the Treble, back in 2010, Inter Milan ultras made the line their own.

“The Triplete wears out those who don’t have it,” read a banner hung from the Curva Nord at the San Siro during the Derby della Madonnina the following season.

The message was clear. Inter’s Treble was going to become an obsession for their main rivals, who for all their success have never lifted three major trophies in a single campaign.

AC Milan may have won seven European Cups and Juventus can boast more than 30 league titles, but the Treble remained an exclusive club of one.

But in their bid to emulate Jose Mourinho’s side, it is Inter who have been worn down by the Triplete this time around.

Their quest for glory came to an abrupt halt at the San Siro on Wednesday night as Luka Jovic and Tijjani Reijnders sealed a 3-0 win for AC Milan in the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final.

Il Diavolo may be in the midst of one of their worst seasons in a decade, but they remain the Nerazzurri’s bete noire. In five meetings against their local rivals this season, the Rossoneri, who progressed 4-1 winners on aggregate, have won three and drawn two.

And while local supremacy is hugely significant in a city like Milan, the Coppa Italia debacle could have a more wide-reaching impact, coming as it did, just days after Inter’s defeat in Bologna.

Riccardo Orsolini’s spectacular injury-time winner on Sunday allowed Napoli to draw level with the reigning Serie A champions at the top of the table with five games left.

On such episodes the momentum of a title race can swing and Simone Inzaghi was typically forthright in his assessment on Wednesday night.

“Clearly, we’re not used to two consecutive defeats, and I’m worried,” he said. “We didn’t deserve to lose in Bologna but tonight we lacked energy.”

Against Bologna and Milan, Inter have indeed looked lethargic, mentally as much as physically, a team still trying to recover from the emotional high of overcoming Bayern Munich last week.

With a pivotal clash against Roma on Sunday followed by a Champions League semi-final against Barcelona next week, Inzaghi rotated his team on Wednesday.

But the decision backfired spectacularly, with Mehdi Taremi again looking like a man bringing a butter knife to a gunfight. 

The Iranian touched the ball just 10 times and failed to have a shot on goal before being withdrawn. In Inzaghi’s plans, Taremi was going to alleviate the scoring burden resting on the shoulders of Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram, but with three goals in 36 appearances has done anything but.

In midfield, Kristjan Asllani offered a timely reminder that he is a significant downgrade on Hakan Çalhanoğlu.

Granted, most players would be, but that is the problem with chasing the Treble. You need squad players to step up, a luxury Inzaghi has seldom been afforded this season.

And if physical weariness comes with the territory when chasing three trophies –  Inter have played 51 games this season, two more than they did in the whole of last – it is the mental fatigue that will concern Inzaghi the most.

“There’s no point pretending we’re not knackered, because we clearly are,” he said on Wednesday night. 

“But we’ve got to be tougher than that. We’re Inter. This ride has given us loads of good times and some bad ones, and tonight’s a real downer because we weren’t up to it when it mattered most. 

“How do we sort out the tiredness? It’s not really about that: it’s bound to be there, but it can’t be an excuse. Everyone’s feeling it; our schedule’s been busier than others, but we’ve got to keep going. This isn’t good enough.”

Inter are a mirror image of Inzaghi, a team built on seemingly inexhaustible reserves of emotional energy as much as intricate patterns of play.

It is what has made them one of the best teams in Europe over the past four years and what has sustained their Treble quest for so long this season.

But now Inter must go to the well again, starting with the visit of Roma on Sunday, a fixture that’s proved a delicate issue before a ball has even been kicked.

Initially scheduled for Saturday, the game has been put back a day due to Pope Francis’ funeral, leaving less time for Inter to prepare for Wednesday’s Champions League semi in Barcelona.

CEO Giuseppe Marotta had proposed to postpone the match to May 21, only for Roma and Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis to reject the motion.

The next six days shape up as a pivotal fork in the road for Inter. 

Drop points against Roma and it is difficult to see Napoli relinquishing top spot, as Antonio Conte’s men face an easier run-in than their rivals and have much fresher legs.

But a win against Roma and a positive result in Barcelona would breathe a new life into Inter’s quest to retain the Scudetto and conquer Europe.

The Triplete may be gone but the Double is still on. Just.