Antonio Conte listed the many reasons why he shouldn’t have taken the Inter job, as the team was ‘not competitive,’ and they won because the players ‘trusted me completely.’
The coach spoke to 90 Minuto on Rai 2 after Atalanta’s 1-1 draw with Sassuolo ensured the title was mathematically secure. You can read the rest of his comments here.
Antonio Conte listed the many reasons why he shouldn’t have taken the Inter job, as the team was ‘not competitive,’ and they won because the players ‘trusted me completely.’
The coach spoke to 90 Minuto on Rai 2 after Atalanta’s 1-1 draw with Sassuolo ensured the title was mathematically secure. You can read the rest of his comments here.
“We’ll go to sleep tonight very happy with what we’ve achieved. We are happy for us, for the people who worked to get Inter back to winning ways, for the fans. We will certainly feel more relaxed now,” smiled Conte.
It was Conte and director Beppe Marotta who started the winning streak at Juventus 10 years ago and now ends it, by giving Inter their first title in 11 years. Does this feel different to his other trophies?
“I put it among the most important successes of my career. It was difficult, because it was not an easy choice for me to come to Inter, during a time when the team was certainly not competitive or had the resources to achieve something important.
“Plus I was going to a club that is rivals with Juventus, where I played for many years, and who were dominating the league. There were many negative situations that I was going into.
“Instead, I accepted the challenge with great eagerness, and I think the hard work repaid all those sacrifices.”
Despite their Serie A success, Inter crashed out of the Champions League in the group stage.
“I think the worst moment was when we went out of the Champions League, when the criticism we received was perhaps excessive,” insisted Conte.
“It wasn’t easy, we had a group of lads who were not accustomed to winning. We did well to come together and take the criticism so we could become even stronger.
“What took us to victory was that these players trusted me. I showed them the way and they trusted me completely. In the end, we found the path.”
Inter will go head-to-head with Juventus in Turin on May 15 and Conte was asked if he’ll shake hands with President Andrea Agnelli, having left Juve on bad terms.
“It’s a game where we will try to give our best, regardless of the table, because we want to keep going for the rest of the season. We managed to win the title with four rounds to spare, but we’ll still play to the best of our abilities.
“It is always a pleasure for me to enter the Juventus Stadium and now I am learning to do it as an opponent too.”
Much has been said about Conte’s future and whether he will remain if Inter cannot commit to investing in the squad.
“I think at this moment it’s right to enjoy this Scudetto. We won’t make the mistake of chasing rumours about meetings, arguments or anything else.
“We achieved something extraordinary and I want to enjoy it. There will be time to talk about all the things that need to be done.”