Conte: “I chose Inter because we have the same vision.”

Today Antonio Conte and Beppe Marotta held the first press conference before heading to Lugano to start the pre-season:

Why I chose Inter? 

“It was easy, we found ourselves having the same vision. I spoke first with Marotta, then with the president and we share the ambition to bring Inter back to where it was. I am aware of the difficulties we will face. The presence of Marotta was an incentive and he knows my strengths and my weaknesses. Here, I find an organization with great tradition, one of the most important in the world. If we can compete already at high levels? Nobody has to set limits before starting, I don’t want alibis. In recent years, a huge gap has been created for Juventus and even Napoli, so to bridge the gap we will have to work better, with the ambition to give our best. We will then see what happens in the end.”

“I have a lot of trust in this team, together we can build something important. I am very excited, I am back after a year of inactivity. I am in a club of great tradition, the story speaks for itself. The trophies won in the past must be an extra incentive to return to where we were.”

Winning the Scudetto in my first season?

“When I was with Juventus we won after we finished seventh place twice, despite a Milan that was ahead of us. I came to Chelsea who finished eleventh place and won the championship. With the national team we beat the world champion Spain. Nothing is impossible, but there is work to be done. On the market, on the field and on our mentality. To the fans I promise we will give it all.”

Similarities of this experience with Juventus?

“It is not fair to make comparisons, they are very different situations. From tomorrow we will start working, for me it will be important to get to know the players. Let’s start with a good base of players, who have qualified twice in the Champions League from fourth place. We know that we must work to try to improve the base of the team, eliminating the problems that we had previously and adding the right profiles.”

Champions League? 

“We will have to do our best, as in any competition. Let’s start with the goal that nothing is impossible. There are and there will be great difficulties, but we will have to work with the desire to do something extraordinary. To do this I will need good players, but above all, I will need men.”

What reception will I find when I go back to Juventus stadium?

“Surely it will be an important match, we’re going to challenge the champions. With them it will be two important games, but there are other 36 games. Personally, there will be excitement entering the stadium, everyone knows my story, my past but when the game starts, they will be an opponent.”

Goals for 2022?

“The common goal is to build something important, to return to being as competitive as Inter was a long time ago. We have to work hard.”

How Inter will play?

“First of all it is right to underline the merits of Spalletti in his two years. Luciano has achieved his goal and leaves me with a good base. Thanks to him, the players and the club we have the possibility of playing in the Champions League. The goal is to have greater stability. We will have to raise the bar and get closer to those in front of us. We want to involve our fans, we want to make them proud beyond the result. We will work a lot from a tactical point of view to give Inter an identity.”

Three or four man defense?

“I have changed my mind many times based on the characteristics of the players. Seeing the current squad, the one that stands out is the defensive department. There is not only Godin, but players who would be start everywhere. We will start with a three-man defense, then we’ll see according to who we face, the important thing is the principles.”

Lautaro Martinez?

“He is a strong player, for him last year was a year of adaptation. He played a great Copa America and I look forward to meeting him to try to improve him.”

Is this my biggest challenge?

“Surely it will be a great adventure, difficult and intriguing. Each of us lives for such challenges. I do not know if it is the most difficult of my career because I feel the possibility of doing well here.”

Icardi and Nainggolan?

“We took some time to decide. However, I am totally aligned with the will of the club.”

What I will bring from my experience in England?

“I think that after a period of stagnation, the Italian league is moving with the structures and with the marketing of England, which is good at bringing the league to be the most sought after – in Europe and in the world. The English league understood how to move in technical terms and now they are frightening – combining quality with intensity. This has been made possible thanks to the great quality of coaches there. However, I believe that Italy is on the right track.”

Source: Inter.it