Antonio Conte today reassured Inter they did not need to make any more changes to his defensive options this summer.
Diego Godin and Alessandro Bastoni have joined up with the Nerazzurri for their preseason tour in Asia, giving Conte six players to choose from after Milan Skriniar, Stefan de Vrij, Andrea Ranocchia and Danilo D’Ambrosio.
Conte remains concerned about how Inter’s midfield and attack are shaping up, but there is at least one department he is happy with.
“I’m very happy for the progress we’re making in defence,” Conte told reporters after today’s International Champions Cup match against Juventus.
“Skriniar is doing very well but so are D’Ambrosio and De Vrij. They’re making improvements in terms of building play, where we still need to do more work, but also on the defensive side of their game.
“Those who give me greater reassurance and play well when called upon will be the ones that play. We have a lot of matches to play this season so this is what I’ll be looking for.”
Conte also left the door open for Dalbert to remain at the club, having again picked the Brazilian to play at left wing-back in his 3-5-2 system.
“He’s playing and improving, like the rest of the team,” Conte added.
“He’s doing his bit but he needs to work to get used to the style of play I have in mind.”
Conte then confirmed Ivan Perisic was only suited to playing as a second striker in his current formation, before providing a more general appraisal of today’s display.
“I saw a lot of good things both in and out of possession,” he concluded.
“If we did this against Juventus it means we can do it for 120 minutes at San Siro, or elsewhere in Italy. We’re on the right track, we need to think about trying to improve.”
Inter’s final match on their Asian tour will take place in Macao on Saturday, when the Nerazzurri face Paris Saint-Germain.