Antonio Conte last night assured Inter supporters he feels duty-bound to take the Nerazzurri back where they belong.
Inter’s first competitive match under their new head coach will be against Lecce at San Siro, after Serie A’s fixture ceremony took place on Monday.
Conte said he expected to make Inter a competitive side again this season, despite Juventus beginning as the league’s clear favourites again.
“Napoli have established themselves behind Juventus but Inter have great history and tradition,” Conte told PPTV.
“We’ll need a bit of time to return to the top because you can’t build skyscrapers in the space of a few days, but we’ve started working and we want to give battle again.”
Conte hopes Inter will be the surprise of the new Serie A campaign, lavishing praise on his new players for how they worked during last week’s tour in Asia.
“They’re all working in an important manner without pausing for breath,” Conte assured.
“They have a great work ethic and these are the foundations you need to create something significant for the future.
“I’d like to mention three young players who have really impressed me so far: Sebastiano Esposito, Lorenzo Pirola and Lucien Agoume. Three 17-year-olds for whom I can see a great future.”
Inter face another tough draw in this season’s Champions League after being placed in pot three, but Conte urged his players not to be intimidated by the challenge.
“It’s the best competition in Europe so you know full well you’ll be playing top sides,” Conte continued.
“We have to be ready for whatever draw we get, but at the same time we want the other teams in our group to be a little worried about the prospect of facing Inter.”
Inter are working on a three-man defence in preseason as Conte pursues the 3-5-2 system which served him so well at Juventus.
However, he insisted his personal preferences as a coach were not the reason he was training the new formation.
“You have to choose the right system for the skill sets of your players,” Conte explained.
“For the moment I think it’s right for us to play with a back three, but what matters is that we have an aggressive and attacking approach.
“We’re working hard and I’m happy with the improvements being made.”
Conte also described Inter’s owners Suning as ‘visionaries’, having invested in the Nerazzurri because they were the right club to bring them success in Europe.
“In president Steven Zhang I can certainly see a young person who is very open to building something important and long-lasting for Inter,” he concluded.
