Antonio Conte has confirmed Alexis Sanchez will travel to Sardinia with Inter before they play Cagliari tomorrow.

Conte held his traditional pre-match press conference at Appiano Gentile this afternoon and was quizzed on a number of different talking points.

Inter will be hoping to make it six points from six at the Sardegna Arena, following Monday’s convincing win at home to Lecce.

Below is a complete transcript of what Conte had to say on the eve of his second competitive match in charge.

Inter have started the season positively but they’ll face a Cagliari side looking for redemption. What do you expect from this match?

“It’s a difficult, tough place to play. Cagliari are a very good side and they’ll definitely be looking to respond after their defeat against Brescia. We’ll have to be very careful. We’ll need to be ready to play a tough match.”

What will Alexis Sanchez give to Inter? Will he travel to Cagliari?

“I hope I can respond to this later down the line after he’s settled in and done what he normally does. He’s a very good finisher and can provide assists too. He’s a great player who hasn’t done well in the last two seasons at Manchester United. He’s arrived with enthusiasm and an eagerness to do things. He’ll come with us to Cagliari.”

Is the enthusiasm your performance generated on Monday a problem or an incentive to do better?

“You need to manage enthusiasm. We need to keep working well. We’ve made a good start but I told the players there are some things we must improve. We need to keep working in the knowledge that our futures depend on what we do now.”

What stage is Nicolò Barella at in terms of settling in and what kind of match do you expect after last year’s defeat here?

“I expect a tough match, Cagliari have had an excellent summer transfer window and they have a very good coach. We know we need to approach these games with the right mentality. After this match a few things will become clearer. Nicolò is working hard to adjust to our idea of football. He’s a positive guy and I’m happy he’s part of our squad. When you’re at Inter you know you’re competing for places with others, I want this competition to be positive. The Champions League will start after the international break and we’ll all have to be ready for that. There won’t be any time for errors.”

How important is it to have a block of Italian players on the pitch every week?

“It’s important. The most important thing is to have a block of great players, and if they’re Italian that’s even better because we all care about the fortunes of the national team. It’s key to have a identity that’s founded in daily work in training.”

Do you expect Radja Nainggolan to be particularly motivated tomorrow? Do you think you can control his desire to beat you? Have you decided if you’re going to leave players at home who aren’t fit yet, such as Cristiano Biraghi?

“We’ve decided to get Biraghi up to a great level of fitness. He was a bit tired when he got here and he needs to work to reach the same condition as the others. I have great respect for Radja, who’s a great player. I wanted to sign him for Chelsea during my first year there, but you know full well that other decisions were taken. I’ll say hello to him with real pleasure, though.”

Are you a striker short at the moment? Do you need someone as back-up for Romelu Lukaku?

“I prefer to speak about the transfer market with the club in an appropriate setting. If I have any thoughts or doubts to share I’ll do so with our management. This is our squad and we’re happy we can do something important with it. I think Marotta was fairly clear in saying that our window has ended.”

We heard news last night of Mauro Icardi’s decision to sue Inter. Has the club already told you what position to adopt if he were to stay?

“We’ve done everything in the most correct manner possible. People have been talking about him for eight months and I don’t want to get into the matter. We need to be totally concentrated on this season and the players involved in it, but I keep discovering that the important players are the others and those who aren’t playing.”

Do you encourage the players to meet up in their spare time?

“The dinner they had the other night was arranged by them. I’m happy about it, it means they’re happy together and aren’t putting up with one another in the two or three hours when they’re training. They’re pleased to spend time in each other’s company, I see that very positively. The important thing is that they don’t get home late…”

Could what’s happening with Icardi cause disruption within the dressing room?

“There’s still no disruption, everything we’ve done has been correct and we’ll continue like that. We’re very focused on our work and on what happens on the pitch. I understand it’s much more important for others to make a big deal out of certain situations, but we need to concentrate on what happens on the field of play and that’s what we’re doing.”

Will Matteo Politano stay at Inter? What are Stefan de Vrij and Diego Godin’s conditions like?

“Marotta was very clear, he said our transfer activity was finished. If someone leaves we’ll have to replace them, but I haven’t had any signs of discontent from any of my players. There are still two days left until the window shuts but I’m happy with Matteo’s commitment. He knows very well what I think of him, I consider him to be an important player in that position. Godin started training again on Tuesday and will be on the bench. He needs to reach his best fitness again. As for De Vrij, we’ll see.”

Is Stefano Sensi’s positive start proof that you only need to be shrewd in the market to uncover players at smaller clubs who are good enough to play for Inter?

“You always need to be shrewd in the transfer market. You need to make sure the signings correspond to the coach’s ideas. Some clubs sign players that don’t fit the coach’s plans and that shows you don’t have clear ideas. We’ve been clear right from the start about what we needed to do and we’ve signed players from the likes of Sassuolo, Cagliari and Hertha Berlin. It was then important to grab opportunities like the ones we had with Lukaku and Sanchez, or Godin as a free agent. The key is to have an idea and to try and follow it without getting carried away with enthusiasm or by a high-profile name. A player must arrive if he’s useful to the cause.”

What sort of condition is Valentino Lazaro in? Will we see him in action soon?

“He had this thigh injury at the start of preseason and that’s slowed down his adjustment process, both in terms of the group and assimilating our style of football. He’s come from the Bundesliga and before that he played in Austria. He has important qualities for which we wanted to sign him, but we need to give him the right amount of time in terms of physical and tactical preparation so he can be ready to give us the contribution we all expect.”

Could Lautaro Martinez be an alternative to Lukaku as the main striker?

“Lautaro can play as a first or second striker, he’s a 22-year-old guy and he certainly has huge room for improvement. It’s up to him to work and be committed like he’s doing at the moment. He has great future prospects and we need him to provide an important contribution.”