Antonio Conte: “We Need To Keep Improving, I Want Consistency, It’s My Job To Get The Best Out Of The Inter Players”

Inter manager Antonio Conte has held his pre-match press conference ahead of tomorrow’s match away to Sampdoria, with Conte expecting a tough match, despite the fact Sampdoria are bottom of the league.

“There are lots of potential pitfalls. The Marassi is a hard place to go and win at. Sampdoria are an organised team with a good manager at the helm in Eusebio Di Francesco. We will have to be very careful because it will be a difficult game. It is a classic game in the sense that we have so much to lose,” he began.

He was then asked if he is already thinking about the upcoming matches with Barcelona and Juventus.

“As I have always said, the most important game for us is the next one. We cannot get distracted by the other games. The present for us is Sampdoria, which will be another hard game. We will need to take risks and we are playing to win.”

Next he discussed whether he expected the start Inter have had.

“Nobody starts with the intention of losing. We are determined to win and have done well so far. I am pleased that we are on a winning run. This is the result of all the hard work we have carried out but it is still early days as we have only played five games.

“We need to keep improving and I want consistency from the team. This is the only way for us to fight at the top of the table. Highs and lows happen and we need to avoid as many lows as possible as that is the only way to become a top team. Consistency is key. We have a long road ahead and we are always improving.”

Conte was then asked what stage he thinks his side are at.

“There have been changes made and when this happens, time is needed. It is the same for other clubs who have new managers. Every side can improve and can better. We know the journey will be hard but we are determined to go far. We have laid the foundations and now it is down to us.

Next he was asked whether he thinks his side have what it takes to compete against Juventus for the title.

“In my first year at Juventus, we won the title but today we are not the favourites to win. Juventus and Napoli are both ahead of us in terms of their squads and experience but we can’t let that put us off. The quality of the league has been raised this year. Serie A has gone up a gear in terms of quality. We need to raise our game to do even better. We will only find out where we are by playing.”

He also discussed Inter’s water-tight defence.

In terms of defence, that relates to the whole team. You defend as a team, it is not only defenders who defend. The main thing is to have balance to our play. I think having balance is central to doing well. It is all about team work. We have areas to work on and big potential for improvement.”

He then returned to discuss how Inter can achieve the consistency he craves.

“Highs and lows have been ever-present at Inter for the past nine years. This squad is not the first to win their first five in a row in this period. In the past they then struggled after this and we cannot repeat this. We need to keep this winning run going. In the past Inter have not been consistent so we have to learn from the past.”

A journalist then asked Conte to comment on Danilo D’Ambrosio’s performances this season and how Alexis Sanchez is doing.

“Everyone in the squad is doing well, he is a modern day player. He can play in many roles. He is very versatile and that is helpful. I am pleased he is in my squad. He gives us a good hand.

“As for Sanchez, we have already spoken a lot about him. You journalists always seem to ask me about him. He is a top player and we need him to get back to the top. Sooner or later he will start. He did well versus Lazio when he came on, he is a quality player.”

He concluded by speaking on whether there is the right amount of leadership for the team to avoid the lows.

“I want us to grow in all areas and that also applies to leadership. We can improve in all areas and it is my job to get the best out of all the players. I need to improve my players, we can all improve. No one has a magic wand though. Commitment to the Inter cause is what I want and this is what fans want too.”