Antonio Conte shared his delight at how his team performed but also his anger in equal measure during the post-match press conference after Inter’s 2-1 loss to Barcelona in the Champions League.
“Up until the 65th minute we had fought blow for blow and in fact we had the opportunity to have an important chance with a penalty. Many of our players players came into the game having played many back-to-back games,” he said.
“I think that as far as we are concerned we deserved much more than Barcelona. That said, I wish to congratulate them, the play at the end from their star players changed the game.
“Anyone who knows me knows that I struggle to digest defeats. There is the conviction and satisfaction of having come to the Camp Nou and showed personality against a team equipped to win the Champions League. Matches like this are part of the journey, it is all part of the experience.
“On the one hand, the glass is half full but on the other it is empty because we are going home with zero points. If we go back and we are happy, this is not the mentality that the group must have.”
Conte was then asked for his thoughts on the referee’s performance.
“From the beginning of the match I had a feeling of uneasiness, it is difficult to explain. There was a moment in the match when the linesman showed me the ‘respect’ badge on his shirt but everyone has to give respect.
“I am not looking to make an excuse for my players, I am annoyed with the defeat but I am being honest in saying that I felt uncomfortable but maybe I am wrong.”
He was then asked what he thinks was behind the performance drop-off in the second half performance.
“We need to understand how far our demerit and how far their merit went. Until the possible penalty incident, it was blow for blow as I said. However after this situation, Barcelona’s confidence grew.
“I am happy with the team because they gave me important answers but I cannot be completely happy because we must feel hurt by the fact we have zero points. We created some serious problems for Barcelona and at the end of the day we need to be angry and disappointed not to have picked up points.”
He concluded by elaborating further on his criticism of the referee.
“Let’s be clear, tomorrow you do not have to write that I attacked the referee. I had an uneasy feeling because I saw things handled in a certain way. We are talking about a top referee, who has refereed a Champions League final, but the Camp Nou is the Camp Nou…”
