Inter full-back Danilo D’Ambrosio touched on his recovery and the Nerazzurri’s upcoming game against Torino tomorrow in an interview in today’s paper edition of the Turin based newspaper Tuttosport.

“I’m fine, I can say that I’ve worked past it, especially thanks to the training in the last week. I don’t feel any pain anymore.”

He joked about the heavy training schedule imposed by coach Antonio Conte.

“No, I’ve never trained this much. But I can assure you that regardless of the double training days, the singles are also very heavy. But I would say that so far, we have seen the results on the field, in our way of running up to the 95th minute. We hope to continue along this path and confirm the good work done so far. That’s what we all want.”

He summed up the 50-year-old Italian coach in one word.

“Stubbornness. The coach doesn’t give up and he’s never satisfied. He’s the one who spurs us on to give everything, he asks us for the best from every point of view, physical and psychological.”

The 31-year-old Italian agreed that the start to the season was better than the club’s management had expected.

“I think so, but I can tell you this. When Inter chose to focus on Conte, I was sure of one thing, that we would all give 100% of us for the cause. Having said that, we are still in the second half of November and the fruits will be seen in late March, early April. If we’re still there in the league, then we could think about playing with those who might be in front of us.”

D’Ambrosio thought that Inter had achieved a greater level of stability under the Suning group.

“In my opinion, yes, I can say that we have almost reached the top. I say almost because it can always be improved, but the conditions for being more competitive and being stable, are all there.”

The Italian full-back mentioned that the squad are fully focused on tomorrow’s game against Torino and aren’t distracted by next week’s Champions League clash against Slavia Prague.

“Absolutely not because Conte is instilling in us a mentality that always aims to reach the maximum, that is the victory, in the next game that awaits us. So today we are only thinking about Toro.”

He talked about the Nerazzurri’s recent record against Torino.

“It’s always difficult to face Torino, especially in recent years because the club has grown, there have been important purchases with players of a higher level, suitable to achieve the goals they have set. As always it will be a battle.”

D’Ambrosio discussed the differences between Conte’s and Mazzarri’s 3-5-2 tactical system.

“It’s difficult to explain in a few seconds, but even if the systems can be similar, it’s the interpretation that makes the difference. I can tell you that of all the 3-5-2s I’ve seen or tried personally, Conte’s is really different. The coach knows how to give us a unique game identity, with well-defined moves that make it identifiable. On the other hand, the tactical work, both in the field and in the video, is enormous. For me Conte is a coach who more than others know how to make his mark on the team.”

The 31-year-old Italian international then revealed which of the new arrivals he thinks have settled best in the club.

“Barella, for example, didn’t surprise me. I knew he was strong and Inter invested a lot in him. But I didn’t expect so much from Sensi. As an opponent he didn’t impress me as much as he did as a teammate in recent months. By training with him I realised how important a player like him can be for our team.”

Finally, D’Ambrosio spoke of his special relationship with 17-year-old Inter striker Sebastiano Esposito.

“Seba, I’ve known him since he was a 5-6-year-old boy. I was playing in Juve Stabia in the First Division in 2008, his dad was the deputy coach and led us in some competitions after the dismissals of Costantini and Morgia. Seba always came to the games, I saw him grow. When I hugged him back at Inter, I found a nice, humble guy with values and a head on his shoulders. He knows where he wants to go and that the road is long, but he has important qualities.”