In an interview with Inter’s official club broadcaster Inter TV, Inter manager Antonio Conte has looked ahead to tomorrow night’s match at home to Sassuolo.
“The game is not a foregone conclusion, Sassuolo did well against Atalanta and created several opportunities that they did not capitalise on,” he began the interview.
“We will have to be careful because we will challenge a healthy team, who have a proactive idea of football. It will be necessary to have the right spirit and the right determination, it will not be easy because we will play after a few days but we know that we will have to play an excellent game and bring home the three points.”
“We have to be very wary, because Sassuolo are in good shape and above all have a very positive, attacking idea of football. We need the right spirit and determination, which won’t be easy just a few days after playing Sampdoria.”
He then spoke on how Sassuolo play and admitted to knowing their strengths and weaknesses.
“Sassuolo like to play the ball, so we must be strong on the flanks and attack them with the right timing, because otherwise they are very dangerous on the counter. We haven’t had time to prepare for the game, but we know Sassuolo’s strengths and weaknesses already.”
He was then asked whether he will rotate the team that started the match against Sampdoria.
“With this calendar and the heat, there has to be rotation. I can’t squeeze the players dry, as you can’t just rest them at the end and get that energy back.”
Conte proceeded to confirm that midfield trio Marcelo Brzoovic, Stefano Sensi and Matias Vecino will miss out against the Neroverdi side.
“Marcelo Brozovic and Stefano Sensi are out, while Matias Vecino also has this knee problem that tormented him all season. It’s inevitable we’ve got few alternatives in midfield, so we’ll have to consider everything.”
Next Conte discussed the Serie A title race which involves themselves, Juventus and Lazio.
“Juventus and Lazio have more points than we do and therefore have done better so far, that’s just a fact. It also means they have a greater margin of error, whereas for us, every game is decisive and we can’t get anything wrong if we’re to keep causing them problems to the very end.
“We are doing well and laying the foundations for an Inter that is solid in the present and the future.”
He concluded by speaking on playing in empty stadiums and whether it impacts the way he goes about things.
“I participate a lot in the game, both with and without the fans. My players are used to hearing me, it is normal that when the fans are there it is not easy to get the message across but we need people at the stadium. Without fans I need to be very careful because sometimes a bad word can escape my mouth [laughs].”
Inter head in to tomorrow night’s match sitting in third place in the table whilst Sassuolo come into the match sitting in 12th place. Inter won the reverse fixture at Sassuolo’s MAPEI Stadium back in October 4-3.
