Inter coach Antonio Conte discussed the Nerazzurri’s frustrating 2-2 draw against Roma earlier tonight whilst speaking to gathered reporters at a press conference after the game. His words were noted by Italian media outlet FcInterNews.
“Honestly I find it hard to blame the guys for what they’re giving me and what they’re doing. They were there until the very end to try to win.
“There’s little to complain about, if we were 1-0 up at the end of the first half then maybe the guys wouldn’t have been punished at the start of the second half. I have little to say to them. Our fans must be proud.”
The 50-year-old Italian coach wasn’t impressed with Inter’s schedule, due to the limited amount of rest afford to the squad between games.
“The schedule? Go and see how ours and the others are structured. Go look at it.”
The former Chelsea and Juventus coach commented on the incident between Lautaro Martinez and Aleksander Kolarov, that was looked at by VAR.
“If VAR calls you it’s not to take you for a walk. The moment was clear. There had been a foul on Lautaro. The Roma player didn’t get the ball. The last thing I want to do is talk about referees, they’re also facing a difficult situation. They’re training at very high temperatures. Maximum understanding even for serious mistakes like this one.”
The Inter coach touched on any possible regrets he may have from his first season in charge of the Nerazzurri.
“I know very well what the guys are doing, I’m talking about numbers and I’m saying that Inter are in the Champions League four games early now, yet I read that Inter are being criticised even though the others aren’t even in the top four.
“It seems to me that there is also a bit of premeditation. We have to be honest and loyal and see the season for what we’ve done, four games before the end we’re still talking about the league title, something that hasn’t happened for years.”
Finally, Conte expressed his frustration at the team’s schedule and his belief that they are getting less rest than some other teams in Serie A.
“It’s the schedule, there’s nothing worse than those who don’t want to see something, in the end you all are always right. If you go to see honestly and fairly you see that there are important anomalies.
“In the crucial periods we always face teams that are more rested, before Roma we went to Ferrara. Today we’ll be back at four in the morning again, we’ll have three days of recovery. I’m asking myself a few questions, the problem is that I’m the only one at Inter who asks these questions.”
Inter are now second in the league table, five points behind rivals and league leaders Juventus. The Nerazzurri will be praying that Lazio perform well and win against the Bianconeri tomorrow evening, otherwise a Juve win would see the Turin based club all but seal the league title.