Inter coach Antonio Conte spoke to gathered reporters at a press conference after the Nerazzurri’s impressive 2-0 win over Atalanta, immediately after the match.
“Let’s not forget that we didn’t have Alexis Sanchez for three quarters of the season, fortunately Lukaku and Lautaro have held out for and done so much more work.
“We have to give credit to these guys, 82 points is a lot because it shows that they worked well.
The 50-year-old Italian coach touched on the team’s hard work and how the squad have all grown and started to close the gap with Juventus.
“I’m sorry because I saw Inter attacked in a bad way, by everyone, attacking the players and me. And I’ve seen little protection from the club from this point of view.
“Having said that, we’ve become even more compact, we’ve become even stronger and today I, the players and all those who work at Pinetina, Oriali, those who always stay close to the team, with all respect for others, enjoy the end of the season.
“Even if, as I said, whoever wins stays important in the history books. But it’s still a good result given that the gap has been wide for so many years.”
The former Juventus and Chelsea boss touched on the Nerazzurri’s final two league games of the season and whether that bodes well for their Europa League clash against Getafe next week.
“We won against Napoli and Atalanta, without conceding goals. Congratulations to Gasperini for his work and, if you’re not stupid, you also have to look at him as a reference point to improve.”
Finally, Conte discussed what kind of game he expects against Getafe on Wednesday next week. The game will be played in a neutral venue in Germany and will be single legged.
“It will be a battle against Getafe, a tough team, they defend with 10 behind the ball and as soon as they can they throw long balls to the strikers.
“Look at their results against Real and Barça. But I know I count on great players and great men. I tell our fans that we’ll do everything we can to maybe raise the cup again.”
Inter finish the 2019/20 season on 82 points, one point behind rivals and winners Juventus, who lost to Roma earlier this evening. The Nerazzurri will now focus on winning the Europa League, with their next game in the competition being against Getafe next week.
