Inter manager Antonio Conte has shared his delight with his team’s performance after Inter’s 2-1 win over Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen in the semi finals of the Europa League on Monday night.
“Everybody is really happy because we put in an excellent performance. We prepared for the match in the right way and managed to stop Bayer Leverkusen from playing,” he explained in an interview with Italian broadcaster Sky Sport Italia following the match at the Merkur Spiel-Arena.
“Furthermore, while in possession, we implemented what we’d worked on. We could have gone through in a more relaxed manner because, despite the fact that we never really had to dig in, the result was close.
“However, I can only compliment the guys because they wanted to show that we’re experiencing a big season. We’ve now got the chance to play in a European semi-final and should be happy about this.
“From tomorrow, we need to start thinking about our next fixture, because we want to aim for the maximum without having any regrets.”
He was then asked whether he expected striker Romelu Lukaku to make such an impact in his first season with the club following his club record €65 million arrival with him having netted 31 goals in 49 appearances across all competitions to date.
“It’s difficult to talk about individuals when you see such a great performance from everyone. Romelu has had a great season, but he’s been supported by the whole team.
“If all the players do well and play as a team, it puts everyone in a position to perform on an individual level too. Having strikers such as Lukaku, Lautaro and Sanchez is important, but they need to thank the team, because the group allows individuals to best express themselves.”
The 51-year-old former Italian national team manager was then asked about the team playing out from the back and even often involving club captain and goalkeeper Samir Handanovic in this.
“We’re working very hard in this respect. In addition to having players with excellent technical ability, it’s important to be able to escape opposition pressing through memorised positional situations.
“This allows us to play vertical passes and find space. I often hear counter-attacks being spoken about, but this isn’t the case. We build out from the back to create the right situations and space.”
In conclusion he was asked whether he was annoyed that his team failed to put the game out of sight given the many chances that they had throughout the game in Dusseldorf, Germany.
“It’s difficult to be annoyed after a game like tonight. I can only compliment the lads on their performance. As is the case after every game, we’ll analyse every situation and see where we can improve.”