Inter coach Antonio Conte discussed his work with the Nerazzurri so far, the Champions League campaign and the Covid-19 pandemic in an interview in today’s paper edition of the Milano based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.
First, he spoke about his pedigree as a coach and why he is the highest paid one in Serie A.
“What I earn is determined by what I have done in my career. Nobody gives you anything in football. I know that so many hopes are placed on me because I am here and I accept that.
“But even for Klopp at Liverpool, the first four years they did not win anything and it took time and important signings every season to build one of the strongest teams in the world.
“We are coming from years where there is an absolute dominating team in Italy. And when this happens that team builds a moat between themselves and the others, they create a gap.”
He commented on how he is working to close that gap with the Nerazzurri and how it took time to understand the Milanese club.
“Some chase instead of fighting to fill that gap, they’ve adapted to be the best of the rest, without working on all those details that really make you improve in everything. You see the result on the pitch.
“Matches are won during the week, and to succeed you need everything to work. When I came to Inter I didn’t know anything.
“Neither the facilities nor the environment nor the club members nor the health care sector. It took me a while to understand and make myself understood.”
The former Juventus and Chelsea coach touched on his position now compared to a year ago.
“Now I know everything and everyone, and that is a great advantage. So many things have changed in a year, the training, the guesthouse, the facilities, the habits.
“The team and the people who work at Inter support me and… support me! And we are improving together.”
He was still hopeful that Inter could progress to the next round of the Champions League.
“We need business. But we showed in the three games, that even though the results didn’t go our way, that we could be there. And we will do everything we can to stay there.”
Conte spoke about how difficult it is for him to manage the squad and make them focus on winning amidst a global pandemic.
“Very difficult. It is a strange, delicate, dramatic season if we look around us. And whoever manages a squad has the duty to understand them. One cannot always exercise leadership in the same way.
“You have to alternate the stick and the carrot. We have a duty to clubs and fans to stay focused on the goals with dedication and concentration.
“But then the kids come home and maybe they have their wife or relatives or friends fighting Covid. Or, as has happened to us, they find out three hours before the game that one of their teammates they trained with is positive and they worry.”
Finally, Conte spoke about how difficult it is to manage the squad well in the current climate and how needs to appreciate the difficulties the squad have faced and are facing.
“Maybe I get angry about something that’s not done well, but then I also think that many have only had a week’s vacation, they play every three days, they travel with their national teams.
“Now Brozovic has stopped too, more trouble. We played some games with 13 players available between Covid and injuries. So, management is tough.
“But then if we talk about what is happening in hospitals, the dead, those who are seriously ill, football, which also absorbs my whole life, can only remain in the background.”
