Inter coach Antonio Conte insisted his side did not deserve to lose at Sampdoria this afternoon.
The Nerazzurri’s eight-game winning run in Serie A came to an end as they fell to a 2-1 defeat after first-half goals from their former players Antonio Candreva and Keita Balde.
Stefan De Vrij’s second-half strike was not enough to rescue a result for Conte’s side, who shared his disappointment with Sky Sport Italia.
“It was a bit of a strange game, we went from missing a penalty to losing 2-1,” he stated.
“I think the team is doing well, they played and they created chances.
“Sometimes you lose games like this, which you don’t deserve to.
“Even with the rebound from the missed penalty, we could have scored.
“In the first half we dominated and went down by two goals, we had a go.”
Conte was then asked about whether or not the team suffered due to the absence of Romelu Lukaku from the starting line-up.
“It wasn’t the first time we played without Romelu,” he reminded reporters.
“We know his qualities very well, but he was not 100% and it showed when he came on.
“I’m sorry because I think we deserved something more.”
The former Italian national team coach, who has been with Inter for little over 18 months now, then shared his belief that his side did not have luck in the match at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.
“You have to always analyse everything when trying to impove.
“I repeat, it was a bit of a strange game.
“The boys showed great commitment and great desire but today lady luck has forgotten about us.”
Conte then went on to sing the praises of the way that his side attacked, even if they were only able to grab one goal on a wet afternoon against Claudio Ranieri’s side.
“Our attacking play, considering the opportunities created, is excellent.
“We attack with many players, we have never failed.
“Perhaps, at times, we were lacking in terms of balance, especially in the first part of the season. The goals conceded testify to this.”
In conclusion Conte was quizzed about his decision to substitute Christian Eriksen on amid intense speculation that Inter are looking to offload him during the transfer window.
“As I have always done, I try to exploit all the options available to me depending on the situation.
“I am at the club’s complete disposal on any decision they may make, I cannot do more than this.
“We talk about arrivals and departures and the club knows exactly what to do, and I just work as I have always done since I joined Inter.
“Any decision that will be made will always be a shared one.”
