Inter coach Antonio Conte has hinted that he may play Danish international midfielder Christian Eriksen again in the deep-lying midfield playmaker role in front of defence, in a press conference concluded moments ago.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the Serie A clash against Juventus tomorrow evening at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in Milan’s San Siro district with kick-off scheduled for 20.45 CET, Conte hinted that he may be forced to play the former Tottenham man again in the role usually occupied by Marcelo Brozovic.
“I am just stating the facts. We have to make the most of the potential in this squad now.
“It’s inevitable that we don’t have another player with Marcelo Brozovic’s characteristics who can play in front of the defence. Therefore, we are trying to get the best out of Christian in that role.
“Eriksen has so far played central midfield, as a trequartista and now a playmaker. Having a player who can cover various positions can be useful.”
The former Bianconeri coach underlined that his former side are a reference point for all teams in the Serie A, including Inter.
“Every match is important and they are always three points up for grabs. Inevitably, Juventus represent a reference point for everyone, as they dominated in Italy in recent years.
“When a team wants to understand what level it is at, inevitably the only reference point in Italy is Juventus.
“No team in Italy can say they completely closed the gap with Juventus, but we’re getting closer.
“They dominated for nine years and also worked well off the field, bringing in the likes of Federico Chiesa, Alvaro Morata, Dejan Kulusevski and Weston McKennie. They deserve credit for improving every single year.”
The former Chelsea coach was then asked how Inter can improve to reduce the gap to Juventus even further, stressing that the mentality of the squad can still improve.
“We must improve our mentality, our determination, feeling our blood boiling to kill off the games. That is part of the progress of growth and these guys are working hard to improve in every aspect.”
Antonio Conte didn’t want to brand either team as favorites stating that his side respect Juventus given all their accomplishments the past decade.
“I don’t want to point to favourites, we simply have to respect a side that has dominated for nine years and wants to dominate for another year.
“Respect is the least we can give Juventus for all they’ve done, especially as in recent years it’s been a foregone conclusion in Serie A.
“We closed the gap on them last season and hope we can do the same this year, because I remember times when Juve were 20-25 points in front of everyone and that was not good to see.”
