Antonio Conte has Inter’s players and staff following 10 rules to secure the Serie A title, according to a report in the Italian media today.
As per Gazzetta dello Sport’s print edition, the first of these rules relate to the dressing room and the rule is that the group comes above all, there is no room for individuals and everything must be geared toward the team’s goal.
The experienced players such as Ashley Young, Aleksandar Kolarov, Arturo Vidal and Alexis Sanchez all have to set an example for the younger players at the club.
Conte has also urged Inter’s players to limit contact with other people off the pitch in a bid to limit the risk of catching COVID-19, while encouraging them to relax and rest as much as possible in order to recover quicker between games.
The former Italian national team coach has also abandoned the need for players to stay at the club’s training ground the night before a game and expects that his trust in his team will not be betrayed.
One of the rules concerns what happens on the pitch and that is the way that the team presses; once the ball is lost, the team must immediately look to get the ball back.
Conte has also had the club nutritionist put together individual meal plans for each and every player and has also insisted that calculations must not be made with regard to what needs to be done to win the title, because the team must only think match by match.
He has also placed a lot of importance on studying opponents and the final rule concerns ‘forbidden’ sending offs.
Conte has asked his players for maximum concentration to avoid cards and being sent off, otherwise the player is fined, as seen when Vidal was sent off against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League.
(Conte’s 10 rules: Dressing room unity, contributions from experienced players, COVID-19 prudence, relaxation at home, no pre-match training ground sleeps, strict pressing instructions, new personal diets, only focus on the next game, study opponents extensively, no red cards.)
