Antonio Conte’s critics are foolish to suggest he plays a defensive style of football, at least according to Inter legend Alessandro Altobelli.

A report in Gazzetta dello Sport on Wednesday claimed Conte was ‘annoyed’ by claims he used ‘catenaccio’ with the Nerazzurri, with Inter boasting Serie A’s most prolific attack this season (65 goals).

Altobelli was asked by the same newspaper this morning what he thought of the debate, and he sided firmly with Conte.

“It’s exactly the opposite,” Altobelli argued.

“The numbers prove it, the matches show it.

“Inter play good football and attacking football.

Adapting to situations does not diminish the value of victories, on the contrary.”

Altobelli, who is one of the highest-scoring players in Inter’s history, then went on to sing the praises of Inter’s current strikers of Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez, who have combined for 41 goals between them this season.

“Today, Lukaku and Lautaro are the strongest partnership in Europe,” he argued.

“They are ‘sincere’ strikers, in the sense that they try to help their teammate to score.

“They think as a team, something that does not happen with Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus.

“When the ball comes to Ronaldo, you already know that he will shoot, regardless of how his teammate is placed.”

Inter have received goals from other places on the park and Altobelli went on to share his delight with the performances of others.

“I love the wing-backs, yes, it is a declaration of love for Achraf Hakimi and Ivan Perisic,” he added.

“Now Christian Eriksen is in the team too and he guarantees good passes for the attackers.”

In conclusion, Altobelli was quizzed on Inter’s chances of winning a first league title since 2010, with Conte’s side nine points clear of AC Milan with 11 games left.

Asked if Inter already had the Scudetto in their pocket, he joked: “Well, I’ve had a look in mine but I still haven’t found anything…

“… But yes, they have a very high chance of winning it.”

Inter will look to consolidate their healthy lead at the top of the table when Conte’s side welcome Sassuolo to San Siro on Saturday.