Inter coach Antonio Conte has warned that it is too early to talk about the club winning the Scudetto, whilst also insisting that he will only speak about his future at the end of the season.

The Nerazzurri are 10 points clear of AC Milan at the top of the Serie A table and require a maximum of nine points to guarantee the league title, with just six games remaining.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of Inter’s match against Hellas Verona at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza tomorrow, Conte called for focus from his players ahead of the run-in, as reported by FCInterNews.it.

“I am a person who looks at the present. While I don’t have something in my hand and I haven’t won it then I can’t speak of it. It would be stupid, presumptuous,” Conte declared.

“Let’s try to conquer something, we are on a beautiful path. Don’t think I am being impolite, but until we win the Scudetto it would be stupid to talk about it. I am very realistic, I speak when it is acquired.

“Then you can ask me all the questions. Now I am very focused and I want the team to be focused on a goal that is not yet achieved. Past experiences have taught me patience, if we deserve it it will come. Then I will answer everyone’s questions (about the future) because I have never hidden.”

Looking ahead to the match against Ivan Juric’s side tomorrow, Conte was expecting a difficult encounter, despite Verona suffering three consecutive defeats in Serie A.

“It will be a tough, tough match against a team that is doing very well in the league. They have suffered some negative results but having seen those matches, they did not deserve to lose.

“They have a very good coach, Juric, who improves the players through work. He did it last year and he is doing it now. He has worked with [Atalanta’s Gian Piero] Gasperini for a long time, I can’t help but speak well of him and I think what he is doing is there for everyone to see.

“I think it’s useless to go over some things. We know the kind of season we are facing. We have to remain focused now and try to finish the season by achieving something extraordinary with Inter.

“The rest, I repeat, everyone knows. We have shown great demonstration and professionalism, as well as  attachment to the club, to the shirt, to the fans. The boys behaved in the right way. We are just missing the last step to crown something beautiful and, I think also unimaginable, in two years.”

Conte took over from Luciano Spalletti in May 2019 and after leading Inter to second place last season, is on the verge of a first title in 11 years. The coach praised his players however for their development over his two seasons at the club, whilst pointing to similar experiences previously in his career.

“It’s not the first time. At Siena we recovered from relegation and we were more prepared, but at Juventus the path started from scratch in terms of winning mentality. It takes luck, beyond ideas, to find players who will give everything.

“I was lucky enough to find a group of guys who are willing to question themselves and try to do something different from previous experiences. We are developing and now we have to try to reach the finish line, because once there you appreciate what you had to give to win and this remains with you forever.”

Inter could wrap up the league title by the time they face Sampdoria on 9 May, removing the pressure from tough fixtures against Roma and Juventus, but Conte insisted that his side were only focused on themselves and not how other teams performed in the title race.

“I have reiterated this to the team since we went top, we are lucky that we don’t have to worry about who is behind us. We can think about ourselves and play our game to win.

“We must not compare ourselves to the other teams. The winner thinks of himself. This is the message I sent when we overtook Milan. If you play and win, the calculations are done by the others.”

With reports that President Steven Zhang is set to return to Milan this week, Conte would not be drawn on whether his prolonged absence had been a hindrance.

“I’m not interested in going into the subject before the game. I don’t like to answer it, I think it’s only right to concentrate on the game. We are playing for the work of two years. You need news, but there is time for it.”

Finally, the coach refused to hypothesise on how his team could compete against the European elite in the Champions League next year, after Inter crashed out at the Group Stage this season.

“When it’s all over we will talk. I hope to celebrate this year, then I will answer these questions on the future,” Conte concluded.