Inter coach Antonio Conte has revealed that would like to remain at the club after the Nerazzurri secured a 1-0 win over Hellas Verona in Serie A this afternoon.
A second half Matteo Darmian goal settled a tight encounter at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza to put Inter 13 points clear at the top of the table, leaving them just six points short of the Scudetto.
In an interview with Italian television broadcaster Sky Sport Italia after the match, Conte insisted that he was no longer looking to begin a new project elsewhere and would be open to remaining with Inter.
“Always starting from scratch and doing a job at a club for two or thee years and then starting again elsewhere is tiring for a coach like me,” Conte declared.
“I invest a lot in the work on the pitch and on the mentality of the team, obviously I hope that the work can last for a long time. I would be happy to be able to continue the work I am doing and maybe finish it, but it is obvious that we need to understand at the end of the season.
“It becomes difficult, communication with the media is important and we know that everything falls on the coaches. I know that my surname is heavy, over the years I have found myself fighting and fighting especially in the Champions League with teams unready for it.”
Conte insisted that he was happy with his side’s performance against Verona after a busy week, whilst praising the opposition and goalscorer Darmian.
“Let’s not forget that this was the third game in seven days and I decided to use the same players. We came into it from two games in which we played very well and drew, against Napoli and Spezia.
“Today we played well against a very physical team. Verona did not allow us to face them as we wanted. It’s inevitable that the players start to feel the weight of expectation of something important that is approaching.
“Inter have not won for a long time, we feel a some pressure and responsibility. There have been times where the ball felt heavier.
“I think Matteo has won an important place at Inter. He arrived quietly after playing for Parma and after a few seasons at Manchester United. He’s an exceptional guy and you can always count on him. He has great qualities which I saw with the national team. He is achieving something beautiful for himself and for his teammates.”
The coach also hit back at suggestions that he would speak openly about Inter’s situation behind the scenes after winning the title, feeling that his words had been misconstrued.
“I did not say that. I was very clear yesterday, I said that we must be focused on the present and on the Scudetto. Afterwards you can possibly ask me about next year.
“It all started after the interviews in Spezia where I also talked about the Super League, saying important things that went unnoticed. My answer was to want to look at the present, then obviously it will require clarity.
“If you ask the same question of the executives, they will give you the same answer. Sometimes Conte is called a warmonger, there was talk of my it in my press conference yesterday. I have never been as silent and focused on my work as this year,” he added.
Wing-back Achraf Hakimi struck the post with a fine freekick and Conte felt there was little to improve for the Moroccan, apart from his penalties.
“The important thing is that he does not take penalties,” Conte joked. “He is very good at free-kicks, but everyone would need to die before penalties fall to him. He really is terrible from the spot, but sometimes we see how things are under pressure.”