Antonio Conte is overjoyed to see Inter’s fans celebrating the Nerazzurri’s Serie A title triumph.
Inter were confirmed as champions yesterday after Atalanta were held to a 1-1 draw at Sassuolo, a result which left Conte’s side 13 points clear with four games left.
Conte was appointed as head coach after consecutive fourth-place finishes for Inter under Luciano Spalletti, and since then he has transformed the club’s fortunes in Serie A.
“The most satisfying thing was seeing the fans celebrate and our own celebrations after we beat Crotone on Saturday,” Conte told Sport Mediaset (via FcInterNews.it).
“We knew we’d taken the final step (by winning that match), the decisive one.”
Conte was the man who began Juventus’ long streak of Serie A titles back in 2012, and now he is the one to have ended their dominance after joining their arch rivals.
Asked if Inter’s title was the start of a new era for the league in general, he replied: “First and foremost, I think we have to congratulate those whose dominance is falling after nine years.
“Juventus did an exceptional job to win nine titles in a row, but at the same time we must congratulate those who have ended their reign (Inter).
“We’re happy, we knew there were no guarantees (that we could do it); on the contrary, we knew it would be very difficult.
“We’ve moved closer to Juventus in the space of two years and we overtook them this season.”
Conte was also asked again about his future at Inter, which remains uncertain given the financial problems affecting the club and Inter’s owners Suning.
“We’re enjoying this moment for now, a victory which has arrived after a lot of sweat and sacrifice,” Conte added.
“It’s only right to celebrate it, afterwards there will be time to speak together and organise everything for the best.
“The promise I made when I joined Inter was that I would do everything to take Inter back to winning ways and make them credible both in Italy and in Europe.
“I think we’ve achieved big things.”