Inter CEO Beppe Marotta praised Antonio Conte for leading the club to the Scudetto and claimed that the coach was a guarantee of success.
The Nerazzurri were crowned Serie A champions yesterday to win a first league title since 2010, with Conte securing the title in his second season at the club.
After nine years of Juventus dominance, Inter have finally pulled the Scudetto away from the Turin club and Marotta insisted that it was down to the leadership of Conte, in an interview with Italian television channel Sky Sport Italia yesterday.
“How was it possible to close the gap on Juventus? It started at the beginning of last season. The gap that existed was substantial, they had won the Scudetto early and then we got to within a point,” Marotta claimed.
“The table says that we are on 82 points, but we can still add 12 and we therefore reach 94. It is not the failure of those who chased us, even if the rivals have remained quite far back. The merit is of Conte, and he himself has defined it as a work of art.
“He was successful as a player and as a coach, he managed to convey these values to the boys, since none of them had ever won a title except [Arturo] Vidal with Juventus. Even [Romelu] Lukaku was excited. This credit must be attributed to the leader, Conte. It is a set of values that have been assimilated, making it possible to improve so quickly.”
Marotta had previously worked with Conte at Juventus and declared that the ex-Chelsea coach was almost a guarantee of silverware and worth a high salary, after he secured his fifth league title across Italy and England.
With Juventus’ period of dominance at an end, Marotta argued that Inter could begin their own, particularly with Conte at the helm.
“I believe that a winning coach can carry a large cost but it doesn’t matter, it’s better to have one less player but a good coach. He has a salary that goes hand in hand with his skill.
“Let’s not forget that we also made a difficult decision because we had a coach who is still registered with us, [Luciano] Spalletti, who is an excellent coach. However, I believed that the right coach must be in the right place at the right time, I thought Conte could take on a role of leader having also known him in Turin.
“The arrival of Antonio Conte already solved the coach’s problem, he gives us ample guarantees. The pandemic provided problems from a financial point of view, we have to adjustments costs, but we will talk about this later as Antonio also said.
“We want to enjoy this extraordinary moment. It would be nice to be able to win again next year, it would coincide with the second star and it would be extraordinary for everyone.”
Despite a turbulent season off the pitch, in which Inter faced growing financial concerns, Marotta claimed that success made things easier for him in his position.
“When things go well the big problems becomes small and vice versa. I know Conte very well, when he asked for clarity it was because he wanted to further engage the club. He likes to say things to directly, but I prefer to deal with a transparent person rather than a person who is not sincere.
“We are on course with our journey, we have seen that the gap with Juventus reduced, but the difficulties will start again on 1 July with the new season.
“There are also other clubs that are doing well such as Milan, Napoli, and Atalanta, who are a model for everyone. [Gian Piero] Gasperini is doing very well and can consolidate his style of football. In my opinion Atalanta are candidates for the Scudetto.”
Marotta departed Juventus in 2018 to take up the position at Inter, but hinted that he had been forced out.
“I did not leave, there was a consensual resolution because there was a clear confrontation in which certain things emerged. It is right that in such cases the director steps back. I received Steven Zhang’s message and immediately accepted this new challenge.”
Finally, the CEO reflected on his time with Inter and considered his best signing for the club, naming striker Romelu Lukaku from Manchester United.
“There have been many difficult ones. Certainly the hardest signing was that of Lukaku because it was a costly purchase, but Conte was convinced that he would be useful and he was right,” Marotta added.