Inter coach Antonio Conte was driven to success with the Nerazzurri by the prospect of being the man to end a nine-year period of Juventus dominance.
The 51-year-old brought a halt to consecutive Bianconeri triumphs today, as his Inter side were crowned champions of Italy following Atalanta’s 1-1 draw against Sassuolo and earned their first Scudetto since 2010.
Conte had started Juventus’ winning cycle by leading the Turin club to three consecutive league titles from 2012 but, appearing on Italian television channel Sky Sport Italia yesterday afternoon, Padovan argued that he wanted to be the one to end it.
“I think Conte didn’t only want to get back into the game with Inter, but also to be the one who took away the hegemony of Juve. I am not afraid of denial. He is obviously happy with what his team has done,” Padovan claimed.
Inter have enjoyed an unbeaten run since the midway point of the season and this has coincided with the return to form of midfielder Christian Eriksen, after the Dane struggled in his first 12 months at the club since joining from Tottenham Hotspur in January 2020.
Padovan praised Conte for being willing to change his opinion on Eriksen and utilising him more, with the ex-Ajax player becoming a key figure in the team.
“It’s wise to change your mind and the coach was wise. Either out of necessity or because he saw him develop.
“I don’t know how much of an impact Conte had in Eriksen’s improvement but he recognised the player’s improvements and that he required this in a particular area of the pitch,” Padovan added.
