Inter coach Antonio Conte insisted that his players showed no complacency in today’s 5-1, despite already securing the Scudetto, as he looked to instil a winning mentality.
The Nerazzurri went into the match at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza as league champions but showed no signs of taking it easy, with a thrashing of the Blucerchiati courtesy of an Alexis Sanchez brace, as well as goals from Roberto Gagliardini, Andrea Pinamonti and Lautaro Martinez.
Speaking to InterTV after the final whistle at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Conte praised his team for showing professionalism and urged his side to maintain a winning desire no matter what.
“Honestly, the fact that we won with four games to go made me approach the match with greater calmness, without that anxiety linked to the result. I could concentrate on the performance, which was there,” Conte revealed.
“At the same time, the moment in which you take to the pitch, you become, so to speak, animals in search of victory. I told the lads to enjoy the moment, continuing to give everything to win, and I want this to become an obsession for us.”
With the title already secured, Conte made wholesale changes to his team and used lesser utilised players, though the coach felt it was indicative of the professionalism and competitiveness at the club.
“It was a demonstration of the professionalism and seriousness of everyone here at Inter. When playing in a team everyone must know to work together.
“Seeing people like [Danilo] D’Ambrosio, [Andrea] Ranocchia and [Matias] Vecino who hadn’t played for a long time, or Pinamonti, is the demonstration that the group works together and is on track.”
Meanwhile, the coach also admitted that he started to believe that the Scudetto was a distinct possibility in February after Inter overtook Milan at the top of the table, maintaining their position until the end of the campaign.
“I started to think it when we overtook Milan. We had to handle the pressure, and did so. At that moment we only depended on ourselves, in this sense the lads were fine.
“In 19 games, from defeat to in the first match against Sampdoria, we stepped on the accelerator, and winning Serie A with this lead means going beyond normality,” Conte added.
