Antonio Conte has no reason to leave Inter if they win Serie A this season, at least according to his former Juventus teammate Alessandro Birindelli.
Inter are currently sitting nine points clear at the top of the Serie A standings after 27 games played and have been widely tipped to go all the way and win the title for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign.
The Nerazzurri will not return to league action until April 3 now after Saturday’s fixture at home to Sassuolo was postponed, following a COVID-19 outbreak in the squad.
Asked in an interview with CalcioMercatoNews.com if Conte could be tempted to leave if Inter won the Scudetto, Birindelli said: “I don’t think this will happen.
“I think that Inter are building something that also goes into the future.
“It also depends on the possible sale of the club, which could change both corporate and technical scenarios.
“But if this ownership were to remain, I believe that there will be continuity and that by winning the Scudetto Antonio would complete a masterpiece.
“He would begin to put an important piece in building a winning group and soul.
“Inter would start next season with a good advantage over the others.”
Many have said that the title is now Inter’s title to lose given the advantage that they boast over their closest challengers.
Birindelli, who was a teammate of Conte’s at Juventus in the 1990s and early 2000s, believes that is most certainly the case.
“Only Inter can lose the title, just like only Juventus could lose it at the beginning of the season,” he argued.
“The Bianconeri have had a thousand problems and Inter took advantage of it, and in my opinion it is unlikely they will pass up this great opportunity.”
Birindelli, who represented Italy six times during his playing career, then went on to speak about the gap between the two arch rivals, which now appears to be smaller than ever.
“This was a particular year, where Inter unfortunately, or fortunately, were eliminated early in the Champions League,” he explained.
“They had the opportunity to focus solely and exclusively on the league, something that Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo could not do.
“For sure the gap with Juventus has been reduce, and from next season they will be head-to-head.”
Inter are 10 points clear of third-placed Juventus with 11 games left, although Inter’s postponement on Saturday means the Bianconeri can cut the gap to seven points heading into next week’s international break.
