Inter boss Antonio Conte warns change must go beyond the pitch as “other clubs are able to offer better protection in certain situations.”
A story came out during the week that Romelu Lukaku and Stefan de Vrij argued after Inter’s 1-1 draw with Slavia Prague, and Conte was unhappy with the manner in which it was allowed to circulate.
“We always try to put in maximum effort and follow our principles of preparation,” he said at a Press conference.
“Sometimes we’re able to do better, others less so. What the lads definitely put in is a huge commitment.
“We know we have a lot of work to do to improve, but it doesn’t scare us. I honestly think that in general, there’s always a lot of talk about Inter in newspapers and on TV.
“I’ve been told that it’s normal and that it’s always been like this, but I disagree. Other clubs are able to offer better protection in certain situations.
“We say it’s normal procedure, but other clubs are good at handling these situations. We have to improve so much on this, even off the field there are huge gaps and we must fill them all together.
“The excuses for previous years aren’t good, otherwise I can also say that in previous years we didn’t fight. We must all try to change together.”
The Nerazzurri face city rivals Milan in the Derby della Madonnina tomorrow…
“Giampaolo did his time in the lower Leagues like I did. Each of us has their own path and he deserves this great opportunity.
“He’s prepared and obsessed with football like myself, so I congratulate him. We always play to win, but every game has pitfalls hidden away.
“Every victory brings enthusiasm and positivity if it’s achieved in the right way. At the same time, victory can lead to slacking so we must be good at managing these situations.
“Having said that, I’d always like to win. As for the flaws we’ve been accused of having in the past, I won’t talk about them.
“In these nine years, during which time Inter haven’t been competitive, most of it is due to ups and downs.
“It’s not my opinion but rather a statistic. We played against a team in Slavia who proved to be strong.
“Maybe it’s in those games where experience is needed. We have so many lads who were playing their first game in the Champions League and many others in the squad still haven’t made 10 appearances.
“That makes you understand that experience in competitions like the Champions League counts for so much.
“We have to be good at improving, but they still deserved a draw.”
