Antonio Conte has regrets after Serie A leaders Inter drew 0-0 with Roma, but told off the San Siro crowd for being “presumptuous.”
The Nerazzurri must hope Juventus don’t beat Lazio tomorrow evening, or they’ll lose the Serie A leadership once again.
Romelu Lukaku and Matias Vecino forced tough saves from Antonio Mirante, as for the first time after 19 competitive matches this season, Inter failed to find the net.
“If you look at the game overall, Mirante was man of the match and Roma never really had a shot on goal, so possession matters little at that point,” the coach told Sky Sport Italia.
“We ran practically no risks against a great Roma side. These are the games where you have to score goals, because we had the opportunities and we forced them to make errors with our pressure and the runs from midfield.
“We could’ve been more determined in front of goal tonight and would’ve brought home the three points.
“The positive aspects are that when you press high, you can steal the ball and immediately go clear on goal. The negative is that it uses up a lot of energy and, if they get through that first line of pressure, there’s a lot of space behind.
“We know Roma are very good at passing the ball around, so it wasn’t easy, but we did it well this evening and forced errors. As I said, their goalkeeper Mirante was man of the match. We did create the scoring opportunities.”
Antonio Candreva went off at half-time with a back problem, will he be fit for the Champions League on Tuesday?
“A big match with Barcelona is coming up and I don’t want to talk about those who are injured. We’ll start 11 players and they will give their heart and soul.”
Conte was asked if he envies the options from the bench that other clubs can count on?
“As I said in my press conference, we’re trying to just reach the Christmas break. The lads are giving their all, the crowd is supporting us during a difficult moment where we all have to make do.
“I was disappointed, however, that when there were some poor first touches this evening, some in the crowd grumbled or jeered. We need everyone in this fight and that includes every fan. They have to stand by us and not turn on players after one error. Don’t forget, many of these players are young, they are not accustomed to playing at San Siro and nobody – including the supporters – must become presumptuous.”
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