Conte: “No calculations, we just need everybody at their best”
Team
— Nov 22nd 2019The Nerazzurri Coach held a press conference ahead of the league game against Torino
APPIANO GENTILE - Antonio Conte met with journalists today at a press conference at the Suning Training Centre ahead of Torino vs. Inter; the Nerazzurri’s fixture on matchday 13 of Serie A TIM which is scheduled to take place at 20:45 CET on Saturday 23 November: “We’ve finally got all our players back after the international break; these guys have been playing all over the world. It’s always difficult to prepare for a game after the break but we have an important match just around the corner and we need to be ready.”
“We’re in an emergency situation: in addition to Sanchez and Politano, we will be without Sensi, Asamoah and Gagliardini. All of this needs to motivate us further, we know that we have to get the most out of all our players to compensate for this current situation which we hope will improve. We have seven games before Christmas and we need to do well everywhere, both in the league and in the Champions League. We can’t do a great deal about the injuries. We’ve only got two muscle-based injuries; Gagliardini and Sensi. We’re not talking about a lot of injuries, but they've all occurred in a specific position and so we’re in a bit of trouble. As far as Sensi is concerned, he’s missed almost all of the previous match cycle. Now we’re trying to get him back in his best possible condition, so that once he’s back in the team he’ll be in a stable situation.”
Conte also responded to recent reports in the news: “We need to look to transmit positive values, especially for the youngest generations. I’ve already expressed myself on this. Let’s not give time to these episodes which are negative and morally harmful. The more time we give to them, the more negative messages we send. The less we speak about it, the better. There are people working on this and they’ll give me news."
Up next is Mazzarri’s Torino side. “The relationship is excellent with Walter. We also faced off in England. We spoke for a long time about our experiences. It’s inevitable that we’ll be opponents on the pitch but the relationship is one of great respect, I hold what he does in high regard and he’s doing very well at Torino.”
“We can’t make calculations on using players or not with a view to the Champions League. I’ve said already that we’re in an emergency situation. For recovery times, you need to speak to the doctor and obviously I hope to have everyone back as soon as possible. We’ve got D’Ambrosio back but he still needs to get back up to his best through training. He’s versatile, a utility player who can play at full-back or in the middle. It’s important to have a player with his characteristics in the squad. He can also influence the team by coming into games.”
“Lukaku is a very important player for us as is Lautaro. They’re both doing very well, the work they’re doing for the team also needs to be highlighted.”