Conte: “We have to always try to do the best we can”

APPIANO GENTILE – On the eve of Inter vs. Cagliari, the lunchtime kick-off on Sunday 26 January, Antonio Conte spoke to the press at the Suning Training Centre and had the following to say: “We’ll be coming up against an excellent side, as shown by Cagliari’s league position, the great season they’re enjoying and their squad. On top of that, they’ve got a well-prepared coach. The challenge we’ve got is we’ll be facing a strong side. Our idea is to attack even when we’ve scored the first goal, to try to bag a second or a third. This is what we want to do because you always need to try to achieve the maximum and not just try to defend after you’ve scored. There’s a need to put the game to bed by scoring another.”

Ashley Young and Victor Moses have arrived this transfer window: “I’ve always said that anyone coming in would be a replacement for someone who’s leaving and that there would be a balanced approach in the transfer market. Lazaro has gone out on loan and Moses has arrived on loan. We’ve gone for an experienced player in Young in order to get a quicker response. We’re trying to add reinforcements and make investments if money comes in, but there needs to be a balance between incomings and outgoings. We want to strengthen certain areas which need to be reinforced for a number of reasons. We also want to continue to work hard and on the details to make improvements.”

On a possible debut for Young on Sunday: “Looking ahead to tomorrow’s match, we’re in an emergency situation: Candreva is suspended and Lazaro has departed, meaning we will also need to make hasty decisions. But we have to focus on ourselves and our growth process while also thinking about working hard and improving.”

Finally, the Coach reflected on the situation after the Lecce game: “The fact that we’re in a position where a point away to Lecce is considered a negative result six months in means that we’ve become more credible. We need to be humble and accept this result. We could have won but we’re on a journey. The fact that we’ve gained this credibility means that we’ve done well. We need to remain focused, we’ve only lost the one match against Juventus and shouldn’t lose sight of reality. There’s a need to appreciate what’s coming, the important thing is to display the maximum amount of sacrifice and give everything. Drawing despite giving your all is something that can happen. We need to keep going at full throttle and give 100%.