Conte: "A strange game, we deserved more"

GENOA – Inter failed to record a ninth consecutive league victory, with Antonio Conte’s men falling to a 2-1 defeat to Sampdoria on matchday 16 of the Serie A season. After Sanchez had missed a spot-kick in the opening exchanges (Ashley Young then hit the woodwork on the rebound), Candreva’s penalty and Keita’s goal ensured that de Vrij’s second-half header was ultimately meaningless. A great performance from Audero and a bit of misfortune mean that the Nerazzurri will return to Milan empty-handed.

This is what the Coach had to say after the match:

What can this defeat be put down to?“It was a strange game. We found ourselves going from a missed penalty to conceding two goals in quick succession, creating a difficult situation for us. However, the team had been doing well and created many opportunities to score. Sometimes, you can lose games which you’ve dominated. After going two behind, it wasn’t easy. We gave it a shot, but we weren’t able to get a result.”

Was Lukaku’s absence felt?“It wasn’t the first time that we’ve played without Romelu. It’s clear that he’s a player with certain qualities, but he wasn’t 100% fit, which could be seen when he came on. It’s disappointing because we deserved more.”

After a match like this, is it better to immediately focus on the next one without looking too much at the details?“In order to try to improve, we certainly need to analyse the positive aspects and also those which didn’t work. However, as I already said, it was a strange game. The lads showed great commitment and desire, but Lady Luck forgot about us today.”

It seems that Inter are at their best when there’s an urgent need to attack…“Considering all the chances we create, I believe that we’re excellent as an attacking unit. We use the width of the pitch, our midfielders get forward and there’s all the work done by our two strikers. We perhaps lacked a bit of balance in the first part of the season. We’ve conceded more goals, but I can have no complaints about our attacking play and the way in which we occupy the area. All the goals we’ve scored both this season and last year are testament to this.”