Conte: "We're maturing a lot. There's only one way to bring joy to our fans..."

MILAN – A week on from their #DerbyMilan win, Antonio Conte’s Inter recorded another 3-0 victory today, this time against Genoa. Lukaku opened the scoring on matchday 24 in Serie A with a goal after just 32 seconds, while Darmian and Sanchez sealed the Nerazzurri’s latest success in the second half. This is what the Nerazzurri Coach had to say to Sky following the match?

Are you satisfied after passing a test to prove your maturity? What does it suggest?“We played against a side that is in great form at the moment: they only picked up one fewer point than us in the past few games and they were on a seven-game unbeaten run in Serie A. We showed the right amount of desire and determination and gave very little away. We managed to score three goals, and Perin was forced to make several big saves. We’re happy because our hard work is paying off. This is a team that is developing belief in its capabilities and starting to manage situations well, especially when we’re out of possession. We’re maturing a lot. That being said, there are still 14 games to go and we have to stay on this path and maintain the same concentration levels, irrespective of the opponent. This is the only way to do something great and bring joy to our fans."

Is the ferocity that we’re seeing from Inter on the pitch the result of a ‘Scudetto pact’ within the group?“There hasn’t been a Scudetto pact. When you wear these colours, there must always be the ambition to win: history tells us this, and it’s been too long since Inter won anything. However, we came very close in August despite the fact it was my first year at the Club. The disappointment we felt from our undeserved Champions League elimination perhaps made us realise that we needed to raise the bar in order to be more competitive. If we’d been in the Champions League right now, I think we could’ve had our say in the tournament.”

Last season, Inter had three fewer points than Juventus at this stage. Now, the Nerazzurri have a ten-point advantage over them, albeit having played a game more…“We shouldn’t forget that the gap with Juventus has been around 20 points for Inter in recent years. We made an enormous step forward last season and are carrying on our journey this campaign. We are doing something important, but there are 14 games to go, so we need to continue going down this path. A wonderful synergy has been created and we need to continue in this fashion.”

Has the situation at the Club united you even more?"When you're a coach or player at Inter, out of respect for the history of the Club and its fans, you need to just focus on what happens on the pitch. I just have to make an impact on what is within my power, and the same goes for the players. It's useless to waste your energy on things that don't concern us. We need to concentrate on what we can influence."

Will there be changes for Parma, considering the game against Atalanta, or will the best players feature?"There are four days between one game and the other, so there's time to recover. We have a lot of respect for Parma, who are well coached by my friend D'Aversa. We'll play with the best side possible."