Conte: “We are focussed on the present, the match against Atalanta will be another very difficult challenge.”

APPIANO GENTILE – Tomorrow at 20:45 CET Inter will face off against Atalanta for the 26th matchday of Serie A. Ahead of the challenge at San Siro (click here for some interesting facts and figures regarding the match), Antonio Conte answered questions from the journalists who tuned in.

Tomorrow will be a clash between the best attacks of the league, but concerning another area, namely, defence, could you tell us more about the great spell that your team has had recently?

I think that every team needs to have a good balance between their defence and their attack, and involve all of the players in both departments, to make them understand the importance of each and bring home stellar results. This said, I think that the winner of tomorrow’s game will be whichever team attacks better on the day.

Tactically speaking, is this your most difficult challenge?

It is undoubtedly difficult because we are coming up against a team that make it hard for everyone, in both the Champions League and the Serie A, where they have won the most against the big sides. It’s a clear reality, they are well aware of their abilities and their strong players, be they starting players or substitutes, such as Muriel who comes on so often and makes a huge impact in tough games. Gasperini is doing an amazing job, the team follows him and I am happy for him and Atalanta, who I also, although not for very long, once coached.

Are you happy with what you’re building?

We have to be proud of the fact that we have always worked hard and put 110% effort in, we feel obliged to do this, and it is our duty to such a prestigious club and its fans to leave everything on the pitch, this will has always been with us and we will continue to work for the club, the fans and ourselves.

How significant would a victory be for you tomorrow?

Atalanta have been for a while now the team that manage to beat all of the big Italian clubs, and this gives them strength, self-confidence and awareness. It’s inevitable that when you manage to equal or beat dominant squads, you’ll realise that you’re on the right path, I don't know how much we’ll need to do but it’ll mean we’re on the right path.

Lots of people say that Inter are the favourites. Is it more difficult to keep the team focussed with this broad consensus in the air?

My teams always play to win, whether they are the favourites or the underdogs. I have never hidden from anything, even when starting off as an underdog in the past, the objective has always been to win, and then win again, but whether we are favourites or underdogs matters little.

After the first leg at Atalanta Inter have won 47 points out of a possible 54, a very high level of performance. What changed?

We also did well last season, and adding our performances to those of this season I think means we have done better than everyone, nothing has changed, maybe it is more that those who were ahead of us have slowed down a little, which has given room to other teams like AC Milan, Roma and Atalanta. I think that it’s this which has changed, because we also performed well last season.

How important is the team? How much of a difference does Lukaku make? Which Atalanta match did you watch in order to prepare for the match?

I don’t think that there is any doubt that we can win with the team, the structure must then get the most out of each player, and try to provide them with the best chances. For us the team as a whole is important and then there are the individuals that are developing and that have to continue doing so if we want to win anything of note. Their development is nourished every day with the work that they put in, their dedication and their commitment. We studied the match against Atalanta, it’s our fourth match against them since I arrived at Inter so they know us and we know them. It will be a very difficult game because they have caused problems for all of the big sides. We will have to perform well and be resilient so we can punish them when we are in possession.

Have you thought about your future yet, and whether you will stay or is it something you will think about at the end of the year?

In fact, there is a set date, I have a contract that lasts for another year, at the moment everyone – myself, the board and the players have to be very focussed on the present. We can’t get distracted by other considerations, we have to be focussed because we can influence the present, from now until the end, what happens outside of this I don’t know because I can’t let it affect us. For us it is important to give off signs of stability and to show that we have brought Inter back to where they deserve, we have to be ferocious and think that the present is now and the future is not until the end of the league. We owe it to the club and our fans.

Regarding the experiment that started on social media to start a debate on hoofing it vs tiki-taka, was this positive overall?

It was very positive, I found lots of interesting things, lots of people’s thoughts are similar to mine, many people replied that the common objective has to be the goal, whether you get there with slow build-up or a direct attack matters little, the most important thing is to have possession and when you get the chance go straight for goal. I liked it a lot, I will try and do more such interactions in the future, I found replies that gave me some food for thought so I’d like to thank all of the people who responded. Talking about football directly with people can also change my perspective of things.

A reminder about Claudio Segagni, who was also a translator at Inter, Roma and many other clubs.

It’s very sad news, this is a young person who has left us. Things like this are always very sad, it’s a person who also worked here at Inter and for various other coaches. I can only remember him and offer my deepest sympathies to his family.