Skriniar: "A united squad, we're not making calculations"

MILAN - From Sunday to Sunday: from the victory over Cagliari to the game against Napoli, Inter are preparing for the final push. Among the figures of this Inter side is Milan Skriniar, who has scored three goals in the current campaign and has starred in the Nerazzurri's backline.

The Slovakian defender spoke to Sky Sport about the team at the moment.

Did you expect to be in this position in the table with this lead at this point of the season? "The lead we have is a result of work from the whole team. Maybe we didn't expect to be this far ahead with eight games to go, but this is exactly what we work towards. We always try to go as high as possible; we have a great attitude, we know we can always improve and we enjoy ourselves."

You only need a certain amount of points to reach your objective... "I've never been one to make these calculations, and we don't do it as a team. We just take it game by game. We need to win the next one, and then move on to the others. The next game is always the most important."

One year ago, you beat Napoli; has something changed this year? "Our attitude remains the same; our path has been one of growing together. We're united and you can see that on any given Sunday out on the pitch."

Three at the back: has playing in this system made you a more well-rounded player? "I had to get used to us myself. We needed a bit of time but I'm happy because we've all worked in the same direction and improved."

 What does Antonio Conte tell you? "That we need to work and not look at the table, just prepare for our next opponents."

Conte is your coach but is almost like a teammate... "True, he helps us a lot. We're a really united group, that's what counts."

What is the strength of your defensive trio ahead of Handanovic?  "We try to stay compact. My opinion is that it's a result of work from all the team, credit has to go to the midfielders and strikers as well in these more recent games, in which we've had to sit a bit deeper and be a bit more compact. Our defensive work begins in attack and ur offensive phase begins with the goalkeeper."

Has the language helped Eriksen to settle in? "The language is important to understand your teammates. Christian understands almost everything now; we knew he was good but he just needed a bit of time- He's doing really well now. He helps us a lot good forward and at the back as well."

Your forwards give you a bit of security... "It's nice to know that you have some great players ahead of you, who can keep the ball or score on the break or in so many other ways. They also help out a lot when we're out of possession."

Was there a moment when your pride really showed? "Getting knocked out of the Champions League gave us a lot of strength, it made us a more united group. This project has been going on for a while and we're proud."