UCL, Conte: "We want to give our all so we don't have any regrets"

APPIANO GENTILE – Champions League football is back, and Inter are set to take to the San Siro pitch on Wednesday to face Borussia Dortmund for their third match in Group F. On the eve of the showdown against the Germans, Antonio Conte responded to questions from journalists at the Suning Training Centre: “We can’t say that this match is a final. This would be an exaggeration: finals are played at the very end. We’ll be involved in an important match when we face Borussia Dortmund. I want one thing: for us to give everything we’ve got against Borussia so we leave the pitch without any regrets. We need to play the best we possibly can. The Champions League is an extremely difficult competition and for us it represents an important step in terms of our growth process and gaining experience. But I repeat: we need to play the best we can so as to not have any regrets.”

Inter won on Sunday against Sassuolo but not without a few scares. And a vital match is now upon the Nerazzurri: “We haven’t had a lot of time to prepare for the game but we’ve looked at videos and studied various situations. Points are vital: we could have done more against Slavia Prague, while we didn’t get what we deserved against Barcelona.” Borussia Dortmund are a tough side to face: “They are a strong team and very good on the break. They have quick players who are very strong on an open pitch. For this reason, we must not repeat the mistakes we made against Sassuolo, when we lost the ball in our build-up play and went on to concede.”

The team’s growth process is still ongoing: “At the end of the day, we’ve only been working together for just over three months. There was a period where we had seven matches in 23 days, something which doesn’t allow you to work in the best possible way and review important concepts and situations. Knowledge of these is acquired over time.  However, I have to say that all the players have shown great willingness over this period. We started out with an idea and are not going back. We don’t want to soak up pressure from opponents, we want to be in charge of matches. We’ve conceded too many goals recently but have the second-best attack in Serie A having scored 18 goals. We’re not only looking at the negative aspects.”

He then moved on to speak about individuals: “Lukaku and his goals against Sassuolo? We need to remain balanced in our assessments, that’s what I ask of my players as well. Romelu has settled in very well but the whole group is positive, everyone who has arrived has adapted well. Lautaro needs to keep working hard: head down and pedal. There’s no need for him to focus on goals alone, in fact he’s becoming a complete forward. I like the work he does for the team. It’s up to him to take the lead on his own development as a player.

“Brozovic is very important for us, if he continues to improve certain aspects he can become a top player on the world stage.” Conte also spoke about Lazaro and Candreva: “Valentino arrived from abroad and from a team with a lesser stature. Time, faith and patience are all required. Antonio has shown great willingness, he has great potential to improve. I had already worked with him, he’s doing well but I still expect more.”

On D’Ambrosio and Sensi: “Danilo has a minor fracture, when he’s back will depend on how much pain it causes him. We’ll do another check on Sensi on Wednesday, we’re keeping an eye on his condition.”