Conte: “We need to maintain our focus and finish the season as well as we can”

APPIANO GENTILE – Two days after the game against Fiorentina, Inter are getting ready for another match. The Nerazzurri take on Genoa away on Saturday 25 July at 19:30 CEST. Ahead of the game, Antonio Conte spoke about his team and Inter’s upcoming opponents. “It’s a totally different experience. The rhythm of competitive league matches in this period is different than it was before. We’re playing and training in really high temperatures; it’s inevitable that everything is done in a more compact way to be able to finish the season. It’s a new experience, which we all hope not to have to repeat, not even next year.”

On Nicola’s Genoa: “We’re just looking at ourselves, we need to maintain our focus and finish the season as well as we can. Regardless of the opponents, who we did analyse even though there was very little time to prepare for the game, we need to concentrate on what we’re doing. It’s important to focus on what we can and must always do, with the greatest respect to the opposition. I think Nicola’s a great coach. He came in and he made positive changes at Genoa, which we already knew about. I’m happy, because he’s a young guy with ideas and determination. I think Genoa wanted to bring in more experience in January. They’re a team that is fighting relegation. We’re going there to continue our development process and to try and finish the season on a high. We want, as we should, to take all three points.”

Among the absentees is Barella, who is suspended for the game: “If there’s a suspension or some other misfortune then you have to rotate. Especially in this busy final phase of the season, where the players are a bit fatigued, as a coach, you need to try to rotate. The fact is that we’re all being a little careful now. You need to prepare for a game tactically in the limited space of time, and try to see where you can hurt the other team or where they can hurt you. You also need to try to alleviate the hard work on training.”

On Eriksen, who had a great first half last time out: “He’s back in and trying to do his best. We’re trying to give him the best possible conditions, because he’s in the heart of play. He has the freedom to roam between the lines, attack the space, go to receive the ball. He can do what he wants, but needs to continue working in a serious and consistent manner, which he’s doing.”

Finally, on Inter’s last two opponents of the season: Napoli and Atalanta, who, like Inter, also have European football to play once the season is over. “We’re playing on 5 August, they’ll have a few more days to recover and give the players enough rest in order to best prepare. We play the games with a tight finish, and it’s straight on to the Europa League continuing with this heavy, physical and mental workload.”