Conte: "A tough match awaits, we'll need to be attentive"

APPIANO GENTILE – Inter are set to play their rearranged matchday one clash against Benevento tomorrow: kick-off is scheduled for 18:00 CEST at the Stadio Ciro Vigorito. Ahead of the Serie A showdown, Antonio Conte responded to questions from journalists during his pre-match press conference. This is what he had to say:

Like Inter, Benevento are coming into the game on the back of a comeback victory. What kind of game are you expecting and where could the main pitfalls lie?"We’re expecting a tough match in every respect. Last season, Benevento enjoyed a big season in Serie B and won the league with many games to spare. They have a coach who was my teammate for many years. I know him well, and I know what he can give to a team in terms of character too. It’ll be a tricky game: they’ve shown that they have character and are a real team, they deserved to win their last match and we’ll need to be very attentive.”

Do you feel like this Inter side is becoming increasingly like the team you’d like it to be?"Compared to last year, the squad has changed. Numerically, and especially in midfield, we’ve now got more options. Last season, we had many problems with injuries in midfield. An unusual season lies ahead and we’re coming from a period where we played a lot of football. I hope to have everyone available to me, as is the case now. Hopefully, I’ll have better luck in this respect this time around.”

What do you think about having the option of making five substitutions?“If I’m being honest, I don’t want to enter any discussions regarding this. There are rules in place and people who decide these things, we’ll adapt.”

Are you expecting more movement in the transfer market? "The directors take care of this. We coaches all have the same opinion: we can’t wait for the transfer window to close, because any transfer news – be it true or false – can unsettle players. Furthermore, there’s also the fact that you have clarity on who is definitely part of the project once the transfer market has come to an end.”

Are you expecting Nainggolan to stay? What can he give to the team?“The directors take care of the transfer market and incoming and outgoing transfers.”

As you’ve already mentioned, Inter did really well when going forward but didn’t have a lot of balance…“I really liked what I saw: as a Coach, I enjoyed it. We played some good, attacking football and were aggressive when out of possession. However, it’s true that they caught us out when they scored. We know that we need to attack and defend with a certain number of players in order to strike a balance. I repeat: I enjoyed myself, because our attacking play was excellent. It’s obvious that teams which attack with many players are taking more of a risk. We are looking to find the right balance but want to carry on with the kind of football we’re playing: it’s great and we like it.”

It’ll be the first time you’ve come up against Filippo Inzaghi as a coach: what’s it like facing a former teammate?“We played together at Juventus and for Italy, enjoying plenty of emotional moments together. We know each other well. He is passionate and studies football, I was sure that he’d do well. I’m happy for him.”

You have many options in midfield, especially in the centre...“When it comes to the three in the middle, we’ll switch things up this year too. We are a team that looks to play attacking football: not many teams play with two strikers, an attacking playmaker and two wingers. Last season, we managed to score 113 goals. There are many benefits to our system, but we need to do well in terms of not losing the ball and getting caught out.”