Inter Milan manager, Antonio Conte says the 1-0 victory over Napoli which took them closer to AC Milan wasn’t an easy one and described it a ‘very tactical match.
The win took the Nerazurri close to AC Milan, who drew 2-2 at Genoa. Inter now has 27 points from 13 games, a point below their city rival.
The difference in the game was Romel;u Lukaku’s goal from the penalty spot.
Despite being one man down after Lorenzo Insigne was sent off for dissent, the Pertonopei dominated.
“A win like this one can do well, that’s what I told the boys. It was not easy. Napoli are a great team. It was a tactical match, with great respect on both sides.
“It was not a great game, but these are important points against an ambitious team like Napoli, always protagonist of our championship, these points and are worth double,” Conte told Sky Sport after the game.
Speaking about the importance of the win, the former Chelsea boss knew the weight of the game, adding that he knew that it will be hard to win.
“The team felt the importance and the weight of the game. We knew that winning it would not be easy. Bringing home this kind of game is important for mental growth.
“The team must learn to suffer in these situations. We’d rather not suffer so much, but winning these games against such a strong teams is a good sign. These are difficult games because you can either win them or lose them.
“Napoli are a great team, with a great coach and a fantastic organization. Maybe we made the game look bad. We know each other, we had studied each other after last season’s games, we had a strategy to nullify each other’s attacks.
“We tried to press high in the first half, but they were good easing the pressure. Piotr Zielinski created troubles for us a little bit, playing behind [Marcelo] Brozovic,” Conte continued.
Inter Milan likely to takeover Serie A leadership from AC Milan after Europe’s exit
Now that Inter Milan has been out of European competition, their sole concentration will be on domestic affairs.
With the personnel Conte has, he is expected to win nothing less than a title. Winnijg the Serie A will stop the monopoly of Juventus, who has won it for the 9th straight time.
With Lukaku, who is scoring in almost everygame, Conte can have assurance of gosl.
Although, Lauutaro Martinez might not be as clinical as his Belgian counterpart, he will also have an impact inn the teram. His partnership with Lukaku is expected to flourish further this season.
Since they are out of Europe now, it is important that the Nerazurri maintains high level of consistency. This will give them the edge over the likes of Juve, Napoli, Atalanta and Milan who will be resuming for knockout matches in March 2021.
