Inter manager Antonio Conte spoke with Italian broadcaster Rai Sports moments ago after watching his side fall to a 1-0 defeat to Napoli in the first of their two legged Coppa Italia semi final tie tonight.

Fabian Ruiz’s curling effort from outside the box proved enough to give the visiting Partenopei club the advantage in the tie ahead of the second leg which is due to take place at the beginning of next month.

Conte started the interview by graciously congratulating Napoli for their victory over his side

“Napoli came here and played very defensively. They had Mertens man marking Brozovic and closed off all of the spaces. In some cases we had to be faster and had to do better in one-on-one situations. Congratulations to Napoli anyway, their game plan has borne fruit as they won the match.”

He was then asked if Sunday’s heroics in the Derby della Madonnina over AC Milan had an effect on this evening’s encounter at San Siro.

“The derby took away a lot of energies, especially nervous ones. Today I made five changes compared to Sunday, there was new life. Napoli have beat Juve, Lazio and Liverpool, and when you can defeat opponents like them, you have such important values. Behind Juve they have the most important squad in the league.”

He was then asked about contesting some of the decisions referee Gianpaolo Calvarese made throughout the match which resulted in him being yellow carded: “I don’t want to speak about this, I don’t care.”

He then spoke on how Napoli were different to AC Milan and shared his belief that had the game ended in a draw, it would not have been an unfair result.

“Milan played in a more Garibaldian way and there were spaces on one side and the other. Today there was no spaces, Napoli played a very tactical match. Well done to Gennaro. We we had chances and we wouldn’t have stolen anything if it ended in a draw.”

He then spoke on Christian Eriksen, who came off the bench to make his fourth appearance for the club since his arrival from Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur during the recent January transfer window.
“He is definitely a quality player, he must regain match fitness though having not played a lot in the last six months. He is a serious boy, he is doing well.”

He then spoke on how his team had to play at a quick tempo.

“Faced with such defensive teams you have to be good at moving the ball quickly, make one-on-one situations on the wings and beat the man to create superiority. Napoli was very closed off and have quality players, as evidenced by their goal.”.

In conclusion, the former Italian national team manager, said that he and the team must use defeats like the one tonight to help them get better.

“We are at the beginning of a journey, if anyone thinks we are at the level of those who have commanded for many years I say that we are far away and we must work and use these defeats to improve.”

The post Inter Manager Conte: “We Wouldn’t Have Stolen Anything If It Ended In A Draw” appeared first on Sempreinter.

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