Former Inter striker Alessandro Altobelli discussed the Nerazzurri’s current form, coach Antonio Conte, former Juventus boss Max Allegri and the Europa League, amongst other topics, in an interview with Italian newspaper Il Giornale published yesterday.
“If someone had told me that Inter would have lost points against Verona, Sassuolo and Bologna I wouldn’t have believed them but unfortunately it happened.
“The atmosphere has become a bit stiff and even the fans who have always been present and passionate, are losing patience with ferocious attacks against the coach.”
He discussed how the Inter fans were happy to welcome Conte into the job last summer, despite the fact that his career as both a player and manager had largely been tied with Juventus.
“At the beginning of the season choices were made. Conte is a man who has had his sporting career linked with Juventus for years as both a player and a coach but most Nerazzurri fans were immediately convinced of his great professionalism.
“Things went well at the beginning because there were results but lately, I see discontent and even offensive comments. We are a team that in recent games have shown to have weak points and difficulties but the atmosphere must be fixed.”
The 64-year-old Italian didn’t think that Conte would leave the club this summer, after only one season in charge.
“I hope not because with Conte, Inter have made specific choices, losing important players like Perisic, Icardi and Nainggolan to name a few.
“Other players he wanted came through the market and today there’s this negative climate because of the results of the last few games.
“Maybe Conte has to be more careful with his statements, it seems as if the team hasn’t done what he wanted considering his words but he has to be calm because the club has given him a huge salary, higher than most of the players and Marotta is his great sponsor.”
He highlighted that people must wait until the end of the season before they fully judge Conte’s first season in charge of the Milanese club.
“7 games left plus the Europa League, let’s wait for the end of the season before passing judgement. I think the fans must also be patient, there are those who are positive and those who are not.
“I repeat, let’s wait to judge because Inter are 14 points ahead of Roma and are almost sure to participate in the next Champions League season. I hope they don’t start from scratch with a traumatic farewell.”
Altobelli touched on whether former Juventus coach Max Allegri would be a good fit for Inter, should Conte depart.
“I have an immense esteem for Allegri, I consider him one of the greatest coaches in Europe. Max is a hard-working guy. He makes teams play well. He wins.
“I think he’s one of the best and let’s put it this way, even if I don’t want this, if Conte leaves then Allegri all the way.”
The former Nerazzurri striker believed that the Milanese club could win this season’s Europa League. Their next opponents are Getafe at the start of August.
“Right now, no one believes in Inter anymore but I think they have what it takes. A team like Inter shouldn’t be afraid of anyone, the squad is competitive and if they move forward in the cup, they won’t have to fear anyone.
“In my opinion, Inter can hope to win the cup if the team regains enthusiasm, they can go all the way and I honestly hope so.”
He praised former Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku for his quick adaption and strong goalscoring record this season.
“I have to be honest, I didn’t expect such a great performance, the Belgian was a positive surprise, he replaced Icardi well and I have to say that you couldn’t notice the difference between the two.
“Lukaku also has a different way of playing, he helps a lot and works with team. Goals and quality in short, he’s having a great season.”
Altobelli thought that it would be better for Argentine striker Lautaro Martinez to remain with Inter for one more year, instead of pushing for a move to Barcelona this summer.
“Lautaro has had a difficult time since the rumours about Barcelona appeared. He has inevitably thought about something else and this hasn’t worked in his favour.
“Lautaro, however, is a forward who knows how to play football, he’s not selfish, he plays for the team, he scores, dribbles and assists. He can become one of the strongest in Europe but his mentality must be strong.
“Inter gave him the chance to play in Italy and to stand out and if I were him, I would stay at least another year to mature definitively and then maybe change teams.”
The former Nerazzurri striker gave his prediction for the final top four in the league table.
“I think Juventus will win again in the end, second Gasperini’s surprising Atalanta and a close fight between Inter and Lazio for 3rd and 4th place but in the end, I think the Nerazzurri will win and get 3rd.”
Finally, Altobelli discussed whether there is too much criticism levied against Inter when they aren’t performing well, compared to other teams.
“I think so, we often use a different method towards Inter in difficult periods. But I think we have to make a careful analysis to understand where we’ve been wrong since 2010 because something hasn’t gone well.
“A lot of money has been spent and nothing has been won, a lot of coaches have changed and the situation hasn’t changed.
“At the end of the year I think they have to have a thorough examination to understand where they went wrong to correct the situation but they shouldn’t to throw everything away because I think they’re going in the right direction, they just have to correct the situation to get back to winning as soon as possible.”
The post Inter Legend Alessandro Altobelli: “I Don’t Want This But If Antonio Conte Leaves Then Max Allegri All The Way” appeared first on Sempreinter.
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