Antonio Conte insists his table-topping Napoli side will not ‘wave the white flag’ when they take on second-place Inter in Serie A on Sunday evening, as the Partenopei coach prepares to return to San Siro after his Scudetto win in 2020-21.
Conte said it would be ‘like stepping back in time’ for him when he visits Inter again for the first time since he left the Nerazzurri in 2021, but despite his fond memories, he insists that both teams will fight to claim the three points.
Conte reflects on Inter success ahead of return with Napoli
“It always has an effect when you’ve worked hard. There are lots of emotions, it’s like going back in time,” Conte said during his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon. “There are so many things to look back on, so many memories. It’s definitely nice to return to a place I’ve previously worked.
“Two happy years. We came second in the first, we lost the Europa League final and then we won the Scudetto in the second. It was an amazon experience that I always carry with me, like all of the victories in the past.”
Conte then went on to explain the importance of Sunday’s top-of-the-table clash. He believes that the Nerazzurri are currently the strongest side in the division. Simone Inzaghi’s side are unbeaten in all competitions since the 2-1 loss to Milan in September, their only defeat of the campaign to date.
“Three points are always important. It’s inevitable that we have to face a team like (Inter) at some point. For everything that they’ve shown, they are the strongest team. They’ve worked really well and at the moment, they’re in a slightly higher position than all the others.
“Credit to them, they have done a great job from the directors down to the coach and the players, they have all grown, but they and we both want the three points.
“We are not going to San Siro to wave the white flag, we will see what happens if we play our cards right. We will measure ourselves against the best and it will be good to understand our progress. We can’t forget that we are at the top of the table, the objective is to remain at the top of the table.”
Conte not interested in Lukaku questions
Antonio Conte grew tired by repetitive questions about Napoli and former Inter striker Romelu Lukaku. There were suggestions that the Belgian has not yet found his best form for the Partenopei, despite his having four goals and four assists in nine league matches.
In response, the coach said: “There’s always a question about Lukaku at every press conference. It becomes a bit, not annoying, but we are talking about the team. Lukaku’s success depends on the success of the team, an individual is never so important that he changes overall performances.
“The team is our basis, there are individuals who we rely upon, but the combination has to be strong. The team needs to grow, but I am confident because I see them working hard every day.”
Lobotka update
Stanislav Lobotka is back in training, but iit remains to be seen whether he can start against Inter at San Siro.
“We all know Lobotka’s value, there’s no point in highlighting it. We have to be good at finding someone who can step in when we have absences. I think Gilmour has done very well the last few games, but you will never hear me complain about unavailable players.
“Lobotka has been training since midweek, we have managed him a bit, but he is fine. He has recovered and is available, we’ll have to see if he can start or not.”
And, reflecting on last weeks’s surprise 3-0 fall at home to Atalanta, Conte said: “It’s been a normal week of work in terms of tactics, physicality and video. We analyse them after victories, even more so after defeats.
“There are so many things to evaluate, understand, why we stumbled, how much Atalanta’s strength affected us, which situations we can improve, but we always have a desire to compete.”
