Inter, settled on Conte’s style, head for Barca test
MILAN: Antonio Conte has returned to Italian football in style with Inter Milan flying high under his back-to-basics guidance, ahead of a Champions League trip to Barcelona that will test the Serie A leaders’ continental credentials.
Conte’s side stretched their perfect league start to six wins from six for the first time in 53 years at the weekend with a 3-1 win at Sampdoria that came despite having to play most of the second half a man down.
They are two points ahead of fierce rivals Juventus as they await a top-of-the-table clash at the San Siro on Sunday.
Meanwhile Inter head for Catalonia on Wednesday off the back of a shaky start in Group F, a 1-1 draw against Slavia Prague salvaged late after a below-par performance that contrasted sharply with their domestic form.
Conte—reportedly the highest-paid coach in Italy with a salary of €10 million a year— believes his side is flourishing because he simplifies the game.
“I am a coach who always gives a precise idea of football to his team. I seem to set the trend in tactics,” said the former Chelsea and Juventus coach.
“My football has always been organised, we have an idea and work hard on a range of scenarios.
“All our performances this season have shown quality and organisation, but mentality makes the difference in getting out of tricky situations.”
Helenio Herrera was the last man to lead Inter to win six straight matches from the start of a league season back in 19661967, the three-time Serie A winner having also established them as a continental force with European Cup wins in 1964 and 1965.
Conte is bidding to claim the club’s first league title since 2010, the year they won an historic treble under rival coach Jose Mourinho. “We must now press the reset button, focus on Barcelona at Camp Nou,” insisted Conte, whose last trip to Barcelona with Chelsea ended in a 3-0 defeat in March 2018.
“We’re getting into the right frame of mind, but we sill have to grow a lot. We’re newborns in this project.”
REDS FACE SALZBURG
LIVERPOOL: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said on Tuesday that he is determined that unfancied Salzburg spring no surprises on his team as the longtime admirer of the Austrian champions prepares for a key Champions league clash at Anfield the next evening.
Salzburg are top of Group E after thrashing Genk 6-2 in their Champions League opener two weeks ago, while the Reds are under pressure to bounce back with a win after losing 2-0 at Napoli.
Teenage sensation Erling Braut Haaland scored a sensational hat-trick in the Genk mauling, and Liverpool are well acquainted with Salzburg’s development of young players, with Reds duo Sadio Mane and Naby Keita both having had spells with Salzburg earlier in their careers.
“We have to start winning and we should not waste time. It is really tough and they will surprise a lot of people, tomorrow night and in the future,” said Klopp on Tuesday.
“The way Salzburg play is made to surprise bigger teams. But if there is anybody in the world who knows most about the way they play, how they do (it), what they do, it’s probably me.
“I’ve followed their way for a long, long time. I had a similar idea when I started as a manager.”