Conte admits he got it so wrong
– Antonio Conte (right) branded himself a “jackass” for his tactical blunders which saw Inter Milan struggle to a draw in their European opener this week, but warned they would kick back into gear tomorrow against city rivals AC Milan.
Conte’s side rescued a 1-1 draw against Czech outsiders Slavia Prague in the Champions League in the San Siro, and the former Chelsea manager said they should use that anger in their upcoming games against AC Milan and Lazio.
“I’m the biggest jackass,” said Conte.
“I’m the one who’s primarily responsible, both in terms of the selections made and because I obviously didn’t make the lads understand what I wanted.”
The former Juventus and Italy coach conceded his side could have been focusing too much on Saturday’s game, as they look to stay top of Serie A.
“Could be, but this is part of the growing process. I am here to make them better players.”
The Derby della Madonnina is always a fiery affair and Inter are unbeaten in their last six league games against arch-rivals AC Milan.
Inter have maximum points after three games and are two points ahead of Bologna and champions Juventus, with Napoli three
Milan
points adrift in fourth.
AC Milan’s focus this season is on Serie A after they lost their place in the Europa League for breaches in financial fair play rules.
New coach Marco Giampaolo’s side are seventh with two wins after their opening-round defeat at Udinese.
Tomorrow, the two best defences in Serie A will face off in the San Siro, with both having only conceded one goal in the league this season.
Juventus host Verona after throwing away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at Atletico Madrid in their Champions League opener.
It was the second consecutive stalemate for Maurizio Sarri’s side who also dropped points last weekend in Fiorentina.
Carlo Ancelotti’s Napoli travel south to promoted Lecce after punishing European
Manchester
Frank Lampard’s young Chelsea side face a major test of their progress when they face Liverpool at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Sunday. Last week’s impressive 5-2 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers showed Chelsea’s potential with striker Tammy Abraham grabbing a hat-trick and two other academy products in Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori also on target.
But it has been a mixed start to the season for Lampard’s side and they have been particularly patchy at home – giving up a twogoal lead to draw 2-2 with promoted Sheffield United and losing 1-0 in the Champions League to Spanish club Valencia.
Liverpool also tasted defeat in Europe with a 2-0 loss to Napoli holders Liverpool 2-0 in the San Paolo Stadium.
It was their second match without conceding a goal after letting seven past in their first two games.
“We’ve been boosted by the improved fitness level of a number of players,” said Ancelotti.
“We’ve improved defensively in a short space of time.”
But Ancelotti’s side need to be wary of Lecce who shocked Torino 2-1 last Monday.
Atalanta host Fiorentina after their Champions League baptism ended in a bruising 4-0 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb.
Bologna, flying high in second despite the absence of their coach Sinisa Mihajlovic who is undergoing cancer treatment, face a tough visit from Roma, who earned their first win of the season last weekend. – in Italy but Juergen Klopp’s men lead the Premier League with five wins from five.
The match is Chelsea’s biggest test since their opening-day 4-0 hammering at Manchester United and Abraham believes they will be fired up.
“Sunday is a test of character. We can take our anger out against Liverpool after the European disappointment,” he said.
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk, who made a rare error for Napoli’s second goal, brushed off the notion that the loss was a wake-up call for the European champions.
“It shouldn’t be a wake-up call – we have been performing outstanding since the start of the season and so there is no reason to panic,” he said.
Liverpool were held to a draw at Stamford Bridge last season, needing a late equaliser from Daniel Sturridge to take a point. The previous season Chelsea won 1-0 with a goal from Olivier Giroud.
Champions Manchester City, beaten at promoted Norwich City last weekend will expect to get back to winning ways when they host Watford at the Etihad tomorrow.
Pep Guardiola is without his two first-choice central defenders after John Stones joined Aymeric Laporte on the injury list.
Brazilian Fernandinho partnered Nicolas Otamendi in the 3-0 Champions League win at Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine on Wednesday but 18-year-old Spanish defender Eric Garcia could be in contention for a start.
Fourth-placed Manchester United go to West Ham on Sunday while Tottenham Hotspur, in third, face a tricky trip to Leicester City tomorrow. – Reuters