Conte: 'Inter didn't buy Real Madrid'

By Football Italia staff

Antonio Conte insists people are expecting too much from Inter, including their January spending spree. “You act as if we bought half of Real Madrid.”

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“We are up against a very good side, as seen by their squad list and the results they’ve achieved so far this season,” said Conte in his press conference.

The Nerazzurri have fallen four points behind Serie A leaders Juventus after two consecutive 1-1 draws against Atalanta and Lecce, despite taking the lead.

“Our idea is always to go on the attack, even when we score the first goal. We must try to score another goal and not just defend the one we have.

“The fact that we considered a draw away to Lecce to be a negative result shows how much Inter have advanced compared to past seasons. We must keep our feet on the ground, remain humble and accept that draw in the right way.

“People continue to ignore me when I say we are starting a journey, but we have achieved credibility in these six months and that is positive. We mustn’t lose sight of reality.”

Having said that, Inter have been extremely active in the January transfer window to target the Scudetto, bringing in Ashley Young, Victor Moses and soon Christian Eriksen.

“The director was very clear, new players can only arrive when others are sold, so this is a perfectly balanced transfer session. Some of these players haven’t been active for a while, so we must give them time to get into shape.

“This team overall lacks experience and doesn’t have the ingredients that allow you to win despite laying off the accelerator. We have to always be going at full speed.

“For now, we have brought in Young to cover for Kwadwo Asamoah’s injury and Moses on loan because Valentino Lazaro left. We are trying to reinforce various areas of the team.

“You in the media seem to act as if we just signed half of Real Madrid, but that’s not the right message. It’s an emergency situation tomorrow, because Antonio Candreva is suspended, so it’s possible Young will start.”

Conte confirmed Matias Vecino is still unavailable, but refused to comment on whether it was a physical or transfer issue keeping him out of the squad.

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