Tag: Conte

Antonio Conte has posted a farewell message to Inter Milan fans after his departure was announced yesterday.

Conte left the Scudetto winners after disagreements over the board’s summer plans.

“What a journey in these two years!” Conte posted to social media.

“We made ourselves stronger every day, giving ourselves greater determination, desire and spirit of sacrifice.

“We managed to remove the ideas of mediocrity which we’re often surrounded by: no excuses, no alibis, just work, work and work, tied with respect and education.

“We brought the Scudetto back to Inter after 11 years, but most importantly we brought Inter back to where they belong for their history and tradition.

“Thank you to who made all of this possible!

“Players, staff, president, directors and all the people who helped and supported us in these two years.

“To the Inter fans I’d like to say that in a very difficult period for everyone, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we always felt their support, warmth and closeness.

“Lifting the Serie A trophy from the highest tier at San Siro with you all celebrating is an image I’ll always keep with me.

“Thank you!”

Antonio Conte has left Inter Milan by mutual consent, with Simone Inzaghi likely to replace him as head coach of the Serie A champions.

Conte has agreed a deal with the club’s owners which will see him paid €7m (£6m) for the final year of his contract.

The former Chelsea boss guided Inter to their first Serie A title in 11 years but was embroiled in a dispute with the club’s owners after they proposed a downsizing of his squad.

Inter chairman Steven Zhang reportedly asked Conte to cut his wage bill by 15 to 20 per cent and potentially sell players worth up to £70m this summer.

Zhang arrived at Inter’s headquarters to continue discussions with senior staff on Wednesday morning.

A club statement read: “FC Internazionale Milano announces that it has reached an agreement for the consensual termination of the contract with the coach Antonio Conte.

“The whole club would like to thank Antonio for the extraordinary work he has done, which culminated in winning the 19th Scudetto. Antonio Conte will remain forever in the history of our club.”

Inter Milan manager Antonio Conte has declared this season’s title triumph the best of his career.

Indeed, he has decided to dedicate the 2020/21 Scudetto to himself!

“I think it was the right end to an extraordinary year,” Conte told the Nerazzurri’s Twitch channel. “Even today we played a beautiful game, we didn’t leave anything behind.

“I asked the lads to do this, against a Udinese side who held us to 0-0 I the first leg. With this being the last game and having already won, it shows the lads have the right mentality, they want to win every game and all credit to them.

“We have collected 91 points, scored more than 90 goals. The best defence, the second-best attack, it means having done something beautiful and important.”

Conte was happy to see the fans back at the Giuseppe Meazza on Sunday.

“Having some fans at the stadium was nice. They weren’t many, but they were warm, they helped us,” he said. “There’s not much to say about how we were welcomed before the game, about what we saw after the match. All these people…

“It must make us very happy because we know we have given something beautiful to the fans who, regardless of whether things go well or not, are always on our side.”

The former Italy CT has picked up titles with Juventus and Chelsea, but he said this one with the Beneamata is special.

“I definitely place it among the achievements, because it wasn’t easy,” Conte said. “I put pressure on myself when I came to Inter, because I arrived at a team that hadn’t won, like the others, for nine years and had only watched at Juve.

“We worked and after a year of work we did something beautiful and incredible. It certainly wasn’t easy.

“Having won the Scudetto with Inter, having achieved this great result gives me great satisfaction. It makes me understand that seriousness, work and sacrifice are the only weapons I can have.

“We have all been very, very good: me, the players and the club.”

Asked to whom he would dedicate the Scudetto, Conte was clear.

“I dedicate it to myself,” he said. “Because I know that in any case it has not been an easy path in these two years.

“I really had to get everything out of myself. There have also been times when I have doubted things and doubted myself, but we have been strong enough to go beyond everything.

“We have all been good, even me.”

Inter Milan coach Antonio Conte was pleased with their 3-0 defeat of Genoa.

Romalu Lukaku, Matteo Darmian and Alexis Sanchez struck for the Serie A leaders.

Conte said, “We played against a Genoa side in great shape who I think had earned just one fewer point than we did in this period.

“We had the right approach, allowing Genoa little other than a few crosses. We scored three goals, Mattia Perin had to make several big saves, so we are happy.

“All the work is paying off, it had already started to last year, but the team is developing belief in its capabilities, understanding the situations both on and off the ball, when to be aggressive, when to hold possession.

“We know there are 14 games to go. As I said, facing Genoa and Parma seems easy on paper, but we have to prove that we are a team who always have our ears pricked for danger, not just in the big games, so we can give the Inter fans the joy they deserve.”