COLOGNE, Germany, Aug 21, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Antonio Conte may not welcome
comparisons with Jose Mourinho given the bad blood between the two, but for
the first time since the Portuguese’s departure, Conte has made Inter Milan a
force to be reckoned with.
Friday’s Europa League final against Sevilla in Cologne will be the
Nerazzurri’s first European final since Mourinho walked out on the high of
securing the only ever treble of Champions League, Serie A and Coppa Italia
in 2010.
It is nine years since Inter won any trophy, but Conte has developed a
habit of making an instant impact in his managerial career.
He took Bari and Sienna into Serie A, began Juventus’ hegemony of the
Italian top-flight by winning three straight titles, took an unfancied Italy
to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 and won the Premier League in his first
season at Chelsea.
“You can tell he’s a winner. He wants to win, and he demands that from all
the players, a winning mentality,” said Ashley Young, who has slotted
seamlessly into Conte’s system since a January move from Manchester United.
“He demands everything – not just in matches, in training as well.”
Conte’s demands, however, mean he rarely hangs around for the long haul.
His three-year spell at Juventus is the longest of a career already spanning
seven clubs and his country at just 51.
Even after a first season that saw Inter close the gap on Juventus to just
one point at the top of Serie A after the champions eased off in the final
weeks, Conte plunged his future at the San Siro into doubt when on the final
day of the domestic season he claimed he and his players had been offered
“little protection from the club.”
In a familiar complaint from his time at Juventus and Chelsea, Conte
pointed blamed a Champions League exit at the group stage to a lack of
investment even though the club had smashed its transfer record to sign
Romelu Lukaku for 75 million euros ($89 million) as part of the fourth
highest transfer spend in Europe.
While Conte’s words may antagonise his superiors, he tends to deliver a
return on investment as he has demonstrated since the Europa League resumed
in northern Germany earlier this month.
Inter swept aside Getafe and Bayer Leverkusen then thrashed Shakhtar
Donetsk 5-0, a Europa League semi-final record.
“We worked really hard in the little training camp that we had before this
tournament,” said Lukaku, who is one goal away from matching Brazilian great
Ronaldo’s record of 34 in a debut season at Inter, the last time they won the
then UEFA Cup in 1997/98.
“It was tough, but I think now we see the results of the hard work.
Physically and tactically, everybody is at 100 percent.”
Even Diego Godin, the pillar of Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid side that
broke Barcelona and Real Madrid’s grip on La Liga and reached two Champions
League finals, struggled to adapt to Conte’s standards as he was dropped
either side of the coronavirus shutdown, but has regained his place for the
Europa League run-in.
“I’ve learned so much from the coach. He is so incredibly demanding and I
just realised that I had to work as hard as I could,” said the Uruguayan.
“It’s totally different to the way I had played and moved for 15 to 20 years.
I had to change mentally and also physically, change the way I looked at
football.”
Conte has also changed the way others look at Inter. Sevilla coach Julen
Lopetegui said on Thursday the Italians are good enough to win the Champions
League, never mind the Europa League.
“We are now at the stage we can compete for significant trophies,” said
Inter captain Samir Handanovic, who is hoping to lift his first silverware
after eight years at the club.
“This should just be the starting point. Matches like these should become a
habit like they were 10-15 years ago.”