The Azzurri coach commented on the victory over Sporting: “We won as a team despite difficulties and emergencies. Against Milan, however…”
What better remedy than a Champions League victory to put the defeat against Milan at San Siro behind us? Antonio Conte is well aware of this, especially because he recognizes the value of the defeated opponent, Sporting. “We played against a very strong team, they are the champions of Portugal. I remember when I faced them when I was at Tottenham, and they are a really strong side. We did very well, we won as a team despite the difficulties and emergencies. Compared to last year, the defensive line has changed completely, including the goalkeeper, as Milinkovic-Savic played. I think there was a great response from everyone, including the substitutes. This has to be the spirit, and we have it. It’s a shame we conceded those two goals in Milan because we could have done more, but perhaps the defeat gave us a boost in terms of the determination we showed against a team of the highest quality,” explained the coach after the match.
Obviously, De Bruyne had to be mentioned, as he provided two assists after his disappointment at being substituted in Milan. “Kevin, compared to the other eight signings, comes from a well-established background and has a wealth of experience. He spent ten years at Manchester City, playing at the highest level. Every player must serve the team with the right attitude, which, combined with quality, allows us to raise the bar. I have nothing to say to him, he’s a good guy and he’s serious, he’s committed. I understand that everyone wants to play, but there are substitutions to be made and I want to win too, so I make changes. Then, in the media, if the changes are right, we take the credit, otherwise they are mistakes. But the team has to work together in both phases, no one excluded.”
regret milan— Conte returned to Sunday’s game to analyze the match against Sporting. “I wasn’t unhappy with the performance in Milan, but the two goals we conceded were situations where we should have done better. Then, on how to improve, we talked about it and always try to be constructive in these moments. Going to San Siro two goals down makes it difficult to turn the tide. Even eleven against eleven, it was a controlled game, and compared to last year, this is a step forward. Last year, we won 2-0, but Milan dominated most of the game.” From here, then, we start again with an improvement in the management of the game. “We are much more mature in this regard, but we must not lose the aggression and healthy fear of conceding goals that makes us run back properly, as we did last year. The image of Leao starting the second half with seven players chasing him represents the right mentality. If we had had that from the start, we would be talking about a different game against Milan.”
formation— The dilemma arises again: is it better to play with four midfielders or opt for a 4-3-3 with two wingers? Conte is still leaning towards the first solution, but he does not rule out the second. “When I took McTominay off, we switched to a 4-3-3 with Lang and Neres wide. However, we have two options: either to play with four midfielders and continue on this path, or to play with a slightly more physical trident with Anguissa, Lobotka, and McTominay, or a more technical one with De Bruyne in the three. In any case, we always press high, having the strength to fall back. In my opinion, the path is clear regardless; we are continuing to do what led us to win the Scudetto. It is inevitable that when we play with four midfielders, we are more dominant in possession, while with 4-3-3, we use other resources by moving the fullbacks into different positions. We have a year of work behind us, and this helps me to do both,” concluded the coach.
