Antonio Conte has urged Inter to keep rising above the negativity that critics put on them in the wake of a commendable 3-0 win at Sassuolo on Saturday.
Inter s victory was Sassuolo s first defeat of the season and preserved the Nerazzurri s 11-match unbeaten run away from home in Serie A.
It was a game in which Conte got his tactics spot-on, as Inter absorbed pressure and capitalised on errors as they looked for the counter – the visitors seeing just 35 per cent possession on their way to victory.
The result saw them bounce back from a 2-0 loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League earlier in the week, and Conte praised his team for their unity despite attracting a lot of criticism this season.
Congratulations to the boys because it s not easy at Inter, he told Sky Sport Italia. Regardless, we can t wait to dispose of negativity.
We have to be good, harmonious, think about ourselves and keep working. We need to know that there are people who can t wait to criticise.
Seeing this relentlessness put on us regardless creates difficulties for footballers. Certain situations must give us even more strength to give the best of ourselves.
That s what we like to see
— Inter (@Inter_en)
When the boat is in a storm you have to be all on it, without letting the coach or a player sink. I hope we re all in the same boat now.
But one player who may not be on the Inter boat for much longer is Christian Eriksen, who has struggled since joining from Tottenham in January. He has played just 23 Serie A games this year and been involved in only three league goals.
Before the match, Inter CEO Giuseppe Marotta seemingly confirmed the club s intention to sell Christian Eriksen in January.
Marotta had previously suggested such an outcome was likely, but he went further this time as he accepted it was a transfer that simply has not worked out.
If Eriksen has played little by January, he will be the first to ask for the transfer, Marotta told Sky Sport Italia.
We must do it without any controversy on both sides, simply considering it a positive market operation that has not been fully functional for what it is, a technical-tactical need.
It happens, and the history of football is full of these cases, that there are players who are not functional to a system.
This is up to the coach to evaluate it. We took a market opportunity last January, we bought him for €20million and for everyone he is an excellent player.
Then there are difficulties, but the coach has the right and the duty to choose the eleven who give him the best guarantees.
