Antonio Conte insists that the Serie A triumph with Inter is perhaps the most important feat of his coaching career.
Antonio Conte admitted taking the Inter job came with doubts at the time but remains glad he has finally delivered major silverware at the club.
The coach spoke to 90 Minuto on Rai 2 after Atalanta’s 1-1 draw with Sassuolo ensured the title was mathematically secure.
Having overseen a successful reign as Juventus manager, coming over to Inter to dethrone his former employees was quite an achievement.
Reflecting on Inter’s first Serie A win since the 2010/11 season, Conte said to Sky Sport Italia: “We’ll go to sleep tonight very happy with what we’ve achieved. We are happy for us, for the people who worked to get Inter back to winning ways, for the fans. We will certainly feel more relaxed now.
“I put it among the most important successes of my career. It was difficult, because it was not an easy choice for me to come to Inter, during a time when the team was certainly not competitive or had the resources to achieve something important.
“Plus I was going to a club that is rivals with Juventus, where I played for many years, and who were dominating the league. There were many negative situations that I was going into.
“Instead, I accepted the challenge with great eagerness, and I think the hard work repaid all those sacrifices.”
Despite their Serie A success, Inter crashed out of the Champions League in the group stage early on.
“I think the worst moment was when we went out of the Champions League, when the criticism we received was perhaps excessive,” insisted Conte.
“It wasn’t easy, we had a group of lads who were not accustomed to winning. We did well to come together and take the criticism so we could become even stronger.
“What took us to victory was that these players trusted me. I showed them the way and they trusted me completely. In the end, we found the path.”
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