• News

‘He must improve’ Conte unimpressed with Inter star despite victory

Conte
Getty Images
Advertisement

Inter’s big win over Crotone did not stop Antonio Conte from airing his thoughts on a player who failed to impress in that match.

Antonio Conte watched his side start the year on a perfect note following their 6-2 thrashing on Sunday afternoon.

Lautaro Martinez stole the headlines with his hat-trick while Romelu Lukaku also dazzled as usual.

The win sent Inter top of the Serie A on a temporary basis much to the delight of Antonio Conte.

However, one player wasn’t at his best in the victory and the Italian boss did not let back on his thoughts.

Inter had to come from a goal down to win the game and Conte first of all praised his side’s character to bounce back from an early setback.

“There was a good response today and I felt we started the right way by being aggressive. Crotone pushed seven players up and surprised us on the corner,” he told Sky Sport Italia.

“We did well to turn it around, then a naïve error on the penalty could’ve sparked anxiety, but the lads instead did really well to stay focused, keep creating scoring opportunities and bring home another victory.”

“There was a good response today and I felt we started the right way by being aggressive. Crotone pushed seven players up and surprised us on the corner” Conte told Sky Sport Italia.

“We did well to turn it around, then a naive error on the penalty could’ve sparked anxiety, but the lads instead did really well to stay focused, keep creating scoring opportunities and bring home another victory.”

Vidal was the player who failed to impress and he was even taken off at the start of the second half to be replaced by Sensi. The 33-year-old was at fault for the two goals conceded by his side.

Conte spoke on the Croatian midfielder and was straight-forward in his assessment of the player.

“He can improve a great deal. He certainly needs to work, keep his head down and work hard, because nobody has a guaranteed place in this team. He has to prove he deserves to play and do much better than he is doing at the moment.”

Conte added: “When I say he has to do much better, I am referring to the too many ups and downs, which we as Inter cannot afford. He knows that, he knows he has to get back to training harder, because playing for big clubs you can sometimes use training for back-heel flicks and fun, but that’s not the case here.”

x