Antonio Conte has waxed lyrical about his Inter Milan players following a 5-1 thrashing of Sampdoria on Saturday afternoon. The Nerazzurri dethroned Juventus as Serie A champions last weekend but refused to show complacency against Claudio Ranieri’s side.
Inter headed into the encounter on the back of an 18-game unbeaten streak in Serie A, seeking revenge for a 2-1 defeat in the reverse fixture back in January. Indeed, Sampdoria were the last side to beat the newly-crowned champions in the Italian top-flight.
Although Conte opted for Alexis Sanchez to partner Lautaro Martinez in the front third instead of the Inter stalwart Romelu Lukaku, the hosts showed no mercy to La Samp.
Roberto Gagliardini broke the deadlock four minutes into the game before Sanchez doubled Inter’s lead on the stroke of the hour mark. Although former Nerazzurri Balde Keita pulled one back for the visitors in the 35th minute, the Chilean’s second of the match restored a two-goal cushion at half-time.
Inter continued to dominate possession and dictate the pace post restart, with second-half substitute Andrea Pinamonti extending the home team’s lead to four around the hour mark. It would be a shame if Lautaro didn’t find the net in his side’s spectacular performance, but the Argentine was ruthless from the spot to seal the deal.
An impressive victory over Sampdoria was Inter’s 14th consecutive Serie A triumph at the Giuseppe Meazza. It means Conte’s men have managed to set a new club record, and they did it in style.
During the post-match interview, the 51-year-old heaped praise on his men’s approach and professionalism.
“Honestly, the fact that we won with four games to go made me approach the match with greater calmness, without that anxiety linked to the result. I could concentrate on the performance, which was there,” Conte said, as relayed by SempreInter.
“At the same time, the moment in which you take to the pitch, you become, so to speak, animals in search of victory. I told the lads to enjoy the moment, continuing to give everything to win, and I want this to become an obsession for us.
“It was a demonstration of the professionalism and seriousness of everyone here at Inter. When playing in a team everyone must know to work together.
“Seeing people like [Danilo] D’Ambrosio, [Andrea] Ranocchia and [Matias] Vecino who hadn’t played for a long time, or Pinamonti is the demonstration that the group works together and is on track.”