In the wake of Inter’s loss to Sevilla in the Europa League Final, Antonio Conte came up with some heavy statement as he hinted at his possible departure from Inter in his post-match remarks.
“In a few days, we will make an evaluation of the whole season in a very serene way,” Conte told Sky Sports. “We will try to plan the future of Inter, with or without me. This was a very tough season from all points of view and we need to take a decision for the good of Inter in all friendliness. There is no resentment here, only different ways to see things.”
Conte also added that this was a beautiful experience as he thanked Inter CEO Giuseppe Marotta and director of sport Piero Ausilio for the opportunity. But then he stroke again, adding that “I will express my point of view in the light of the day as it takes harmony to build something.”
Such harmony seems to have been lacking in Conte’s view, as the coach went on to say that “I gave a lot and received as much in return and I am very happy about that. But I didn’t like some of the situations I lived through this year. I do have a family and I must understand whether football is still my priority because there’s a limit to everything (…) and I don’t want my private life to be affected.”
Conte concluded by stating that “I just know that I don’t want to live another season like this, so it’s just fair for president Zhang to make his evaluation basing on what I will tell him.”
The relationship between Inter and their outspoken coach was tense since Antonio Conte’s remarks after the last Serie A game of the campaign. Conte had claimed that Inter’s bosses didn’t protect him and his players over the course of the season – and that was only the last in a series of more or less open complaints addressed by the coach to his management.
All that happened before Inter restarted their Europa League journey. Three wins in a row against Getafe, Leverkusen, and Shakhtar Donetsk, however, had helped putting divergences aside for the time being as the whole Inter establishment cooperated to bring a European trophy to La Pinetina for the first time in 10 years.
But tonight, the spell was broken as the disappointment at the loss triggered yet another outburst on the part of Conte. Perhaps the last one.