Inter CEO Giuseppe Marotta and vice-president Javier Zanetti consider Antonio Conte the main architect for the impressive season of the Nerazzurri, which clinched the title yesterday with four rounds to go.
The former legend said to Ansa: “This victory was born two years ago when Conte and his staff first walked into our training center. They brought a top-notch working culture and begun transmitting the correct mindset.”
The Italian executive told Gazzetta dello Sport: “The gap with the previous champions was considerable. We fully deserved Scudetto, we did not win simply because of the other teams’ demerits. We might finish the season with 94 points, which means that we have kept a remarkable pace. We left everybody behind, not just Juventus.”
“The majority of the credit goes to Conte, he himself called it a work of art, and I agree. He was a winner as a player, he has important values and knows how to convey them. Dedication, the right mentality and leadership. He was a true reference point in the locker room because we did not have any player that had won before besides Arturo Vidal.”
“He may earn a lot, but it is better to sign one fewer player and have a quality coach. His salary is aligned with his career and list of achievements. We shared three titles in Turin, and I knew him very well. I thought he was the right manager at the right time when we hired him. Every successful gaffer tends to be a little rough around the edges, but he is transparent, he always says what he thinks, and that is positive to me.”
Pundit Mario Sconcerti revealed that Giorgio Chiellini texted him that Conte is worth ten more points on his own when he was first appointed by Inter.