Ahead of Sampdoria tie: Conte backs Sanchez to regain form
The Milan-based club are about to enter a crucial phase where they will play three games in the space of nine of days and two of them are against Spanish giants FC Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League and defending league champions Juventus.
On the eve of the match against Sampdoria, the 50-year-old, while talking to the press, heaped praise on the former Arsenal striker’s performance in the team’s last match but also revealed his optimism that the Chile international can offer a lot more to the team in the near future.
"We talked a lot about Sanchez as you ask me about him in every press conference,” said Conte. “We must make him regain his vein and brilliance he has lost over the last two years. In the last game, I really liked what I saw from him but at the same time we saw that he is not a normal player and he can offer us a lot more in the future.”
Inter are currently the only team in the league competition with 100% record after registering five wins out of five.
However, the former Chelsea manager refused to get drawn in the discussion about becoming favourites to lift the league title this year.
“I can’t compare this team with the one I had at Juventus,” said Conte. “I remember that the first year [at Juventus], we were really good as we kept on winning. However, now the quality of the league has improved over the years. I don’t consider my team as the favourties as I see Juve and Napoli as the two best teams in the league. Even Lazio, for example, are a strong team that can be among the top four. Even AC Milan has a really good coach and are a strong club.”
He added: “I'm not the first to win five games in a row here. In fact, this group was at the top of the table two years ago in December, not in September, in December, only to finish qualifying for the Champions League on the last day. Even with Mancini, we had a really good start. So we have to keep working hard and stay grounded.”
Talking about tomorrow’s match, Conte revealed that he is expecting a tough game against Eusebio Di Francesco’s side, who are currently placed on the bottom of the league table.
"Playing Sampdoria is always difficult and tricky,” he said. “Di Francesco is a good coach and his team is always well organized. It is a classic game where there is one team who will have everything to lose.”
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