Win over Inter a step in the right direction, says Conte

Juventus coach Antonio Conte believes his side are continuing to improve in the wake of their 2-1 win over Inter at San Siro.

The Turin giants put in a fantastic away performance to ensure that they earned all three points against their bitter rivals courtesy of goals from Mirko Vucinic and Claudio Marchisio either side of a Maicon strike.

Conte’s men returned to the top of the Serie A table as a result of the triumph.

“Tonight three important points arrived to put us in first in the standings. It is a great reward for the work and sacrifices of my men. We looked to do our best. I am content because it is not easy to come to San Siro and beat a side like Inter,” Conte said.

“It was an intense match, with great pressing and a little tiredness from both sides after three matches in eight days. We still lack a bit of [ruthlessness]: this game should have been put to rest earlier. We must continuously improve, to be more present and to be know how to rest with the ball.”

His counterpart Claudio Ranieri remains optimistic of a late title challenge despite the home loss.

“I am satisfied with the performance, especially in the first half,” he said. “They scored with the only two chances they had.”

“We must not look at the table, because there are 84 points [sic] still available to gain. Surely it is better to win than to lose, but there are still many points to be won.”

“Are Juventus Scudetto-worthy? Yes, the side is working well. But I have not given up. The game was equal. All in all, I did not see Juventus dominance.”