After a 2-1 defeat to Juventus, Inter coach Antonio Conte felt his team could easily have come away with a draw or even have won the game, but admitted the gap between the Bianconeri and the rest is vast.
Paulo Dybala opened the scoring early on, before Lautaro Martinez bagged the equaliser from the penalty spot midway through the first half. However, Gonzalo Higuain grabbed the winner with 10 minutes left, to send Juventus back to the Serie A summit.
“You don’t need to see Juventus at work to see the number of quality players they have,” Conte told the press. “I think it’s obvious.
“Juventus started a journey eight years ago, and it is continuing and they are getting better. The other teams went backwards, creating a vast gap which is still there today.
“You have to be honest, it is hard to close that gap within one or two years.
“You saw the game, apart from 15 minutes after [Stefano Sensi] came off, it was equal. You’ll have seen the stats, we could easily have won. But I want to congratulate Juventus.
“We [Inter] have to be proud of what we are doing. We lost against a strong team, and we have to continue on that path of growth.
“The difference today came in specific moments, in experience and understanding those situations.
“Sometimes we are too instinctive, this is part of the process. We didn’t deserve to lose against Barcelona and Juventus, but in the end we lost.
“If you lose there is a reason, but I am very proud of what the players have given. I think the fans should be happy with what they saw. They were better.”
Romelu Lukaku came back into the team after missing the trip to Barcelona in the Champions League.
“Lukaku is definitely a player who has to train, he is an imposing physical presence and needs to train and play,” Conte said. “In order to be in great condition.
“When he came he had a back problem, and it reappeared from the Lazio game.
“I think he gave everything tonight, and is committed. He tried his best and I hope he can overcome these small issues.”
