Antonio Conte Sets Sights on Serie A Title & End Juventus' Domestic Dominance
Antonio Conte has set his sights on the Serie A title, after being appointed as Internazionale manager, as he looks to end Juventus' monopoly in Italian football.
Juventus won their eighth straight Scudetto this season and have faced little competition in the league during this period of dominance.
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Speaking to GQ (via Calcio Mercato), the new Inter boss has targeted an end to Juve's stranglehold on the league, as he stated: "Let's face it, apart from rare exceptions, it is eight seasons that there has been no race for the title in Serie A.
"Inter wants to change this and the way it is moving shows the will to compete." Conte's determined mood did not stop there, as he went on to praise how driven everybody at the club is for success.
He continued: "When I spoke to president Zhang [Kangyang], I was struck by his determination. [Piero] Ausilio himself has very clear ideas. Inter is an ambitious club where everyone rails in the same direction. The first concept of mine? We can do it, we have no limits"
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The mission of toppling the Turin club will not be easy, as Inter finished 21 points behind their rivals in the season just gone. Conte is tasked with closing that gap, but believes everything is in place at the club to do just that.
The Italian manager also spoke well of Giuseppe Marotta, who was the director at Juventus before joining the Milan club midway through this season. When quizzed on the influence Marotta had on his decision to join Inter, Conte said: "He helped me. It was a confirmation of the impression I had from afar.
"Marotta is a director who has won so much. If you sign him a minute after Juve releases him, it means you have very serious intentions and that you leave nothing to chance to climb to the top."
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Spalletti's last act as Inter boss was to secure a late win at home to Empoli, meaning the San Siro club will be playing Champions League football next season. This will be a big help to Conte, as he looks to build a squad capable of pulling off an unlikely title challenge.
