‘I don’t go back, this is my idea of football… I can’t change’: Inter Milan’s Antonio Conte insists he won’t change his style of play for Borussia Dortmund clash despite being bottom of Group F
- Inter Milan have picked up just one point in the Champions League this season
- They are bottom of Group F after a 2-1 defeat to Barcelona at the Nou Camp
- Antonio Conte has played a 3-5-2 formation as Inter sit second in Serie A
- But he says he refuses to ‘go backwards’ by making changes to his tactics
Inter Milan boss Antonio Conte says he won’t change the way he sets his team up ahead of the club’s crucial Champions League clash with Dortmund, despite picking up just one point in Group F.
The Nerazzurri drew their first game 1-1 at home to Slavia Prague, before losing 2-1 to a Lionel Messi-inspired Barcelona at the Nou Camp.
Ex-Chelsea manager Conte has primarily deployed a 3-5-2 system this season, and while that formation has been effective in Serie A, with his side sitting second, Inter are winless in Europe and failure to beat the Germans could spell trouble for their hopes of qualification.
Inter manager Antonio Conte says he will not change his tactics ahead of the Dortmund clash
But ex-Chelsea manager Conte insists he will be stubborn in his management of the side, saying he ‘can’t change’ and that he believes in his methods with the Dortmund clash being seen as a must-win game.
‘To talk about this as already a final seems exaggerated,’ Conte told the media, as reported by Football Italia.
‘It’s certainly an important game against a strong team, but it’s still just a game. We need to win, but finals arrive later.’
Barcelona’s Luis Suarez wheels away after netting the winner against Inter Milan in a 2-1 win
The former Italy and Juventus coach said he felt that every game the team played was important, and that the key to success was consistency in their approach.
‘There’s a need to pick up an important result in every game, so our approach won’t change tomorrow, not even our idea or mentality.
‘I don’t go back, this is my idea of football. Going backwards would mean standing in a line behind the ball and waiting to be slapped.
‘We want to slap them instead. I can’t change, whether it’s for Lazaro, Godin or anyone else.’
Their upcoming opponents Dortmund are unbeaten in both their Champions League games so far this season, beating Slavia Prague 2-0 away from home before holding Barcelona to a 0-0 draw at home.
Borussia Dortmund are unbeaten in the Champions League and drew 0-0 with Barcelona
On the weekend Inter came away from Sassuolo with a 4-3 win, with strikers Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku each scoring a brace, but Conte wants the team to focus on their own performance against Dortmund after shipping three goals.
‘We prefer to think about ourselves,’ he added. ‘We conceded three goals against Sassuolo through the balls we lost.
‘We must be careful against Borussia because they’re very good on the break. We know this, but we want to play our football too.’
