Conte preaches unity as Inter eye Europa League glory

Inter head coach Antonio Conte

Inter head coach Antonio Conte preached unity amid doubts over his future as he eyes Europa League success.

Conte's future has dominated headlines since hitting out at the club for not protecting him or his players in the midst of criticism during the season following Saturday's 2-0 Serie A victory over Atalanta.

Inter are reportedly weighing up Conte's position after just one season at the helm, with former Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri and ex-Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino linked to the Nerazzurri.

But ahead of Wednesday's one-legged Europa League last-16 clash against LaLiga side Getafe at neutral venue Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen due to coronavirus, Conte told reporters: "When I speak I do it for Inter.

"This is very important for me. It is not important for me, it is important for Inter. As usual when I speak. Let's try to speak about us, about something that keeps us close to each other under the same flag."

#InterGetafe loading... #FORZAINTER pic.twitter.com/yjqIEs9YVV

— Inter (@Inter_en) August 4, 2020

Inter ended the 2019-20 Serie A season as runners-up, just a point behind Juve after collecting 82 points from 38 matches – equalling the total of the 2009-10 treble-winning team under Jose Mourinho.

The Italian powerhouse now have their sights set on winning the Europa League, with Conte adding: "I think that Europa League is a very important competition for everybody, mostly for us.

"We need to be good, as [captain] Samir [Handanovic] said, because we don't want any regrets. We don't know where we will arrive with our best but in the end no regrets giving everything as we did everything in the league [Serie A] and across the season."

"When you win you feel more confidence in yourself," he continued. "This is nothing new. I say that it is not easy to win and if you succeed your level starts to be important.

"I think this is a very important competitions for us and winning it will help us to feel more confident in our qualities and team skills. But you need to win."