MILAN (AP) – After approaching two titles last season, Inter Milan has high hopes that their advanced appearance will end a 10-year wait for a trophy.
Inter finished one point away from Juventus in Serie A and lost the Europa League final to Sevilla in the first season of coach Antonio Conte. During the market, the nerazzurri were among the top assets in incorporating midfielder Arturo Vidal and defenders Achraf Hakimi and Aleksandar Kolarov among others.
The signing of Vidal, 33, who played against Conte at Juventus, is seen as one thing in the dispute.
“He is a very high quality player,” Inter Romelu striker Lukaku said in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport.
“Last season we did very well, but if we have to improve it is in quality and experience. Two things have Vidal. No you earn so much and with other groups if you’re not a more sensible player. “
Vidal signed on Tuesday from Barcelona, where the Chilean won an eighth consecutive league title, adding 4 with Juventus (3 with Conte) and 3 with Bayern Munich.
Lukaku enjoyed his impressive first season at Inter, scoring 34 goals in all competitions and formed a brilliant partnership with Lautaro Martínez which was the challenge of the Inter trophy.
Lukaku warned his Serie A rivals that he had more room for improvement, especially with more time Conte.
“To me, he (Conte) is a mentor, a father, someone who understands me,” Lukaku said. “For me, betting for him is the realization of a dream.
“You look at their groups and you sense that you can be informed and a lot, either as an individual and as a team. I feel like I grew up a lot last season, thanks to him and his team. But we have to think, this is just the beginning, we want more and Conte is the right coach to do it. “
Going so close on 3 other fronts (Inter also lost in the semi-finals of the Italian Cup to long-term winner Napoli) remains smart.
Inter needs to use that pain to bring them to good fortune this season, starting with their first Serie A match on Saturday against their fierce rival Fiorentina, one of three groups (along with Juventus and Roma) who failed to win last year.
The nerazzurri’s first scheduled attack last week postponed due to the end of the season so late due to the latest in the Europa League.
“It was a very difficult time for me after this game. I didn’t speak for four days afterwards,” Lukaku said. ” But one day I woke up and gave myself an explanation.
“We didn’t win the championship by one point, we lost the semi-final of the Italian Cup because we didn’t score a goal and then the Europa League final 3-2. These are things that happen. It’s just because of suffering that you can improve. “
Inter has suffered since his hat-trick in 2010 in the Champions League, Serie A and the Italian Cup, and now intends to make others suffer.
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