The top-of-the-table clash from last weekend gave Italian media plenty to talk about. The noise surrounding this battle at the summit has continued for a week and still hasn't died down. Conte himself was relatively pleased that his team could draw while being one goal behind, thus maintaining their unbeaten record. At the Vinovo training base on the evening of March 2nd (Beijing time), most of the discussion still revolved around the aftermath of the top-of-the-table clash. Regarding Inter Milan's weakness, Conte chose to avoid the topic. Despite a favorable championship situation, Juventus couldn't afford to lose against Chievo, known as the "flying donkey."
A journalist wanted to ask about the current mental state of Juventus, whether there was any sign of fatigue in spirit, but Conte said: "Until now, our mental state has been very strong. Of course, perhaps we need a little more effort. But don't forget that we have been undefeated in 24 league matches, and many people have forgotten this fact. Moreover, we reached the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia. The current results are very good. Could you have imagined this at the start of the season? I never hesitate to repeat this point: our spirit is still strong and determined, which is very important for Juventus."
This week is the international match day, and during the midweek, many Juventus players participated in international matches, with some playing for extended periods. Regarding this, Conte said: "To be honest...this does make my training quite difficult. Almost everyone came back tired after the international matches. Yesterday, I gave those who went to the national team a day off to recover, and then we only had one training session. We only had one day to prepare for this crucial game against Chievo. However, no matter what, I am still happy when players are selected for the national team because it means their performances in the club are recognized by the national team coach."
After last week's top-of-the-table clash, due to some controversial refereeing decisions, the arguments between AC Milan and Juventus continued throughout the week, especially the verbal sparring between AC Milan vice president Galliani and Juventus chairman Agnelli. Regarding this, Conte said: "You know, this is caused by the current league table situation. After so many years, we have become competitive again, and we can enjoyably compete with a bit of luck for the championship that everyone calls substantial. The current situation is still dangerous because there are 14 games left, and I always say that the league title is not just a competition between Juventus and AC Milan; Udinese, Lazio, and Napoli might also come into play. In other words, you must get used to this enormous pressure. Emotional pressure can also promote good performance, no doubt about it. So, in this sense, we are more favored in the championship race because we are more united as a team. But we are still learning. Our starting point was not high at the beginning of the season; we were only seventh last time. So, we've experienced all kinds of situations, and we constantly think about them so that when we face similar situations again, we can handle them better because these situations are very possible."
When talking about his exchange with Allegri at the "Golden Bench Award" ceremony on Monday, Conte said: "We exchanged normally, greeted each other, and I do the same with other coaches, so we got along well. I repeat, from a sporting perspective, every game may spark excitement, and you want to crush your opponent, but after the game, you should calmly greet each other." Regarding tomorrow's game, where Pepe and Vidal cannot participate, a situation similar to the previous game against Novara, Conte said: "As I've repeated many times, at this stage of the season, attitude is the most important thing. There are still 14 games left, and whether we miss opportunities or seize them depends on us. We now bear more responsibility on our shoulders, which is a huge responsibility. As I said, we want to deal with it well, and we must deal with it well."
A journalist asked if, amidst this week's tense atmosphere, someone from AC Milan would call to exchange opinions or even apologize. Conte laughed: "No, no, no." Regarding whether he wished to talk to certain parties involved after such an eventful week and his current feelings, Conte said: "To be honest, I'm not very accustomed to this. For me, the current situation seems like going back to the era when I was a football player. Back then, we fought for victory, fought for championships, without too many distractions. These are undoubtedly true. Honestly, I'm nostalgic, missing the beautiful things from the past, but it looks like they're coming back. As for the quarrels last week and this week, I always believe that intense emotional expression is needed on the football field; it's a place where you must perform stronger than your opponent."
In the first half of the away game at San Siro last week, it seemed that Juventus had a high chance of losing. When talking about the halftime adjustments and messages conveyed to the players, Conte said: "I just told them to win. The spirit of winning is much more important than anything else, which is beyond doubt. This is more important than any purchase. When I face a situation where points are lost, I always tell the players that we must win, win, win. If we ultimately win the championship, the work we've done will be incredibly excellent because we've undergone qualitative changes in just ten months, and what completes this change is the correct spirit. From my personal experience, I also have the luck and skills to win, and I know that winning a game requires a process. So far this year, everything has gone smoothly for us, as if we've taken shortcuts. Winning hasn't taken much time for our team full of new coaches and players, and if we really achieve it, then we've truly done a great job. Then we'll embrace everyone and say: children, we've surpassed time and space. But this isn't easy for us because winners always turn victories into habits, and we must also turn it into a habit."
Regarding the 45-60 minute period in last week's top-of-the-table clash against AC Milan, when the situation wasn't good but they managed to escape unscathed, Conte said: "I reviewed this game with purpose, and I'm happy. Before the game, I hoped to escape from their fierce attack, which was very important. From the start of the game, the opening was good, but we were stunned by a sudden goal and lost direction a bit. But reviewing the game again, I still think we created more threats, like Quagliarella's opportunity in the second half, Matri's disallowed goal, and Matri's equalizing goal. In the second half, we could have scored three goals. This game can help us grow and better understand our own philosophy of play. We must realize that we have actually performed well all along. We didn't ultimately win due to bad luck, not because the opponent did something extraordinary to us. What we did deserved the final result. I still want to emphasize that we are maintaining an unbeaten record, and there's an element of luck, but I hope this record lasts as long as possible because it proves how well our players have performed. I repeat, our unbeaten streak is our pride, and no one should forget this, especially our fans."
A journalist asked if this season's Inter Milan reminded Conte of last season's Juventus, to which Conte avoided answering: "I usually don't like to comment on other teams. I prefer to look at my own team because my team has many problems. I prefer to make positive comparisons rather than think about Juventus during its bad times or who resembles that period's Juventus. I think talking about other teams is futile, but discussing our own team is meaningful."
Last week, Montari scored a goal that crossed the line but wasn't counted, and Buffon revealed that he didn't realize the ball had crossed the line due to the suddenness of the incident. However, he admitted that even if he had realized, he wouldn't have told the referee. This statement sparked significant controversy after the game, but Conte defended his disciple: "Let's first return to the issue of speaking style, which is often Buffon's way. The media first contacted Buffon, then Pirlo, and then they contacted me, but they should have reached out to more people. In the end, the truth was obscured. Many things were covered up. If you contact other players, you'll find that everyone is the same."
Finally, a journalist brought up the topic of tomorrow's game, and Conte evaluated Chievo: "Thank you for letting me escape from the previous topic. Chievo is a beautiful reality, exactly so for the current Italian league. They are the pride of a province and the phenomenon of Verona. The construction of this team shows us what can be achieved in Italian football with the right people, even without significant resources. They are doing well in Serie A, already scoring 33 points, basically achieving relegation safety because they still have 13 games left. If you ask me about my opinion on Chievo, I think Chievo is a good example. They can teach you how to do things, how to build a team, and they are a great combination of dreams and reality. Therefore, I want to congratulate Chievo, congratulate Chievo's chairman Campedelli, coach Di Carlo, and his players."