Conte tells Inter stars to ‘shut up’ as Scudetto race hots up

Inter Milan head coach Antonio Conte has told his players to ‘shut up’ and focus on what they do on the pitch as the Nerrazzuri look to win a first Scudetto in 11 years.
Inter currently lead the standings in Serie A, six points clear of second-placed Milan with a game in hand on their closest challengers.
That made it eight Serie A victories in a row for the Nerazzurri and they will be looking to make it nine on the spin for the first time since 2017 when they travel to Bologna.
Milan boss Stefano Pioli and midfielder Ismael Bennacer have both warned Inter that the title race is not yet over, but Conte does not want to engage in mind games.
Asked at his pre-match news conference on Friday what mistakes have to be avoided, Conte said: “Speaking inappropriately. We need to shut up and pedal.
“The best advice I can give the players is to pick up from where we left off, even if it is never easy after returning from international breaks. There aren’t many more games to go.”
Inter have twice finished as runners-up since last winning the Scudetto in 2009-10, including last season in Conte’s first at the San Siro helm.
Conte won three Serie A titles during his time as Juventus boss and wants his squad to embrace the pressure that comes with leading the way late in the season.
“Inter is a team that, throughout the course of its history, is used to always managing pressure in the right way,” he said.
“Many of them are in this situation for the first time, but we can only think about ourselves and do our best until the season finishes.”
Inter’s sole focus is on Serie A over the remainder of the season, with the trip to Stadio Renato Dall’Ara the first of 11 remaining fixtures.
Bologna have won their last two league matches to move up to 11th and are seeking three wins in succession for the first time since February 2020.
The Rossoblu have lost 11 and drawn three of their last 14 home league meetings with Inter, but Conte is anticipating a difficult match against Sinisa Mihajlovic’s side.
“It’s always important to start well when you return to action, but we have to pay a lot of attention against an excellent Bologna side,” Conte added.
“They are led by a very good coach who likes attacking football. We need to prepare for the match in the best possible way if we are going to win.”
Inter’s clash with Sassuolo prior to the international break was postponed after four of their players tested positive for coronavirus.
Samir Handanovic, Matias Vecino and Stefan de Vrij have all since returned to training, however, while Danilo D’Ambrosio is due back soon.
Providing a fitness update, Conte said: “Samir has been back for a while now and has had time to work. Matias has had three days of training and is in a good condition.
“Stefan only returned yesterday and will inevitably not be fully fit, and Danilo will be back as soon as possible. We need to get them all back in top condition.”