Antonio Conte has no illusions about Inter’s Scudetto hopes or even the Europa League. ‘There are seasons where we don’t reap what we sow.’

Romelu Lukaku bagged a brace around the Alexis Sanchez strike off the underside of the bar, beating Genoa 3-0 at Marassi, allowing the Nerazzurri to leapfrog Atalanta into second place and keep the pressure on leaders Juventus.

Antonio Conte has no illusions about Inter’s Scudetto hopes or even the Europa League. ‘There are seasons where we don’t reap what we sow.’

Romelu Lukaku bagged a brace around the Alexis Sanchez strike off the underside of the bar, beating Genoa 3-0 at Marassi, allowing the Nerazzurri to leapfrog Atalanta into second place and keep the pressure on leaders Juventus.

“I didn’t say second place was bad, it’s just if you want to see the glass half-empty or half-full,” the coach told Sky Sport Italia.

“I don’t know why, people lately always wanted to see it half-empty. The numbers are clear, these lads are doing great things and of course we must improve, but at the same time congratulate these players, as they keep pushing.

“It’s a pity about some games, but there are seasons when you don’t reap what you sow and that’s what happened to Inter. We want to go as far as possible and get the best statistics we can. Someone else will win the Scudetto, but we must have the ambition of aiming as high as possible.”

Are there regrets seeing how many points Juventus have been dropping lately?

“That’s not the issue. We had to deal with injuries that we weren’t expecting, like Matias Vecino and Alexis Sanchez. I will never stop thanking Borja Valero, or Saint Borja Valero, as I call him, because he saved us in so many situations where we were at the limits.

“He came on again today (replacing Christian Eriksen) and sorted everything out. It’s only right that certain evaluations are made to avoid making certain mistakes again.”

Alexis Sanchez was on target again today, but Manchester United have not yet given permission to keep him for the Europa League campaign in August.

“I hope the club can resolve the issue, because for three-quarters of the season we only had Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez plus a teenager in Sebastiano Esposito. The lads deserve even more credit and I hope the club can resolve this, because we need alternatives.”

Can Inter try to build momentum and target winning the Europa League?

“There are other teams like Manchester United who have the same idea…” smiled Conte. “In England, they say Manchester United are forced to win it, as otherwise they might not qualify for the Champions League.

“We want to do our best, I tell the lads not to set themselves limits, but even Getafe are tough in the Round of 16, as they defend with 10 men and are not afraid to give opponents a good kicking.”

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