Antonio Conte has claimed Inter ‘deserved more’ from their cup tie with Napoli, stressed Romelu Lukaku ‘must improve’ and confirmed that Stefano Sensi will be out for the rest of the Serie A campaign.

Inter face Napoli in Serie A tomorrow and the tight schedule has made it difficult to recover and keep the high intensity in recent games. But Conte has found some positives too.

Antonio Conte has claimed Inter ‘deserved more’ from their cup tie with Napoli, stressed Romelu Lukaku ‘must improve’ and confirmed that Stefano Sensi will be out for the rest of the Serie A campaign.

Inter face Napoli in Serie A tomorrow and the tight schedule has made it difficult to recover and keep the high intensity in recent games. But Conte has found some positives too.

“Surely, this was and is a new experience for everyone. We must take the positive things and learn from this type of situation,” Conte told Inter’s official website. “Playing every three days has left us with positive ideas to use also in the future.”

Cone has been helped by the availability of his fringe players like Andrea Ranocchia and Borja Valero during the difficult programme.

“We are talking about a group of very serious and focused lads, who have always worked hard,” Conte added. “Ranocchia has always given me a positive response when he gets the call.

“These guys have always made themselves available even when they weren’t picked. They have trained seriously, like serious professionals.

“But I had no doubts, from a human point of view, this is an excellent group.”

Inter won the reverse fixture 3-1 at the San Paolo but were dumped out of the Coppa Italia semi-finals by the Partenopei, who eventually picked up the trophy.

“It [the League meeting] was certainly a good match on our part, but in some ways the best of matches against Napoli this term was the return leg of the Coppa Italia,” he said.

“We certainly deserved more. We are still talking about a very strong side, that over the years have been up there to annoy those who then won the Scudetto.

“A team with a very good squad and they have strengthened a lot. And they have won the Coppa Italia.”

Roberto Gagliardini will be out of the match but Nicolo Barella returns, and Conte confirmed that Stefano Sensi ‘is making progress’.

“In midfield this year, the recovery of one player has coincided with the absence of another. Sensi is making progress, but it’s difficult to make predictions and estimates on his return.

“Until the end of the week and therefore the rest of the campaign, he won’t be training with us. The most important thing is that the boy is doing well and that he can put behind him this unfortunate year.”

Romelu Lukaku scored his 23rd League goal for the season in style against Genoa, but Conte stressed the Belgian must still ‘improve’.

“Romelu is a footballer who has room for improvement. In some game situations, he can and must improve.

“We are talking, as I said after the match, of an atypical football. Despite his size, his strength, his height and him being a target man, he’s fast too and has the athletic ability to score a goal like that [in the 93rd minute against Genoa].

“It’s always up to him, to every player, the desire to improve. He has room for improvement, but it’s important that each of us has that desire and hunger to raise our level and grow more and more.”

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