Inter title success was tough, but winning must become an obsession, says Conte

Inter Milan coach Antonio Conte said guiding his side to Serie A title success this season had been the hardest job of his managerial career, and he called on his players to make winning an “obsession” after they thrashed Sampdoria 5-1 on Saturday.

Inter was crowned Serie A champion for the first time in 11 years last weekend after Atalanta failed to beat Sassuolo, meaning Conte’s league leader could not be caught.

Fans greeted the team ahead of Inter’s first game since clinching the Scudetto outside the San Siro on Saturday, before the champion put Sampdoria to the sword and celebrated on the pitch after the match.

“I think I surpassed myself over the last two years,” Conte told Sky Sport Italia. “I had to put all of myself into this title win. It wasn't the biggest achievement, but it was the most difficult of my career. We have done something special after 11 years without a title.”

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Two goals from Alexis Sanchez helped Inter storm to a rampant win over Sampdoria, as Inter made it 14 home league victories in a row in Conte’s 200th Serie A match as a manager. The victory took Inter onto 85 points - its highest tally since 2008 - with three games to play.

Conte, however, called for his side to keep the winning momentum going.

“The motivation is and must be that victory must always enter the players’ brains, it must become an obsession,” Conte added.

“Today there were all the conditions for not accompanying the pre-match party with a win, against Sampdoria and a great coach in Claudio Ranieri, but we remained determined to win and lucid throughout the match.”