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Antonio Conte was named Serie A Coach of the Year and praised his players for ‘doing something extraordinary’ beating Inter to the Scudetto.
The two teams went into the final round of last season with a two-point gap, knowing either could win, or the title might have to be decided by a play-off if they finished level.
The Partenopei got their second Scudetto in three years and that allowed them to dominate this evening’s Gran Gala del Calcio awards in Milan.
Conte was named Coach of the Year and Napoli received the award for Club of the Year.
“Last season’s Scudetto was truly hard-fought, we wanted it with all our strength, knowing that we needed to do something extraordinary to beat a team full of champions like Inter,” said Conte from the stage.
“We did well to stay in the slipstream, also thanks to their Champions League commitments. We started to believe as time wore on, and the lads were truly extraordinary in doing something special.”
The situation has become if anything even tighter so far this season, as Napoli and AC Milan are the joint Serie A leaders, just one point ahead of Inter and Roma.
“It is going to be a battle, as there are many strong teams in the running,” added Conte.
“It’s difficult to make predictions after 13 rounds, as we are all up there. Our objective is to defend the Scudetto, but it’s very tough because there are many strong and well-built teams. May the best team win.”
After some disappointing results and going into the break for international duty, Conte decided to take a few days off and return home to Turin.
He credits that with giving himself and the squad a breather from the pressure, letting them return refreshed.
“It is important to spend time with family,” he assured.
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