Andrea Pirlo Says Inter Milan Boss Antonio Conte 'Becomes a Devil' If He Loses

Inter Milan manager Antonio Conte "becomes a devil" if his side loses a match, but he can make players "play better than you think you can," according to Andrea Pirlo.

Conte took over as Inter manager in the summer and has masterminded their first genuine Serie A title challenge in almost a decade in 2019-20.

The Nerazzurri finished fourth in the Italian top flight last term, 21 points behind champions Juventus.

If they beat AC Milan on Sunday, they will go back to the top of the table with 15 games of the season remaining.

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Pirlo, who played under Conte at Juve between 2011 and 2014, said he is not surprised by the impact Conte has had at the San Siro, per Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Sam France of Goal):

"[I am] not at all [surprised], because I know him too well. I knew Inter would be at this level, fighting for the league title until the end. He always leads you to give your best, to play better than you think you can. He is addicted to winning, if he loses you can't talk to him. He becomes a devil."

Inter last won the Scudetto in 2009-10 at the end of a run of five consecutive titles.

Juve are on an eight-season winning run at the moment, but they have both Inter and Lazio challenging them this season.

The Old Lady's campaign for a ninth consecutive league triumph has stuttered in recent weeks.

First they lost away to Napoli on January 26, and then they were shocked by Hellas Verona on Saturday.

In Cristiano Ronaldo, though, they have one of the most in-form strikers in Europe, and Inter need to ensure they take advantage of Juve's slight blip as it is unlikely to last much longer:

Next up for Juve in the league is a home clash with relegation-battling Brescia, which is likely to return them three points.

Inter, meanwhile, visit Lazio next in the league. The Rome club last lost a Serie A game when they visited Inter on September 25, a run of 18 games unbeaten that has propelled them into title contention.