Napoli 2-1 Sporting – Conte reflects on ‘good lad’ De Bruyne & tactical options | OneFootball

Antonio Conte will come away the happier of the two head coaches this evening as his Napoli side beat Sporting 2-1.

A brace from Rasmus Hojlund, with both goals assisted by Kevin De Bruyne, was enough to give Conte’s side all three points in a tough game against a plucky Portuguese outfit.

It was an important win for Conte’s side, putting their opening game defeat to Manchester City behind them as they look to press forward in the Champions League.

Catch up with all the action from Wednesday night’s Champions League games as they happened on our LiveBlog.

Conte on De Bruyne situation

Speaking to Sky Sport after the game, with quotes via the Corriere dello Sport, the coach opened by talking about the media speculation about a rift with De Bruyne, after the Belgian was angry with being substituted in the loss to Milan at the weekend.

“Kevin, compared to the other signings, comes from a different reality. He spent years at City and played at the very highest level,” the coach said.

“I have nothing to say to him, he’s a very good lad and he works hard. I understand his desire to play, but there are also substitutions. I want to win and if I make them, it’s with the intention of improving the team.

“Then it’s normal that in the media they are discussed depending on the results – the important thing is that everyone gives their all for the team.”

NAPLES, ITALY – OCTOBER 01: Rasmus Hojlund of SSC Napoli celebrates after scoring his side first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD2 match between SSC Napoli and Sporting Clube de Portugal at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on October 01, 2025 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

Conte on Napoli tactical tweaks

The win puts Napoli 19th in the league phase table for the meantime, with 3 points from their first two games.

Conte discussed Napoli’s tactical options, saying:

“We have two paths.

“Either we continue on this path with four midfielders, as I think we should because we have great room for improvement, or we can play with a 4-3-3 as we did at the end of the game tonight, perhaps alternating between a more physical midfield and a more technical one in which De Bruyne can play as a mezzala. The important thing is that everyone sacrifices themselves in both phases.”

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 18: Antonio Conte, Head Coach of Napoli, looks on prior to the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD1 match between Manchester City and SSC Napoli at City of Manchester Stadium on September 18, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

Finally, the coach concluded by reflecting on the defeat to Milan and the current state he sees his team in.

“To me, the performance in Milan didn’t displease me at all,” Conte said, “but the two goals came from situations where we could have done better. We’ve talked about how to improve. When it comes to the negative aspects, you have to be constructive and try to work on them.”

He continued, “It’s clear that if at San Siro you go two goals down against Milan, it’s difficult to come back. But we controlled the game and in my opinion this is a step forward compared to last year. Last season in Milan we won 2–0 but it was Milan who made the game. Even here at the Maradona, we were at risk until the end.

“Today I see a very mature team in terms of game management. But we mustn’t lose the characteristics we had, the aggression and the fear, because healthy fear makes you run back. We try to push forward, but when we get bypassed, we must immediately recover.”