Conte: Napoli ‘dominated’ against Milan but must ‘improve’ | OneFootball

Napoli coach Antonio Conte insists his team ‘dominated’ against Milan on Sunday despite a 2-1 loss, but admits there are situations where his players must ‘work on and improve.’

Conte held a press conference on Tuesday on the eve of a Champions League match against Sporting CP.

The Italian tactician has reduced options in defence with Amir Rrahmani, Leonardo Spinazzola and Mathias Olivera injured, Giovanni Di Lorenzo suspended and Luca Marianucci out of the UEFA list.

Olivera and Spinazzola trained separately on Monday, but Conte and his staff still hope to recover at least one of them for tomorrow’s fixture; otherwise, Eljif Elmas could play as a right-back.

“For all the teams playing in European competitions, it’s inevitable to have more injuries because you train more and training sessions become fewer,” Conte said via TuttoNapoli.

“Playing often puts muscles under stress, and you don’t train. It’s the lack of proper training that can cause problems, but it’s part of the game.”

Kevin De Bruyne has drawn attention for his angry reaction to being substituted, while Serie A legend Fabio Capello also criticised his display against Milan on Sunday.

“I never like to talk about individuals. You win and lose as a team,” Conte argued.

Conte on De Bruyne: ‘The situation is already closed’

NAPLES, ITALY – AUGUST 30: Kevin De Bruyne of SSC Napoli during the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and Cagliari Calcio at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on August 30, 2025 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

“I repeat that I was, in terms of performance, I was more satisfied with Sunday evening than the two victories from last year, when we struggled a lot. We dominated the match at San Siro, and that doesn’t happen every day.

“That said, Kevin is a Napoli player; if the team does well, he does well. If the team struggles, he struggles too. We know what he can give us; he’s a player who must be supported, and we try to find the right balance. We go from one extreme to another: when we win, he’s fantastic, when we make mistakes, it’s all wrong. I have to find solutions, but it’s only the second year, and it will be complex for us because we have to play every three days and integrate new players, not just one. We have to improve along the way, involving everyone, to prepare ourselves for the third year, when the situation will already be more structured.

“Everything has already been clarified. At home, we say ‘clear agreements, long friendship,’ so the situation is already closed.”

Conte also warned his players about their next European opponents, Sporting CP.

The Partenopei lost their opening Champions League game against Manchester City 2-0 two weeks ago, but played over 70 minutes down to ten men following Di Lorenzo’s red card.

Conte warns Napoli about Sporting CP

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)

“Sporting are a top team that systematically competes for the league with Porto and Benfica; they are top-level and top-tier,” Conte said.

“I also faced them with Tottenham in the group phase, and many of those players are still there and have gained experience. It’s an excellent team and we’ll need to play knowing we’re facing a strong rival. But we are also strong, and we want to measure ourselves.

“In Manchester, there was a red card, but we held up, and only Foden’s magic led to the goal. Against Milan, we conceded early and we’ll have to be more careful. On the two goals, those are situations we need to work on and improve. But even 11 vs. 11, we played the match and there were also some questionable situations, but we’re not going back to talk about past things.”