Conte Not Satisfied With Napoli 1-1 Inter Milan Serie A Draw: ‘Performance Gives Us Strength, But It’s Half A Defeat’ | OneFootball

Antonio Conte feels last weekend’s Serie A draw between Napoli and Inter Milan was like “half a defeat” for the Partenopei.

The Napoli coach gave his thoughts in a press conference ahead of tomorrow’s clash between his team and Fiorentina, as reported by FCInterNews.

Inter Milan faced Napoli in Serie A last weekend.

It was a match pitting first and second in the league table. Therefore, there was very much the feeling of a potential title-decider to the big match at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

In the end, the match ended in a draw.

Inter had taken the lead in the first half courtesy of a Federico Dimarco free kick. And they held on to their advantage for much of the rest of the match.

However, Napoli turned up the pressure for virtually the entire second half.

And eventually, the Partenopei found a way through an injury-hit Inter defensive line. Substitute Phillip Billing forced the ball over the line and the two teams shared the points.

Therefore, the match ended as it had begun – with Inter one point ahead of Napoli.

Conte: Napoli 1-1 Inter Milan Serie A Draw “Half A Defeat”

Napoli coach Antonio Conte gave his thoughts on his team after last Saturday’s match. “Ambition has to be the result of work,” he said. “We must be ambitious because we work hard.”

“The fact that we played a great match against Inter, who are the point of reference team and the team to beat, made us happy,” he said.

NAPLES, ITALY – FEBRUARY 09: Antonio Conte Napoli head coach during the Serie A match between Napoli and Udinese at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on February 09, 2025 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

“Comparing the first meeting and the second one, despite the two draws, they were totally different matches.”

Conte argued that “the performance certainly has to give us strength.”

“But then if we look at the week prior, we’re weaker, because we lost to Como.”

“It’s not like you can raise or lower you level of enthusiasm based on the match. You always have to be consistent.”

The Napoli coach noted that “Titles are won by teams who are consistent, focused, on everything. Not with all the ups and downs.”

Antonio Conte argued that “A draw is a disappointment, it’s like half a defeat.”

“Even if it’s against Inter,” he added. “When we would have deserved a lot more.”