Midfield maestros lift Conte past Inter: clashes, woodwork, tempers | OneFootball

A reaction was needed, and it arrived. After weeks of criticism and tension, Antonio Conte's Napoli responded on the field with a performance worthy of a great team, overcoming Chivu's Inter thanks to solidity, tactical discipline, and moments of brilliance. Standout performances came from Anguissa, McTominay, and Di Lorenzo, not to mention a surprising Neres in a false nine role. The only downside: Kevin De Bruyne's injury, which is causing significant concern for the medical staff.

The three midfield tenors bring Conte back to the top against Inter. Clashes, posts, and flying tempers

There comes a time in every team's life when the focus must turn inward. Napoli has reached that point now. After weeks of disappointing results and a style of play that seems to have lost coherence, Conte's team faces a dual challenge: to rediscover its identity and to face the opponent that more than any other represents a historical taboo, Inter.

The last time the Nerazzurri made history in Naples, they did so as extras: they were the other half of the night that consecrated the fourth championship. Today, however, they return to the stage as protagonists, ready to challenge certainties that have appeared fragile for some weeks.

The shadow of a lost Napoli

The defeat in Turin left deep marks. The one in Eindhoven, even more decisive, stripped away confidence and momentum. The Napoli that had built its strength on compactness and balance now struggles to recognize itself. The distances between the departments have increased, the play is slow, and the defensive phase no longer guarantees the solidity that had become its trademark.

Antonio Conte, a man accustomed to reading his teams like a craftsman reads the material he shapes, knows he is facing a project in full identity crisis. The evolution that was supposed to take Napoli to a higher level has turned into an uncertain path, where every step forward generates one backward.

The weight of recent history

In direct confrontations, the balance is clear: in the last thirteen matches between the league and cups, Napoli has beaten Inter only once. That memory remains alive not only for the result but for the context in which it matured: a hard-fought draw that, in the title race, was worth a victory. Today, paradoxically, it could mean the same. Not for the standings, but for confidence.

Avoiding a third consecutive defeat – after Turin and Eindhoven – has become a primary objective. Before winning again, Napoli must stop losing itself.

Inter and Napoli, intertwined destinies

The clash at the “Maradona” comes at a time when the two teams are on opposite trajectories. Inter, after a complex start, has regained rhythm and confidence, climbing the standings and recovering its tactical identity. Napoli, on the other hand, seems hindered by a sense of collective confusion, amplified by absences and a less than optimal physical condition.

The difference in momentum also translates into attitude: the Nerazzurri today appear lighter, more confident, more in control of the field. The Azzurri, however, still need to reconcile with their way of playing, with that search for balance between intensity and quality that had been the key to recent successes.

A necessary passage

Tonight's match was not just a high-ranking challenge. It is a psychological and technical crossroads, a moment when Napoli must decide what kind of team it wants to be. Because, beyond the absences and difficulties, the destiny of the Azzurri will depend above all on themselves. Conte knows it: you cannot return to being protagonists without going through the lowest point. But to rise again requires a collective awareness, the ability to recognize one's limits and to rebuild certainties. Inter, in this sense, is not just an opponent: it is a mirror.

The start is cautious. In the first fifteen minutes, the two teams observe each other, but it is Inter that becomes dangerous with a header from Bastoni and a shot from Çalhanoğlu. Then a risky back pass from Spinazzola almost compromises everything, but Vanja saves on Lautaro with the goal almost wide open.

Napoli ventures forward only in the 20th minute, with a shot from Gilmour from the edge that goes high. At the half-hour mark, the episode that changes the game: Di Lorenzo is fouled in the area and the referee awards a penalty. De Bruyne steps up to the spot, scores, but injures himself in the technical gesture. His pain is evident and Conte is forced to replace him with Olivera, reshaping the formation into a more defensive 4-3-3.

At the end of the half, Bastoni hits the crossbar from a corner and Milinkovic has to excel against Çalhanoğlu. Lautaro, from a good position, wastes the possible equalizer. The six minutes of added time become a Nerazzurri siege, but Napoli's defense holds firm and compact.

The second half begins with Inter still pressing. But in the 8th minute, McTominay breaks through from the midfield and unleashes a perfect right-footed shot into the corner: 2-0 Napoli. A few minutes later, however, the Nerazzurri response arrives: VAR awards a penalty that Çalhanoğlu coolly converts. At 2-1, the match heats up, even on a nervous level. Conte protests and is booked, while Lautaro continues to complain to the referee, earning the whistles of the crowd.

The decisive blow comes shortly after. Anguissa, in great form, dribbles past two men and beats Sommer with a precise diagonal. It's the 3-1 that seals the game. From that moment, Inter fades and Napoli manages the game maturely, also trying to strike on the counter with Neres, surprisingly deployed as the central forward. A move by the "British-Apulian coach" that completely disoriented Chivu's defense.

The success at Fuorigrotta revives Napoli and especially its coach. After the controversies of recent weeks, Conte is back to being "Conte": clear in his choices, fierce in the psychological management of the group, and ready to respond with actions to provocations.

However, there is an issue that cannot be ignored: injuries. With Lukaku, Lobotka, Rrahmani out, and now also De Bruyne, Napoli is paying a very high physical price. Inter was a mirror, it was said. And from that reflection, Napoli should have understood whether its present is truly so fragile or if within that crisis there is already the seed of a rebirth. Indeed, there is.

NAPOLI-INTER 3-1

Napoli (4-1-4-1): Milinkovic-Savic 7; Di Lorenzo 7 Buongiorno 5.5 (45′ st Beukema NG), Juan Jesus 7, Spinazzola 6.5 (45′ st Gutierrez NG); Gilmour 5; Politano 6.5 (37′ st Elmas NG), Anguissa 7.5, De Bruyne 6.5 (36′ Olivera 6.5), McTominay 7; Neres 7 (36′ st Lang NG). Coach: Conte 7

Inter (3-5-2): Sommer 5; Akanji 5.5, Acerbi 5, Bastoni 5.5; Dumfries 6 (28′ st Luis Henrique 6), Barella 6 (28′ st Frattesi NG), Calhanoglu 6 (28′ st Sucic 5.5), Mkhitaryan 5 (32′ Zielinski 5.5), Dimarco 6; Lautaro Martinez 5, Bonny 5 (17′ st Esposito 5.5). Coach: Chivu 5.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.