Napoli, Conte: "We gifted Milan an early goal, on the substitutions..." | OneFootball

"It's disappointing to have conceded a goal so soon, as a team we could have done better. Starting after 4 minutes and going down at San Siro was not easy. We played, I liked the team, we pressed Milan high, we created chances. There is work to do because lately we have conceded a few more goals. We need to be good at improving".

Napoli, Conte: "We conceded a goal to Milan right away. On the changes..."

After the 2-1 defeat against Milan at San Siro, Antonio Conte analyzed Napoli's performance to DAZN's microphones. The Azzurri coach acknowledged the defensive limitations shown by his team in recent outings, but still highlighted the good quality of the test against a direct rival for the title.

"It's disappointing to have conceded a goal so soon, but the team played a good game"

Conte began his analysis starting from the approach to the match:

"It's disappointing to have conceded a goal so soon. We could certainly have done better as a team in the first two goals. Usually when you concede a goal it's either an unstoppable feat, or it means there's something to improve. Starting at San Siro down after only four minutes was not easy. But I liked the team: we played the game in the first half, pressing high and creating dangerous situations. There is work to do, this is clear, but there are also positive signs".

The coach then highlighted a worrying trend:

"Lately we have conceded a few too many goals: two against Pisa, two today against Milan and one with Fiorentina. The defensive phase has always been our strength, we need to become more solid again".

"This is the first defeat, but it came against a great Milan"

Conte reminded that Napoli remains in the race despite the stop:

"Let's start from the premise that this is the first defeat after five games, arrived at San Siro against Milan, not against the last in the class. The Rossoneri have important qualities in midfield and attack, it can happen that they score two goals. The boys know that we need to grow as a team, not as individual departments. More attention and concentration is needed. At 2-0 it was tough, but we got back to playing and created important situations. In the end, however, you have to capitalize".

"Mariannucci deserved the chance, the new ones need to grow"

An important passage was dedicated to Luca Mariannucci, surprisingly lined up in defense:

"Mariannucci is a player bought by Napoli and is part of the squad. He is not on the Champions list, he would not have played on Wednesday anyway. He is training well and has earned this opportunity. He has great potential and today he deserved his chance. I am happy with his performance, it will help him grow".

The coach, however, highlighted the difficulties due to injuries:

"On Wednesday we hope that nothing happens to Juan Jesus and Beukema, because we only have those two. Di Lorenzo is disqualified, Spinazzola and Olivera are to be evaluated. Gutierrez was at his first game after months and Mazzocchi was recovering from a problem. When you play every three days with the entire defense hit, careful evaluations must be made".

"The changes? I tried to bring freshness and quality"

Conte explained his choices in the second half:

"The changes were targeted. I tried to insert fresh players for the one-on-one, because Milan was closing a lot. I changed the striker with Lucca to give a different reference. One makes changes to improve the team and I think they were correct".

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