Napoli, Conte visibly pleased: "Tough opponent, I'm really happy" | OneFootball

At the end of the Champions League match against Qarabag, Napoli coach Antonio Conte spoke in the conference room of the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium to answer questions from the press.

After the first half, the goals came. Are you satisfied? “Yes, but I was also satisfied with the first half because we faced a tough opponent. The previous results are clear: you don't draw 2-2 at home with Chelsea, almost winning it at the end, or win 3-2 at Benfica's home by chance. It's a technical, organized team, and for many reasons, the match was complicated. I am very happy: at the end of the first half, I asked to continue with focus and determination, not letting them play. I was convinced we would find the goal. The penalty seemed cursed, their goalkeeper made incredible saves. But I am satisfied because I saw a focused and determined team, in a period of enormous difficulty due to absences. This should make us proud: the players are understanding the situation and taking on responsibility. Even yesterday, we only trained for fifteen minutes: there was a crazy downpour in Castel Volturno, I stopped everything, and in those fifteen minutes, Miguel twisted his ankle. It's a time when you have to be careful about everything. But I am proud that those who are here are going beyond.”

The missed penalty could have been a setback, yet you created nine goal opportunities and scored two goals. Can we say that Napoli has found itself again? “I want to emphasize that tonight there was a special atmosphere: the fifth anniversary of Maradona's passing. We all wanted to honor him. It's not a matter of finding ourselves because no one was lost: the league standings show it, and it could be the same in the Champions if we had won against Eintracht. The problem is another: when you have many unavailable players, you have fewer weapons. Today's performance was energetic, compact, and supportive in both phases. This must always be there. And I think this difficult period is making us even more responsible. Since the beginning of the year, we have been chasing incredible situations.”

On Neres: “Last year he was crucial, more in assists than in goals. We know his qualities. He also had a problem this year, but now he's well and in great form. In a complicated period, it's important to take responsibility for plays, quality, and personality. Without this, it would be tough. Today the bench was very short, with two goalkeepers and two youth players. I had said I would make the team leaving something available, both in case of advantage and in case of a match to push. The choice to keep Matteo on the bench initially was to start more solidly and then have four offensive players in. Matteo played a great match in both phases.”

Did Politano's substitution change the game? “Giovanni, when not in possession, pressed their full-back high. We played a 4-4-2. In possession, he has different characteristics from Matteo: he has pace, knows how to insert himself and cross, but doesn't have the one-on-one. Similarly, Mathias and Olivera have specific characteristics. I forced the situation by putting two wide players and Noah and David more inside because we had to win. Giovanni returned to full-back, it was all planned. At this moment, you have to leave something on the bench whether the result is positive or negative.”

The conditions of Gutierrez and Spinazzola? “Miguel twisted his ankle. I won't say how many weeks he'll be out: he has great willpower and told me he will recover in two weeks, but the doctor disagrees. The positive note is that Spinazzola trained today for the first time at an intense pace without pubic pain.”

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Felice Torino

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