Napoli, Conte: De Bruyne? We win and lose as a team, Sporting key | OneFootball

After the defeat against Milan in the league, Napoli is preparing for the Champions League clash against Sporting. Conte: “It will be an important match. Everything is resolved with De Bruyne.”

Napoli, Conte: “De Bruyne? I don’t like to talk about individuals, we win and lose as a team. The match against Sporting is important”

Having put the defeat at San Siro against Milan behind them, Napoli is immediately back on the pitch for their second European fixture of the season. Sporting Lisbon arrives at the Diego Armando Maradona, an opponent with great tradition and consistency at the international level.

On the eve of the match, Antonio Conte analyzed the current moment for the Azzurri in a press conference, focusing on difficulties, emergencies, and possible tactical solutions. After a bitter debut against Manchester City, the objective is clear: they need their first points in the Champions League group stage.

Conte: “Little time to prepare for an important match”

The Napoli coach highlighted the problems related to a packed schedule and so many matches in quick succession: “There is little time to prepare for an important match. In defense, we’re trying to recover Olivera and Spinazzola, but if they don’t make it, one solution could be Elmas as full-back. The emergency is clear, especially in a department where Marianucci and Mazzocchi are already missing.”

The defensive emergency and possible solutions

Conte reiterated how injuries and the many commitments are making squad management more difficult: “Teams involved in Europe play much more, and it’s inevitable that there are more injuries. The real problem is not being able to train as we should. When all the problems are concentrated in the same area, managing becomes complicated.”

On a possible change of formation, the coach clarified: “Even if we wanted to change the system, there are still only two center-backs left. We’ll see if there are more surprises, but we need to find solutions.”

De Bruyne, clarification with Conte: “Situation closed”

One of the hot topics concerns Kevin De Bruyne, who appeared nervous after the defeat in Milan. Conte addressed the matter as follows: “We’ve already cleared everything up. Clear agreements, long friendship—the situation is closed. De Bruyne is a Napoli player and we know how much he can give us. He needs to be supported, we need to find the right balance and avoid excesses. It will be a very complex year, also because we’ve brought in nine new players.”

Sporting Lisbon: a top-level opponent

Conte highlighted the strength of the Portuguese side: “Sporting is a club that always fights for the league in Portugal. They have quality and experience, with many players I’ve already faced during my time at Tottenham. They are a high-level team, we know that well.”

On the subject of the schedule, the coach pointed out a possible disadvantage: “Sporting had one more day of rest, while we got back late from Milan. Those who played only had a recovery session. With one more day, we would have prepared better, but this is the schedule and we have to accept it.”

Napoli’s European journey

After the loss against Manchester City, Napoli needs to react. Conte makes it clear: “The match with Sporting is important like all the others. We always take the field to win, even in objective difficulties. The journey will be complex, but we have to surpass ourselves.”

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