Following Napoli’s impressive 3-1 victory against Udinese, head coach Antonio Conte shared his thoughts on the match and the team’s performance. The win, bolstered by goals from Romelu Lukaku, Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa, and an own goal from Udinese’s Lautaro Giannetti, propelled Napoli to 35 points in the Serie A standings, just two points behind leaders Atalanta.
In his post-match interview with DAZN, Conte emphasized the importance of not being misled by the scoreline. “Honestly, we shouldn’t let the result confuse us. We conducted the match from the first minute. The goal we conceded was accidental,” he stated. He acknowledged that while Napoli had several opportunities to score, they needed to be more effective in taking advantage of them. “We had several chances, but we needed to be better at exploiting them. Our team must play this type of football. We need to be dominant with the ball and apply great pressure without it.”
Conte praised his players for their response during the match: “There was a good response from my players. They showed character and determination.” He also highlighted the contributions of David Neres, who started only his second league match. “As I said before the match, he has been training with us for a long time. Politano and Kvara were always preferred over him. However, I knew I had a strong player who has grown significantly in these months both physically and defensively.”
Neres’ performance did not go unnoticed by Conte: “Today, he was crucial for us on both the right and left flanks. He is a serious guy who works hard and now has space to demonstrate his qualities.”
Looking ahead, Conte expressed confidence in his squad’s depth and commitment to their ongoing development. “We are fortunate to have great availability from our players. For five months, we have started a journey that we must continue because we cannot find incredible shortcuts. We need to keep doing what we are doing without fear of anything or anyone.”
He concluded with a strong message about their approach to future matches: “Matches like today are ones we must go out and take; no one gives us anything. We are working on this mentality.”
