Conte slams Napoli: ‘I am not doing a good job, or someone doesn’t want to listen’

Antonio Conte lashed out at Napoli after their 2-0 defeat to Bologna, warning ‘we don’t have the positive energy of last season, so either I’m not doing a good job, or someone doesn’t want to listen.’

The coach had complained last week that criticism was excessive for a team at the top of the table, but their form is clearly falling off in recent weeks.

Following disappointing 0-0 draws with Como in Serie A and Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League, the Partenopei were thumped 2-0 at the Stadio Dall’Ara this afternoon, with Thijs Dallinga and Jhon Lucumi on target for Bologna.

“Bologna were certainly more energetic in every way. What it’s sad to note is that they were hungrier, had more enthusiasm, that is the most disappointing thing that must make us reflect,” Conte told DAZN Italia.

“This is the fifth defeat we’ve had since the start of the season, which means we must reflect even more than we already have done.

“Don’t forget that Bologna played on Thursday, but they were so fired up. We did the bare minimum while the game was in the balance, then after that we just fell apart. It’s sad, because they had a totally different level of energy and we need a different energy to what I’ve been seeing since the start of the season.”

Rasmus Hojlund is getting a lot of criticism for his performance, especially after losing the creativity of Kevin De Bruyne.

“I didn’t mind Hojlund’s performance today, I thought he was perhaps our best player. He fought hard, attacked the space, Lucumi struggled to keep him under control,” insisted Conte.

“It’s not right to evaluate a striker only on whether he scores. It was inevitable that we had tried a few things and should’ve given him more support, at times he turned and held the ball up, but we were lacking everywhere today. I thought he was our best player today.”

There is a clear problem scoring goals for Napoli, as this was their third competitive game in a row without finding the net and in the second half today their xG was a pitiful 0.05.

The injury crisis can only explain so much, as they are missing Leonardo Spinazzola, De Bruyne, Billy Gilmour, Romelu Lukaku and Alex Meret.

There were four defeats in Serie A throughout last season, but already three for Napoli in the opening 11 rounds. Is it enough to retain the title?

“I am worried, I cannot deny it. If a team that is meant to be a protagonist loses five games in all competition by now, then something is going wrong,” confessed Conte.

“We must never forget that last time Napoli won the Scudetto, they collapsed the next season. People seem to believe the ugly duckling can become a swan from one day to the next.

“As I said, what we did last season was absolutely extraordinary. This is a different year, we are working, but in my view we have to ask ourselves if we are working with the same enthusiasm and desire that we had last year, when we wanted to prove ourselves, or if we are resting on our laurels because people say we are favourites.

“The energy has certainly changed here, I don’t feel the positive energy we had last season. The lads know full well I’ve been saying this for a while, it saddens me that I have been unable to change this energy in the last four months. It means I am not doing a good job, or that someone doesn’t want to listen to me.”