Conte rage against ‘completely absurd’ Napoli criticism

Antonio Conte raged against the ‘completely absurd’ treatment of the Napoli injury crisis after they scraped a 1-0 victory away to Lecce with a saved penalty.

The Partenopei were feeling the pressure at the Stadio Via del Mare after failing to win in their last four competitive away fixtures.

It went from bad to worse when Noa Lang limped off with a knock to the thigh just above his left knee, then Lecce were awarded a penalty for Juan Jesus handball.

Vanja Milinkovic-Savic came to the rescue by saving the Francesco Camarda penalty, then Frank Andre Zambo Anguissa nodded in a David Neres free kick for the 1-0 victory.

“These games are never easy, especially after a match like the one with Inter that used up so much energy,” Conte told DAZN Italia.

“We played against a very good team, it is always tough to play here in Lecce. I think we should’ve controlled the final stages better, even if we didn’t run many big risks. Mentality is first and foremost.

“It was a very good first half, then this penalty could’ve changed the course of the game, but our goalkeeper did well and we went on to deserve the victory.”

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Lecce 0-1 Napoli

Rasmus Hojlund made his return as a substitute after a few weeks out injured, but it is now confirmed that Kevin De Bruyne will be out for three to four months after a high grade lesion to the thigh.

Scott McTominay was rested today, moving Napoli back to the 4-3-3 formation that had seen them win the Scudetto last season.

“People forget that we are having to make do. People talk about these big reinforcements, now some even try to suggest we are benefiting from the injuries to Lukaku and De Bruyne. It’s completely absurd,” raged Conte.

“All we’ve got in goal now is Milinkovic-Savic, but some over the summer were asking why we had invested so much in a quality goalkeeper.”

Anguissa scored the goal today, but then had a bit of an odd exchange with Conte in the final minutes when urging the coach to ‘calm down’ after a particularly loud scream in his direction.

“I honestly didn’t see it, but in these moments you need guts, not calm. I am very happy for Frank, if he’s constantly switched on then there are few players like him, but he still needs to improve his finishing. We need to score goals from everyone, it doesn’t matter if they are strikers, midfielders or defenders.”

Lang limped off within 60 seconds of the restart, so why was that problem not identified during half-time to avoid wasting a substitution slot?

“Lang had two knocks in the same spot, so I think his muscle hardened. It is not a serious problem. I am glad for him too, having his first start, as we need everyone in this difficult moment. The important thing is that we never lack the right spirit,” concluded Conte.

This means that Napoli will go into the weekend top of the table, potentially alone if Roma drop points at home to Parma tomorrow evening.