Napoli director Manna: ‘Conte changes the balance in Serie A, we want to irritate’

Napoli director Giovanni Manna insists Antonio Conte ‘shifts the balance’ of Serie A and his presence makes them an ‘irritant’ on a sporting level, while there is a warning for those wanting to play more.

The trip to Bologna kicks off at the Stadio Dall’Ara at 14.00 GMT.

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from today’s five Serie A games on the Liveblog.

This has been a difficult spell for the Partenopei, who were held to back-to-back goalless draws by Como and Eintracht Frankfurt, but despite that they went into this weekend one point clear at the top of the Serie A table.

“The work we have done so far has been extremely positive, we dealt with the problems that arrived,” Manna told DAZN Italia.

Conte said in his press conference that having Napoli at the top of the table was ‘irritating’ to some in the media or the power structure of Italian football, so who was he referring to?

“It is true that in media terms we do ‘irritate’ someone and we want to irritate on a sporting level,” noted Manna.

“We have Antonio Conte on the bench, and he is a winner. When he arrives at a club like ours, I think it is a problem for the others.

“I know that when I was an opponent, I didn’t want to have him coming up against my team. He shifts the balance in the league, and we are inspired by him, continuing the work we did last season.

“We know where we want to go this term, we are top of the table right now, and we expect a good game this afternoon.”

Injuries are the main concern for Napoli at the moment, as while Leonardo Spinazzola is only fit for the bench, they are missing Kevin De Bruyne, Leonardo Spinazzola, Billy Gilmour, Alex Meret and Romelu Lukaku.

With these absentees, Eljif Elmas has pushed his way into the starting XI, preferred to David Neres and Noa Lang.

“Neres has been playing more consistently, Lang is getting there too. The players must ensure they are ready, whether they play five minutes or 90, and work with dedication throughout the week,” added Manna.

“Elmas is versatile, he can play in various different roles of midfield or attack, is strong in one-on-one, can combine with teammates and also go for goal. He earned his place in the side, and that is what the others must do too, following his example.”