Conte: Napoli’s extraordinary performance in 2024-25 season, aiming for European success

Antonio Conte, Napoli’s head coach, believes his team deserved more than a 1-1 draw against Udinese. However, he insists that this result doesn’t impact their Scudetto chances, but rather their European qualification prospects. Conte emphasized, “What we’re achieving is truly remarkable.”

Napoli hoped to capitalize on Inter’s recent stumble against Fiorentina and extend their lead atop Serie A. Instead, they settled for their second consecutive league draw. Scott McTominay’s powerful header gave Napoli the lead, only for Jurgen Ekkelenkamp to equalize with an unusual long-range strike.

Conte made some unexpected early substitutions, including removing key players like Romelu Lukaku and Matteo Politano. He explained, “We struggled to convert our chances and allowed Udinese back into the game after taking the lead. Sometimes you need to inject fresh energy after 70 minutes. We can’t always wait until the final 10 minutes to make changes.”

The coach expressed disappointment with the result, stating, “We deserved more than a point tonight. We created numerous opportunities in the first half and controlled the game, but failing to capitalize on those chances leads to problems.”

When asked if this was a missed opportunity to solidify their Scudetto status, Conte responded, “We must focus solely on our own progress. This was a chance to secure European qualification, but a draw against Udinese is still respectable. We shouldn’t confuse reality with our current extraordinary performance. Trust me, it’s truly exceptional.”

Conte praised his team’s effort, noting, “The players left everything on the field tonight. This was our ninth consecutive unbeaten match, which is remarkable.” He also mentioned the team’s left-back shortage due to injuries and the late debut of new signing Noah Okafor.