Napoli coach Antonio Conte spoke at a press conference ahead of the league match against Fiorentina, scheduled for tomorrow, Sunday, March 9th at 3 PM at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
What Has Changed
“Words change nothing, actions are needed; we have worked with the same desire as always and try every day to give our best. Ambition must always be a result of work, it is right to have it. Inter is currently the benchmark team, the one to beat, and the good performance pleased us. If we look at the first and second leg matches, they were two completely different games: this should give us strength. However, the week before we lost against Como: trophies are won by those who are consistent, you must always have great balance and believe in what you do.”
McTominay Doubt
“McTominay had an overload, for a couple of days he trained less than the others. We still have 24 hours to decide, we will try to find the best solution together with him.”
Gilmour
“Against Inter, Gilmour played a great game. I was very clear with everyone: a fixed place does not exist, those who deserve to play, play. He did well and will be there against Fiorentina. If he does well, he will also play the next game. Then those who remain out will try to change my mind. There are 11 games left, there are 11 finals: there are no credits.”
Inter
“Napoli’s goal is to excite the fans: even if in the end we did not win, it is pleasing to put in important performances like the last one against Inter. For those who think about victory and are winners, a draw is a half disappointment, even if it came against the Nerazzurri, in a match in which we deserved much more. A draw in my mindset is half a defeat: we must always get three points, in the last month we have struggled more but it is part of the journey of a championship. We must be good at gritting our teeth and continuing our journey. Without anxieties and without problems.”
State of Mind
“Me angry? There is certainly tension, we are 24 hours before the game. If you think you will find a coach who comes here and jokes, I am not like that. I carry with me a state of mind that I have always had, and I do not think I will change: you must not think that I am angry, this is my way of being. I live the match 24 hours before, I try to bring concentration even among you (journalists, ed.), but you struggle.”
Growth
“When I talk about building winning teams and structures, saying that they are not made overnight even if it happened to me, it means that steps must be taken. If it is said that Napoli has not scored many goals, scrolling through the squad there are no players who have scored so much in the past. We cannot invent them. We can work on it to increase the goals, but if a player scores 1/2 a year, he cannot reach 10. If he reaches 4 it is already a good goal. Inter scored 19 goals from set pieces, it means they have players who hit, score and bring points. We slowly have to insert all these characteristics: I understand that it is a complicated concept and that many are not interested, but what we can do is try to improve the curriculum of some players.”