Antonio Conte’s Napoli have surged to the summit of Serie A, but the pragmatic manager remains grounded despite the fans’ title aspirations. Napoli’s next challenge comes on Friday against Cesc Fabregas’ in-form Como.
Napoli’s resurgence is partly attributed to their absence from European competition, which allows them to focus solely on domestic matters. However, Conte acknowledges both the advantages and disadvantages of this situation.
“There is an advantage and a disadvantage,” Conte said. “The advantage is that you can train the team all week, the disadvantage is that the squad is not as competitive as those that do play in Europe.”
Despite Napoli’s impressive start, Conte emphasizes the need for patience and realism. “Not even three months have passed,” he said. “The president is the first to have spoken of a total reconstruction.”
Conte’s cautious approach stems from the recent departures of Victor Osimhen and Piotr Zielinski. “I know there are high expectations for me because I have done important things,” he said. “Let’s let the fans dream, but I have to keep my feet on the ground.”
Meanwhile, Fabregas’ Como have impressed in their first two Serie A matches, winning both 3-2. Patrick Cutrone has been in fine form, scoring four goals in the campaign. However, Fabregas is concerned about his defense, which has conceded 11 goals.
“We can’t keep conceding two goals in every match,” Fabregas said. “We should keep analyzing our mistakes and improve.”
