Napoli’s Conte on victory over Genoa: “A second half to forget’

Napoli manager Antonio Conte analyzed their 2-1 victory against Genoa in an interview with Dazn, sharing his frustration with the performance, despite their victory.  Napoli had an exceptional first half, but Genoa changed in the second half.

Conte reflected, “I don’t know if Genoa changed or if we changed. I’m very satisfied with the first half; we dominated the game thoroughly. In the second half, the only thing we said was not to let Genoa back into the game, but it happened. I know this stadium well; it only takes a spark to ignite the fans and change the momentum of the match. The first half was perhaps the most beautiful in terms of play and dominance, while the second should not belong to us. It means switching off, putting everything back in question, and it’s not fair to the work we do during the week. If we have ambitions, we must change and stay focused for 95 minutes.”

When asked about the team’s desire to constantly raise the bar and if the will to defend the result in the finale reassures him, Conte responded, “We must defend by attacking, by controlling the game, by dominating. We shouldn’t defend ourselves because fear sets in and the momentum shifts to their side. This is the most important step we need to take. When I talk about work in progress, time, and patience, I’m also referring to this. Today we were lucky, but in another situation, we would have cried bitter tears. The boys should enjoy the three points, but understand that games are played from start to finish, always keeping the foot on the accelerator. In the second half, I didn’t like anything, absolutely nothing. We shouldn’t defend; we defend by attacking. This must be our mantra.”

Reflecting on his 150th Serie A victory, Conte said, “A lot of time has passed, I’ve had many experiences in Italy, with the national team, and especially in England. I’m a coach who has lived a lot and continues to try to improve. I try to beat myself, to be better than I was the day before or a year before. This is my goal. With the team, we try to give as much trouble as possible this year. From these games, if you’re intelligent, you build something. If you only see the result, the three points, you build nothing. I didn’t expect the second half to be like this, despite the warning in the locker room. Unfortunately, I felt it coming. I have a group of serious guys who know how to self-criticize and understand where to improve. Today they go home happy for the three points, but also disappointed for a second half where we put a result that seemed acquired back into play. At the end of the first half, from the sideline, I was saying we were too showy, and I reiterated it in the locker room.”

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