Champions Napoli must learn from disastrous title defence, says Conte
Napoli endured a turbulent 2023-24 campaign, finishing 10th and going through three managers after coach Luciano Spalletti left the club. Spalletti had led them to their first Scudetto title in 33 years in the 2022-23 season.
Conte, who won three Serie A titles as manager of Juventus and one at Inter Milan along with a Premier League trophy with Chelsea, was handed the responsibility of reviving Napoli in June last year and promptly won them the Scudetto in the recently concluded season.
"By definition, those who have the Scudetto on their jersey are favourites or among the favourites. We must not shy away or hide out of fear," Conte told reporters on Friday.
"We have worked hard to tailor ourselves. It is inevitable that this year will be very challenging.
"But there is a very recent past that we must never forget. We must learn lessons even from negative things. What happened two years ago must be a lesson, especially to the environment. We are on the field and we work, there will never be any flights of fancy. We will be very humble."
Napoli have strengthened their title-winning squad with the addition of Belgian playmaker Kevin De Bruyne, Dutch winger Noa Lang and Italian centre back Luca Marianucci, among others.
De Bruyne, regarded as one of the greatest midfielders in Premier League history, lifted 19 trophies at Manchester City since his 2015 move from German side VfL Wolfsburg — a haul that includes six Premier League titles and one Champions League crown.
Conte hopes the 34-year-old can help Napoli take that extra step.
"He comes to us to take on a new challenge, it is a different situation for him too: he has already reached very high levels in his career and has a lot more to give to football," Conte added.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
9 minutes ago
- CNA
Crash and confusion as Alaphilippe celebrates
(In second paragraph corrects Alaphilippe's team) By Julien Pretot CARCASSONNE, France :Julian Alaphilippe endured a chaotic, emotional stage 15 of the Tour de France on Sunday, crashing early, soldiering on with a dislocated shoulder, and then mistakenly celebrating what he thought was a stage win - before discovering he had been beaten by two riders. The Tudor Pro rider hit the deck in the opening kilometres, suffering pain and a shoulder injury that cast doubt over whether he would even finish the day. 'He had a crash at the beginning of the race,' said team sports director Raphael Meyer. 'He had pain and a dislocated shoulder. He was seen by the doctor and he still has some pain. He's going to do x-rays.' But the Frenchman fought on, eventually crossing the line — arms raised in triumph, believing he had pulled off an emotional comeback victory. He hadn't. Unbeknownst to Alaphilippe, Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) had already powered away from the breakaway group earlier and claimed a convincing solo win. Victor Campenaerts had also slipped away and crossed the line nine seconds ahead of Alaphilippe. "He thought he was first on the line — but the radio didn't work,' Meyer said. For Wellens, the victory marked a brutal show of strength, and another chapter in the dominance of leader Tadej Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates, as they continue to exert near-total control over the race. For Alaphilippe, it was a bitter-sweet finish - a gritty ride, a brave comeback, and a win that wasn't. It was not the first time such misfortune happened to Alaphilippe. In 2020, he raised his arms in celebration before the finish at the Liege-Bastogne-Liege Monument classic, only to see Slovenian Primoz Roglic effectively beating him to the line. The Frenchman was then disqualified for deviating from his sprint line.
CNA
42 minutes ago
- CNA
Wellens wins Stage 15 to underscore UAE's Tour control
CARCASSONNE, France :Tim Wellens overpowered his breakaway companions in brutal fashion to claim victory on Stage 15 of the Tour de France, offering yet another sign - if one was needed - of UAE Team Emirates-XRG's iron grip on the race. The Belgian national champion, one of defending champion and overall leader Tadej Pogacar's domestiques, jumped away from a leading group of six some 43 kilometres from the finish and never looked back, beating compatriot Victor Campenaerts (Visma-Lease a Bike) by 1:28. France's Julian Alaphilippe took third place, nine seconds further back. "It's a very special victory, everybody wants to ride the Tour but not everybody wins on the Tour de France," said Wellens. "Suddenly there was a big crash... I followed one move and I was in the breakaway. "I had an opportunity, I took it and I had legs to finish it." Wellens' master, Pogacar, still leads Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard by 4:13 in the overall standings, edging 169.3km closer to a fourth Tour title after the hilly ride between Muret and Carcassonne. German Florian Lipowitz sits in third place, 7:53 off the pace. "I'm actually happier than for any of my wins," said Pogacar, who added he was recovering from a sore throat. "With all the ice we're having (to cool down from the heat) and the air conditioning, half of the peloton has a sore throat, it's a pain." The top riders stayed quiet all day, Pogacar slowing down after Lipowitz and Vingegaard were caught up behind an early crash. It was a hectic stage with relentless attacks from riders looking to capitalise on the rare opportunity of a victory as flat and mountain stages are the exclusive domain of top sprinters and general classification contenders. The group who would fight for the win took shape after more than 100 kilometres and Wellens was not only the stronger rider, he was also the smartest. Having done very little in the breakaway - one of the perks of riding for the yellow jersey holder - Wellens attacked on a slightly uphill section, catching everyone off guard. The 34-year-old attacked and the chasing group quickly disappeared into the background as he sped to his maiden Tour de France win to complete his grands tours stage victory collection after prevailing in the Giro d'Italia in 2016 and 2018 and in the Vuelta a Espana in 2020.
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Wellens unleashed: Stage win underscores UAE's Tour control
CARCASSONNE, France :Tim Wellens overpowered his breakaway companions in brutal fashion to claim victory on Stage 15 of the Tour de France, offering yet another sign - if one was needed - of UAE Team Emirates-XRG's iron grip on the race. The Belgian national champion, one of defending champion and overall leader Tadej Pogacar's domestiques, jumped away from a leading group of six some 43 kilometres from the finish and never looked back, beating compatriot Victor Campenaerts (Visma-Lease a Bike) by 1:28. France's Julian Alaphillipe took third place, nine seconds further back. Wellens' master, Pogacar, still leads Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard by 4:13 in the overall standings, edging 169.3km closer to a fourth Tour title after the hilly ride between Muret and Carcassonne. German Florian Lipowitz sits in third place, 7:53 off the pace. The top guns stayed quiet all day, Pogacar slowing down after Lipowitz and Vingegaard were caught up behind an early crash. It was hectic stage with relentless attacks from riders looking for a rare occasion of a victory as flat and mountain stages are the exclusive domain of top sprinters and general classification contenders. The group who would fight for the win took a definitive shape after more than 100 kilometres and Wellens was not only the stronger rider, he was also the smartest. Having done very little in the breakaway - one of the perks of riding for the yellow jersey holder - Wellens attacked on a slightly uphill section, catching everyone off guard. The 34-year-old crushed the pedal and the chasing group quickly disappeared in the background as he sped to his maiden Tour de France win to complete his grands tours stage victory collection after prevailing in the Grio d'Italia in 2016 and 2018 and in the Vuelta a Espana in 2020.
