Antonio Conte urged his Napoli side to be more clinical in front of goal as he wants to avoid late 'heart attacks'.
Napoli recorded a 1-0 win over struggling Venezia on Sunday, with substitute Giacomo Raspadori grabbing the decisive goal late on.
Raspadori's winner, which took Napoli to 41 points, level with Serie A leaders Atalanta, came after Romelu Lukaku had a penalty saved in the first half.
And Conte demanded more from his team when it comes to putting away their chances, as Napoli had 25 shots, with those chances worth a cumulative 2.0 expected goals.
“I am satisfied because the team is improving, but if we can score a few more goals we will all be more relaxed and we can avoid a few heart attacks in the closing stages,” Conte told DAZN, as reported by Football Italia.
Full-time: #NapoliVenezia 1-0
#ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/zw5dpUYv2v
— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli) December 29, 2024
Conte has now reached 500 Serie A points as a coach and explained that his competitive advantage keeps him hungry for more success.
“Even if I play cards with my daughter, I want to win,” Conte said.
“I would never sign for minimum goals. Personally I always aim for the maximum, in my opinion it was very difficult to reach 41 points.
“The team is improving and working, match after match. We have to avoid injuries, the players and the fans get a lot of satisfaction.”
Conte also praised Raspadori, who scored his first goal of the season after regularly struggling to establish himself in Napoli's starting XI.
“We are [using] Raspadori [as an attacking midfielder] as a choice,” Conte said.
“I'm working on turning him into an attacking midfielder, to add quality during matches, which, like today, can certainly be a strategy that works.
“Personally, I am happy for Giacomo. He deserves it, given the energy and seriousness he puts into every training. He is a man committed to the project.”
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