Despite the fact that he is currently the Serie A, Antonio Conte insisted that Napoli will not go so much for the season to play.
Conte took over after last season's disappointing title defense, when the club finished 10th in the rankings and had three head coaches in 2023-24.
In a remarkable turnaround, however, the Conte brought Napoli back to a Scudetto race, where they currently have a one-point lead.
Despite that benefit, Napoli only gets a 32.6% chance of lifting the Serie A title this season by the OPTA Supercomputer, with Inter the current favorites at 61.3%.
Conte compared the cargo of the Partneopei with a journey with a high sea, and noted that it is not the time to make the balance of what they have achieved so far.
“The ship sails and we are on the high seas, and when you are on the high seas, you will come across storms and quiet waters,” Conte reporters told Lazio prior to Saturday's game.
“You must have cool heads and know how you can navigate through the ship and how you can respond in different situations. What we should do now is see the port and come there safe and healthy, and possibly arrive with what we earn to get to reaches.
“But the most important thing is to come to the port, safe and healthy. Once you get there, you just have to breathe and understand what happened during the trip.
“As a captain I have to give the right instructions, both in the storm and in calm seas. Because even if the sea is calm, you have to be careful. A captain must count on the crew. In this case it is the players who exceptionally are. “
Napoli has none of their last four games against Lazio in the Serie A (one drawing, three losses), after they have won each of the previous four in advance.
Lazio goes in the rankings this weekend at 45 points, 10 behind Napoli, although they have beaten twice conte's side twice this season, in the competition and Coppa Italia.
Lazio can in fact achieve three victories against Napoli in all competitions in one season for the first time since 1994-95.
Conte has previously talked about the atmosphere around the club, the high expectations of the media and the criticism on his side, and said he was disappointed that he had to confront these topics over and over again.
“If you go back in time, in some of my conferences, I spoke about the compactness of the environment and I don't see anything of it,” said Conte.
“However, you must be careful. I am sorry if what I say is removed, and then you ask me again when I have already answered about certain situations. Now you are looking for a new head.
“In the press conferences I always give input and I say things that sometimes, I am sorry to see, not understood. Or they don't get it, or they pretend.
“As far as the environment is concerned, I clearly pronounced myself very clearly three months ago. If you ask me this question, this means that something is wrong, isn't it.”
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