Antonio Conte says he was “not disappointed” by Napoli's performance and effort after losing to Lazio for the second time in a week.
Thursday's 3-1 defeat to Lazio knocked Napoli out of the Coppa Italia, with Sunday's home match giving them a chance for revenge, along with the opportunity to regain top spot from Atalanta, who defeated Milan on Friday.
However, Marco Baroni's side won again, with Gustav Isaksen's goal the difference between the sides in their 1-0 win.
It is the first time in Lazio's history that they have won three consecutive away games against Napoli, while the Partenopei have now lost two of their last three home games in Serie A, the same number of defeats as in the previous seventeen.
“Today's match also tells us that the path we are following is the right one. Our idea is to attack the opponent, not to let him control the game and create situations that can hurt,” Conte told DAZN .
“From this point of view, there is room for improvement. We are getting there, but the last step is missing.
“We are working on it. I am not disappointed with the performance. The boys gave everything and played a good game against an excellent team.”
Full-time: #NapoliLazio 0-1
#ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/Vo5VzFCsmw
— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli) December 8, 2024
Lazio are now just one point behind Napoli and fifth in what is shaping up to be a thrillingly tight title race, and after their two wins over his side, Conte is not surprised by their position in the standings.
“Lazio are not a meteorite, they are doing very well,” Conte added.
“I am not disappointed or unhappy. During this journey there are some stumbling blocks, there will probably be more. This is the team I want to see, but we need to have more quality in the last meters.”
Lazio manager Baroni knows what it takes to win a Scudetto. He scored the only goal for Napoli, against Lazio, on the last day of the season in 1990 to guarantee them the league title, but he is not carried away by his side's success.
“It's hard to make the climb, and it takes a while to fall back down,” Baroni said.
“I know the competition very well, the teams that are at the top, and we have to face them with this attitude. And then we will see in the end.”
Comments