Conte delighted with Napoli response to recent setbacks

Antonio Conte was pleased Napoli responded to his plea for improvement by claiming a 1-0 win over Torino in Serie A on Sunday.

Napoli returned to winning ways last weekend with a 1-0 home win over Roma and kept that momentum going thanks to Scott McTominay's strike after a 3-0 defeat to Atalanta followed by a 1-1 draw at Inter earlier in November.

The Partenopei have now beaten Torino 52 times in Serie A, and only against Lazio (54) have they won more games in the Italian top flight (52, including against Fiorentina).

Despite that slight dip, Napoli remains at the top of the standings, four points ahead of the teams below it.

“I have a group of guys who really understand when I ask them to improve. This is the aspect I like most, besides the result and the ranking,” Conte told a news conference.

“We are growing as individuals and as a team… Torino is a great team. I was really afraid of this match. I have lived in Turin for more than thirty years. I warned the boys: [and got] a mature response.”

Torino keeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, who was brilliant all day, dived to prevent a low shot from Romelu Lukaku, who made his 350th start in the top five European leagues, leveling the score for Napoli in the 23rd minute could have opened. .

The Serbian goalkeeper again showed his reflexes as he stretched to deny Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's header a minute later and continued to thwart Napoli's attack after the restart.

“Sometimes you escape from the result. Today we created, but there was a great goalkeeper who stopped us from being relaxed at the end,” Conte added.

9 – For the fourth time in the history of #SerieA, #Napoli collected nine clean sheets in the first fourteen regular season games played (after 1969/70, 1970/71 and 2021/22). In the current Big-5 European Championships, only Juventus has done better (10). Wall.#TorNap pic.twitter.com/ImsbjTyrk8

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) December 1, 2024

McTominay finally found a way past the Torino keeper in the 31st minute when he smashed a powerful shot inside the near post.

“He's a guy who wasn't a key player [Manchester] United. I knew him well because I often played in the Premier League, he has quality,” said Conte.

“We were lucky because he agreed to be put in a situation where we weren't playing in Europe because we finished in 10th place. He could have seen Napoli as a relegation, instead he became a key player.”

Despite his satisfaction with the result and his side's growing form, the Italian coach pointed out that Napoli will need reinforcements if they maintain their good form and return to Europe next season.

“Looking at the other teams, how they have equipped themselves, also in view of the obligations in Europe, and if we want to be good in Europe, you will have to strengthen this squad… The president must know that,” he said .

“Today we have 21 outfield players and we have done what a team does that only plays in the league and the Italian Cup.”