Antonio Conte Claims Accountability as Napoli’s Title Aspirations Falter Against Como

Napoli boss Antonio Conte expressed disappointment with his team’s lack of desire during the second half of their unexpected 2-1 loss to newly promoted Como on Sunday, a result that prevented them from claiming the top position in Serie A. However, Conte was hesitant to lay blame on his players.

This marked Napoli’s first defeat in 11 league outings, extinguishing their hopes of regaining the summit, leaving them in second place with 56 points from 26 matches — just one behind current titleholders Inter Milan, while Como sat 13th.

Despite a strong response in the first half after centre-back Amir Rrahmani conceded an own goal in the seventh minute, Napoli appeared uninspired in the second half, allowing Como’s winger Assane Diao to score the decisive goal in the 77th minute.

“It was clear that the second half left much to be desired, not just for me but for everyone… It’s regrettable that we lost due to a lack of hunger and aggressiveness. We must all come together to reflect on this,” Conte remarked to the media.

“Kudos to the Como players for their performance; we found ourselves under pressure due to our own achievements, and now we need to see if we can handle it.

“We have to assess the situation and regroup. It’s disheartening to lose tactically, but not due to a lack of hunger and drive. I bear the primary responsibility as I failed to instil this important aspect.”

Before this match, Napoli had recorded three draws in Serie A, with Conte commenting on the self-imposed pressure as Inter continued to chase closely.

Last season, Napoli celebrated winning the Scudetto, whereas they finished in 10th place the year before.

“I’m not trying to make excuses. This was a classic case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. It’s not the first instance we’ve encountered this. If we slip mentally or in terms of aggression, we’re susceptible to anything,” Conte reflected.

“I regret saying that the players were not at fault; it was I who failed to detect a downturn in focus and aggression. Nonetheless, we are applying pressure on ourselves. Our position is not ordained either by fate or skill.

“We need to uphold our standards. We must strive for our best; it stings because we cannot accept losing.”

Looking ahead, Napoli will face Inter, who secured a 1-0 victory over Genoa on Saturday, in a highly anticipated clash at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona next Saturday.