Antonio Conte Thrilled by Napoli’s Determination in Impressive Win Against Empoli

Napoli’s manager, Antonio Conte, commended his players’ mentality following their latest win in the title race, emphasising the importance of maintaining focus at crucial moments in their straightforward 3-0 victory over struggling Empoli in Serie A on Monday.

With only six matches remaining, Napoli, currently in second place, displayed no signs of weariness. Spearheaded by Romelu Lukaku and Scott McTominay, they took advantage of their superiority, securing a comfortable home win after heading into the break with a one-goal advantage.

The win propels the Naples outfit to just three points shy of league leaders Inter Milan.

“At half-time, I instructed the players to treat the second half as if the score was still 0-0 and to go out there and claim the win. The response was superb. The performance was top-notch, and I believe the fans appreciated it as well,” Conte remarked.

There was little doubt who the dominant side was, with McTominay netting twice, while Lukaku played a pivotal role by assisting both goals before adding one of his own.

Although Conte was impressed by the pair’s contributions, he underscored that the result was a collective effort.

“Lukaku and McTominay were influential, but this victory stems from the hard work of the entire team,” he stated to the media.

“It’s a triumph of a squad that has consistently risen to the occasion and is now starting to reap the benefits of their dedication.”

The only downside to Napoli’s performance at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona was Juan Jesus departing due to injury, with fellow defender Alessandro Buongiorno having been ruled out earlier in the week due to an adductor issue.

“Juan has informed me he felt a muscular problem and wasn’t particularly optimistic,” Conte revealed. “We’ll check on Buongiorno tomorrow. He is set to return to group training, and we will evaluate his condition then.”