Antonio Conte Urges Napoli to Savour Their Moment After Ascending to the Summit of Serie A

Napoli manager Antonio Conte urged everyone to relish the moment as his team pulled ahead in the Serie A title race with a 2-0 triumph over Torino on Sunday, which also marked their return to the prestigious Champions League.

Scott McTominay scored both of Napoli’s goals in the first half, ensuring a solid home victory that propelled them past defending champions Inter Milan, who suffered a surprising 1-0 loss at home to AS Roma.

“This isn’t the first time we’ve found ourselves in front; we’ve actually been leading the pack more often than anyone else,” Conte remarked during a press briefing.

“Yet, with fewer games left, any slip-up can be costly. We are mathematically secured in the Champions League, a significant financial goal for the club, so we need to savour this achievement at least a bit.”

Having secured the league title in 2023, Napoli had missed out on European competitions this season after finishing 10th in the previous campaign.

“There are still four matches left to play, and I reminded the lads of this,” Conte continued.

“It was a peculiar evening for us. I didn’t watch the Inter match because I already deal with enough stress from our games. I chose not to interfere with the players; I wanted them to have the freedom to manage themselves without draining their mental energy.

“Before kick-off, I stressed that nothing had changed and that we needed to focus on our own victory with plenty of motivation. The lads responded excellently, driven by an incredible atmosphere.

As the season enters its final stretch, Napoli will face relegation-threatened Lecce on Saturday, followed by matches against Genoa, Parma, and Cagliari, all of whom are positioned in the lower half of the table.

Conte also provided an update on midfielder Frank Anguissa and defender Alessandro Buongiorno, who both left the field due to injuries around the hour mark.

“It’s challenging to assess Anguissa’s situation as it just happened. I believe he received a knock to the pelvis,” Conte explained.

“As for Buongiorno, we’ll need to wait 24 to 48 hours to get a clearer picture. He has been experiencing a tendon issue in the lower part of his pubic bone, but at this stage, it’s tough to make an accurate diagnosis.

“We’re accustomed to handling these situations and we’ll continue to do so without any issues.”