Juan Jesus: Napoli ‘not affected’ by De Bruyne’s reaction but AC Milan celebration proves one thing

GENOA, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 16: Juan Jesus of Napoli looks on during the Serie A TIM match between Genoa CFC and SSC Napoli at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on September 16, 2023 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images)

Juan Jesus insists that Kevin De Bruyne’s angry reaction to being subbed off won’t affect the team, and feels Milan’s celebrations after Sunday’s game mean the Partenopei have ‘annoyed quite a few people.’

Juan Jesus spoke at a press conference on Tuesday, on the eve of a home Champions League match against Sporting CP.

Naturally, the Brazilian was asked his thoughts on De Bruyne’s reaction to being subbed off against Milan, to which Antonio Conte already responded.

Napoli ‘not affected’ by De Bruyne’s reaction

“I don’t know what happened. I see there’s a bit of controversy around, but this doesn’t affect the team, which is ready to bounce back,” Juan Jesus said via TuttoNapoli.

“It’s an important match after Manchester, and we need to get the three points for the Champions League standings and after the defeat in the league.”

Napoli lost 2-1 against Milan on Sunday and will be looking for a reaction against Sporting CP.

The Partenopei also lost their opening 2025-26 Champions League match against Manchester City two weeks ago.

“We need to fix something we didn’t do well, but you look at the game, Milan didn’t dominate,” said Juan Jesus.

“A lot changed after the red card. If you see the image of seven of us chasing Leao, maybe seven were not needed, but it shows the awareness and the mentality not to concede to try to equalise.”

During his pre-match press conference today, Conte argued that Napoli had “dominated” against Milan on Sunday, despite the eventual defeat.

Juan Jesus: Napoli the team to beat

“There are high expectations, and people want victories everywhere. I hope so, too, in all competitions. We are the team to beat,” Juan Jesus concluded.

“You saw how Milan celebrated at the end of the game, which means we’ve annoyed quite a few people. That’s fine by me. We’ve got mentality and experience with De Bruyne. Unfortunately, Lukaku is out, we have Di Lorenzo and others, and we’ll keep moving forward. We’re causing problems, and we’ll keep on causing them.”

Napoli will also face PSV, Eintracht Frankfurt, Qarabag and Benfica, Chelsea and Copenhagen in the league phase of the Champions League.