Conte: ‘One of those days where I hate being a coach’ after 2-1 Napoli victory

epa12000085 Napoli’s head coach Antonio Conte reacts during the Italian Serie A soccer match SSC Napoli vs AC Milan at Diego Armando Maradona stadium in Naples, Italy, 30 March 2025. EPA-EFE/CIRO FUSCO

Antonio Conte reveals he transformed his Napoli tactics this morning after losing Scott McTominay, but still managed to beat Milan 2-1. ‘This is one of those days where I hate being a coach.’

The Partenopei had the perfect start to this huge match, taking a 2-0 lead by the 19^th minute with Matteo Politano and Romelu Lukaku goals.

They even survived a Santiago Gimenez penalty, parried by Alex Meret, but when Luka Jovic came sliding in to meet the Theo Hernandez assist, it set up a tense finale at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

“We dominated the first half against a very strong Milan side that started with the ambition of winning the Scudetto and further reinforced the squad in January,” Conte told DAZN.

Scott McTominay was not even on the bench this evening due to flu symptoms, with Leonardo Spinazzola also injured, but David Neres returned to the starting XI and brought with him the 4-3-3 formation.

There were also concerns for Stanislav Lobotka, who went off in the final stages with a knee issue.

“I had to force the situation with Frank Anguissa, as he returned from international duty with an injury, but we lost McTominay at the last minute, so I had to take the risk. David Neres hadn’t played for a long time either,” continued Conte.

“Inevitably, we gradually lost intensity and some fear began to creep in. It’s an important win that keeps us in the slipstream of Inter and also gives us a good cushion from fifth place. Don’t forget, the Champions League places weren’t even our initial ambition, we started out trying to get into Europe.”

Conte keeps Napoli Scudetto flame alive

The Scudetto is now very much a two-horse race, after Atalanta were beaten 1-0 by Fiorentina this afternoon, as only Napoli are keeping up the pace set by leaders Inter.

“Winning today was fundamental, our next trip to Bologna is very difficult, but we are still up there. After eight months of hard work, it would be madness not to believe in something extraordinary.

“We know Inter are like a tank, and in my view with all due respect to the others, they are on a different level to the rest of the league. We are still up there and we’ll see what happens. If we recover all the players to full fitness, we can have our say, but only if we get everyone back.”

It was a much-needed boost, considering Napoli had just one win in the previous seven Serie A rounds.

“It was not easy today against Milan, a team to be respected. I won’t say today could’ve handed the Scudetto to Inter, but it could’ve certainly created a big gap that was difficult to overcome,” added Conte.

“We gave a strong response. It would be better if we could learn to hold onto leads and be more comfortable…”

Lukaku told DAZN after the match that Conte had ‘changed’ the approach this morning to what they prepared in training, something the coach explained.

“We lost McTominay at the last minute, so I changed the tactics. We were meant to start with Jack Raspadori in a 4-4-2, with McTominay wide left, as Neres hadn’t played for a while and I was worried about giving him 80 minutes. Anguissa was not fully fit either.

“This was the typical day where I hate being a coach. I had prepared the game in a certain way and had to change it all at the last minute. It was a struggle of a day, I just asked for a painkiller because I’ve got a horrible headache,” smiled Conte.

There continue to be reports that the coach is being courted by several other clubs for next season, including Milan and Juventus.

“I settled in perfectly at Napoli, beyond expectations. The first thing I said in pre-season was that it was the first time I’d received so much without giving anything, so I always felt in debt to the Napoli fans,” replied Conte.

“I think the lads and I have in part paid them back for that enthusiasm. I just want us all to realise that what we are doing is extraordinary, even miraculous. We only participated in one tournament, playing just two Coppa Italia games, so we need to focus on the next eight games. After that, we can think about the future. That is what I feel I can say.”