Napoli head coach Antonio Conte cut a relieved figure, encouraging his side to enjoy the moment after his team moved top of the Serie A standings following their victory against Torino on Sunday while also confirming their return to the UEFA Champions League next season.
A first-half double from Scott McTominay aided Napoli to a 2-0 triumph, also leapfrogging Inter Milan on the table after their title rivals fell to a stunning 1-0 home defeat to AS Roma.
“It’s not the first time we’re in the lead, we’ve been in the lead more than anyone else,” Conte said in a press conference.
“However, there are fewer and fewer games and you can pay for any type of mistake in a big way. We are mathematically in the Champions League, a very important economic goal for the club, and you have to enjoy it at least a little.”
Napoli, who last won the league title in 2023, were absent from European competitions this season after finishing 10th last term.
“There are four steps to go, I told the lads too,” Conte continued.
“We had a strange evening. I didn’t watch Inter, because I already suffer enough for our games. I didn’t intervene with the lads [either], I wanted to leave free will, knowing that we could also lose mental energy.
“Before the game I told them that nothing had changed and that we had to win, with great motivation. The lads were very good, driven by an extraordinary environment.”
With four games left in this campaign, Napoli make the trip to relegation-threatened Lecce on Saturday before facing Genoa, Parma and Cagliari — all in the bottom half of the table — in their final set of games.
The Italian manager provided an update on midfielder Frank Anguissa and defender Alessandro Buongiorno, who were taken off due to injuries around the hour mark.
“It’s difficult to make assessments for Anguissa while it’s still fresh. I think he took a blow to the pelvis,” Conte added.
“For Buongiorno we’ll have to wait 24-48 hours to understand better [what happened]. He had this tendon problem in the lower part of the pubic bone, but now it’s very difficult to make a diagnosis.
“We’re used to dealing with emergencies and we’ll continue to do so without problems.”
