Conte warning: ‘Whole Napoli season to be played in 10 games’ | OneFootball

Antonio Conte continues to demand more from Napoli after beating Fiorentina 2-1, because they ‘ought to score more goals,’ but insists ‘the whole season will be played in 10 games.’

The Partenopei were without a home win in six weeks and knew that Inter’s victory over Monza last night meant nothing less would do to keep the Scudetto race open.

It was a tough slog, but Romelu Lukaku on the rebound from a parried Scott McTominay effort and Giacomo Raspadori on the Belgian’s assist proved enough, despite Albert Gudmundsson setting up a tense finale.

“I saw a team that certainly deserved the three points,” Conte told DAZN.

“I think we could’ve made more of all those chances and been less anxious at the end, because we’ve dropped a lot of points conceding late goals recently.

“Keeping the game in the balance at 2-1 does create anxiety. Having said that, we had the right approach, created a lot of opportunities, but need to be more effective in front of goal to make that count.”

Conte had been vocally critical of his strikers during the press conference this week, so was he trying to motivate them?

“We all have our history and curriculum. I speak the truth when I talk. We ought to have scored many more goals today considering all that we created, so we must try to improve,” responded the Scudetto-winning coach.

“You build teams that want to win and they are constructed on certain foundational principles. Seeing as I know something about building winning teams, at times I speak up when asked.

“Romelu’s performances are certainly improving, as the one against Inter and today were his best since coming to Napoli. He is a player who needs to feel confidence, but if he is dominant on the field, then we have a better chance of winning as a team. He can control the ball and lay it off for his teammates.”

Conte steps up the pressure on Napoli

NAPLES, ITALY – MARCH 09: Raffaele Palladino, Head Coach of Fiorentina, embraces Antonio Conte, Head Coach of Napoli, prior to the Serie A match between Napoli and Fiorentina at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on March 09, 2025 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

The result keeps Napoli within a point of leaders Inter, though Conte as always is eager to downplay their chances of taking the Serie A title.

“There are 10 Finals left, we must give our all and I must make some choices that are tough. Nobody must think they are owed a starting position. We will play who is in the best shape, those who are recovering from injury need to prove they are fit.

“What I will say is that even in a huge emergency situation, we are still up there. That is a fact. We will try to keep causing trouble.”

In the year of his first Scudetto triumph at Juventus, he declared that then-leaders Milan had to “spit blood” to win the title. Does he see a similar situation unfolding with Napoli and Inter in 2025?

“There were fewer games left then, and I could see a stellar Milan with Ibrahimovic, Nesta and Thiago Silva, but they were faltering,” responded Conte.

“Today, we are facing an Inter side that has everything needed to win and was built over the years to win.

“It’s quite crowded up there, someone will win the Scudetto, others will qualify for the Champions League, Europa League or Conference League. The whole season will be played in 10 games and we have the ambition to dream big, albeit knowing we must give 200 per cent.

“The fans deserve it, because the passion at Napoli is something I felt from my first day here, when we still hadn’t built the team and were coming off 10th place, so the Scudetto felt like a utopian vision.

“They stuck with us and believed, now we are trying to repay them for that belief by giving them joy. We celebrate together today, then from tomorrow start to prepare for another difficult game against Venezia,” concluded Conte.