Conte: ‘Not let down by Kvaratskhelia, I thought I could convince him’ | OneFootball

Antonio Conte explains he is not ‘let down’ by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia or Napoli, but rather disappointed in himself for failing to convince the Georgian to stay. ‘Maybe I was presumptuous.’

The Partenopei notched up a fifth consecutive victory to create a buffer at the top of the table, although Inter do have two games in hand.

They needed a bit of luck for the opener when Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s curler bounced off the upright and ricocheted in off the back of goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipò.

Despite wasting numerous much easier opportunities, they eventually doubled their lead with an Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa scorcher from outside the area to seal the 2-0 result against Verona.

“Since we started in the summer, there have certainly been changes, especially as I am still trying to find the right tactics to fit this squad. If you remember, a few days before deadline day, we were missing three key players and were shaped around a 3-4-2-1, because that was best suited to those players,” Conte told DAZN.

“The arrival of Scott McTominay and Romelu Lukaku in particular made a big difference for the move to 4-3-3. Even then for a few games, it was a bit of a 4-2-2-2 with Scott pushing up near to Romelu.

“We tried on a few different outfits before reaching this solution. We are working hard, I see the way the team trains and these situations keep getting better. That is satisfying for a coach and for the players, because we are growing, there is more self-confidence and the thing that makes me happiest is that the entire squad is involved.

“Even when missing important players, like Lobotka was out for five games, Buongiorno got injured, but Gilmour and Juan Jesus proved themselves more than reliable. Spinazzola had a bit of a difficult start too, but now he is really within the team.

“It is important to get these responses when players are called up. I train 22 players, they all need to know what has to be done in every situation.”

Conte clarifies Kvaratskhelia situation at Napoli

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia Napoli (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

It has been a rough few days for Napoli, ever since Conte announced in his press conference that Khvicha Kvaratskhelia had demanded a transfer in the January window. The coach had said he was ‘disappointed’ with the player’s stance, but here wanted to clarify his thoughts.

“I wish to underline something. I feel the need to do this, because if I was in England I might think something had been lost in translation, but I’m speaking Italian and still people seem to misconstrue what I mean,” noted Conte.

“I spoke about disappointment not towards the player, not towards the club, but towards myself, because in six months I failed to change the situation. I do not say Kvara or the club let me down, I always take responsibility for my actions, I don’t put it on someone else.

“I thought I could have a different impact in these six months, but I realised we were right back where we started from. I want to make that clear, because I saw some headlines today saying ‘Conte let down by Kvara.’ I am not let down by Kvara.

“I believe a coach should help a club to make decisions and advise on what players to sign. When I realise that I was unable to make a difference here, that is my disappointment. I take nothing from Khvicha, he’s a good lad, but everyone has to decide their own destiny, just as the club has to make its decisions.”

Effectively, Conte has confirmed the reports that when he joined in the summer of 2024, Kvaratskhelia already wanted to leave, but he demanded that Napoli keep hold of the Georgia international.

After six months, the player has not changed his mind and is still on track for a potential transfer to Paris Saint-Germain, more likely than Liverpool.

“Maybe I was a little presumptuous, because I thought that I could have a stronger impact. I couldn’t do it. It’s a pity, because this is a great player, but we also have to accept reality. Having said all of that, as of today, Khvicha is a Napoli player. We must not forget that. If someone wants to buy him, there is nothing to be taken for granted,” added Conte.

“What I do want to underline is the solidity of this group, because even with two players leaving and rumours on others, they maintained the concentration on the match and I want to congratulate them for that. I have a great group of lads, I never doubted it.”