Conte warns Napoli that problems will ‘come back knocking’ as Kvaratskhelia not replaced yet | OneFootball

Antonio Conte warns Napoli that problems ‘will come back knocking’ if they don’t face them now as he insists Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ‘hasn’t been replaced yet.’

The Partenopei visit Roma at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday in a key game for the Scudetto race.

The Partenopei have a three-point lead over second-placed Inter, who will meet their city rivals Milan tomorrow. The Nerazzurri are virtually on even points with Napoli as they have a game in hand.

Napoli are still very much active in the transfer window but have not yet replaced their former star Kvaratskhelia. Conte was asked whether he was actively helping the team in the market and the answer was very clear.

“Those who know me very well know that I don’t isolate myself; I participate, I try to actively engage in all the club’s issues to solve the problem,” he said via TuttoNapoli.

“I try to be an active part, offer my opinion and try to solve [issues] in the best way, not just remove them. There’s a difference, in general, between solving the problem and removing the problem in football. If you just postpone the problem, it will come back knocking.”

Conte warns Napoli that problems will ‘come back knocking’ as Kvaratskhelia not replaced yet

epa11788782 Napoli�s head coach Antonio Conte looks on before the Italian Serie A soccer match Genoa CFC vs SSC Napoli at Luigi Ferraris stadium in Genoa, Italy, 21 December 2024. EPA-EFE/STRINGER

Conte said a few weeks ago, he expected a new player on the same level as Kvara.

“I said the market should give me the same level. It’s inevitable that we lost an important player, and today he hasn’t been replaced,” he insisted in today’s press conference.

“Everything’s fine, but we shouldn’t be fooling ourselves. Everyone agrees he’s an important player, sold for €70-75m. The other departures have been replaced, but Kvara’s departure hasn’t been replaced yet. No one can say that we’ve strengthened with Kvara’s departure or weakened, but objectively, a champion left the squad, who played in the first part of the season. It’s been four or five games since he’s been gone and it’s fair to keep that in mind, just as it’s fair to recognize that these players have grown significantly; otherwise, we couldn’t explain the 53 points, the same as last year.

“Credit to the players, it fills me with joy to see how they work and their desire to grow despite everything,” continued Conte.

“Even though we’re few in numbers, with injuries, they give me their availability. In these moments, I have to focus on what I have in the house, not on what I don’t have, and make a difference with what I have here.”

Claudio Ranieri made his Roma debut this season in the reverse fixture and Conte has seen improvements from the Giallorossi under the experienced Italian coach.

“It’s a squad with absolute value. They have Dybala, Paredes, Hummels, Ndicka, Dovbyk, Pellegrini, Mancini, and goalkeeper Svilar,” he said.

“It’s a complete squad in both the starting XI and the substitutes. They have grown a lot. We met them two months ago, and it was the first part of Ranieri’s tenure. I’ve heard that they’ve won seven consecutive home games across all competitions, scoring 23 goals and only three conceded. It’s a testament to the team’s strength and what they express at the Olimpico in front of a passionate fanbase like ours; we’ll need to be very careful. We’ve prepared for it correctly, knowing that last year they finished ahead of us.”

Conte does not tend to rotate his Napoli squad much, but media and fans are impressed by everyone’s commitment, including substitutes.

“Everything can have an impact. I’ve seen someone like Simeone putting his face on the line or Matteo [Politano] not giving up until the 82nd minute and celebrating. But also Ngonge, who came on for four minutes and had the right approach, not to mention Gilmour or others who didn’t get a chance from the bench like Raspadori or Marin. All of these are positive things.

“The players are growing in mentality and thinking about ‘we’ instead of ‘I’. I was a footballer, and it’s normal to be a bit selfish and focus on your performance. But they’ve truly understood that we grow together in the same direction. These are satisfactions from the attachment and sense of belonging, which you see less and less in modern football. Values that need to be nurtured and developed, regardless of who stays or comes in.”