Conte Sets Sights On Napoli Comeback Against Bologna Following Verona Loss

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Antonio Conte shifted attention from transfer discussions to Napoli's upcoming home game, aiming to recover from their recent defeat. Conte, who took over Gli Azzurri in June, witnessed his team lose 3-0 to Hellas Verona last week, raising questions about the club's market ambitions. Napoli has made four signings so far, with David Neres joining from Benfica for £23.8 million recently.

Napoli are also negotiating with Chelsea for Romelu Lukaku, potentially swapping him with Victor Osimhen. However, Conte avoided discussing transfers before facing Bologna this weekend. He stated, "Let's redirect the press conference immediately. Last week we had a press conference where we spoke only about the transfer market. I received zero questions about Verona, or maybe one. There was no talk of football, and then what happened, happened."

Conte emphasized focusing on the game rather than transfers. He remarked, "Regarding the market you need to ask the club, but I see you are quite informed because I also read about it through you. Let's focus everything around the game; it's more important for me." Napoli aims to improve on their 10th place finish in Serie A last season after winning the Scudetto under Luciano Spalletti the previous year.

Their inefficiency in front of goal was evident against Verona, with only four out of 14 shots on target at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi. Last season, they scored 55 goals—34 fewer than champions Inter and 22 less than during their title-winning campaign.

Conte previously mentioned the need for reconstruction at Napoli. Their loss against Verona highlighted areas needing improvement. He commented, "Maybe it was good that this blow came immediately; it brought us back to reality—me, the club and fans, the players perhaps." He added that he saw great motivation in his players to overcome these difficulties.

"When things go well, everyone is good. In difficulties, you see real men," Conte said. "We can also lose but not in that way." Napoli's defeat marked their first opening Serie A match loss since 2015-16 and only once have they registered two losses in their first two league games (2000-01 under Zdenek Zeman).

Upcoming Challenge

Conte faces a tough task as Bologna visits Naples next. Bologna qualified for the Champions League last year and will be a formidable opponent. The 55-year-old Italian is keen to move past their opening day setback and focus on securing points at home.

"I understand the difficulties; the second half in Verona can leave an aftermath," Conte said. "But we don't have time—not on the pitch and not in the stands." He stressed the importance of sending a signal by performing well in their next match.

Napoli's aim is clear: bounce back from their initial defeat and start accumulating points to improve upon last season's performance.