Italian Media Criticize Antonio Conte: 'You've Messed Up, Antonio!'
Following Napoli's consecutive defeats to Lazio in Serie A and the Coppa Italia, Italian media have criticized manager Antonio Conte for his strategic decisions, particularly his squad rotations.
Antonio Conte and Napoli are under scrutiny after a 1-0 loss to Lazio in Serie A on Sunday, just days after being eliminated by the same team in the Coppa Italia. These back-to-back defeats have cost Napoli both the top spot in the league and their cup aspirations.
In the two matches against Lazio, Conte opted for entirely different starting line-ups. Key players such as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Scott McTominay, Stanislav Lobotka, and Alessandro Buongiorno were rested during the Coppa Italia fixture but returned for the Serie A clash. Despite these changes, Napoli failed to secure positive results in either game.
Italian media have criticized Conte for sacrificing the Coppa Italia in favor of the league, only to falter in both competitions. Tuttosport noted that Napoli appeared offensively positive in the first half of their recent match against Lazio but regressed in the second half. Meanwhile, Corriere dello Sport commented that Napoli lacked decisiveness and had significant offensive deficiencies in their 1-0 defeat on Sunday.
With exits from both the Champions League and the Coppa Italia, Napoli's focus now solely rests on Serie A for the remainder of the 2024-2025 season. Their next league match is scheduled for Saturday against Udinese.