Conte warning on Napoli future: ‘I am not stupid’ | OneFootball

Antonio Conte hit out angrily at President Aurelio De Laurentiis and warned his future at Napoli is by no means certain. ‘I can be a guarantor for a lot of things, but I am not stupid if I don’t see the resources necessary to do this.’

The Partenopei were struggling to break down rock bottom Monza at the U-Power Stadium and knew their last away victory was back on January 18 against Atalanta.

However, for the sixth time this season, it was McTominay who broke the deadlock, rising to meet the cross from substitute Giacomo Raspadori and sealing the 1-0 win.

“We had studied a game plan where at the start we tried with the two playmakers to take control of the match. We did, but at the same time didn’t get enough players into the box, so we had a few chances, but needed to do more,” Conte told DAZN.

This result keeps the pressure on Inter, as Napoli are joint top of the table awaiting Sunday’s match in Bologna.

Raspadori’s introduction felt like the turning point today against Monza, allowing Leonardo Spinazzola to drop into his favoured left-back role, as David Neres, Juan Jesus and Alessandro Buongiorno were out injured.

“That’s when we changed the situation, first with Anguissa, then Raspadori. These are games that on paper are easy, but there is so much at stake that you can feel the pressure. Many of these lads are perhaps experiencing a head-to-head for the title for the first time.

“It is an unexpected head-to-head. You can say what you like, but being up there is something in my view unexpected and extraordinary. These lads deserve credit for what they are doing, I am happy we are continuing to cause Inter problems.”

Angry Conte hits out at Napoli owner De Laurentiis

MONZA, ITALY – APRIL 19: Antonio Conte, Head Coach of Napoli, gestures during the Serie A match between Monza and Napoli at U-Power Stadium on April 19, 2025 in Monza, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Conte had caused controversy with his comments in the pre-match press conference, where he expressed frustration with some of the transfer strategy and the strength in depth he is dealing with, noting there were “some things you cannot do” at Napoli.

He continued to pile on that frustration in this post-match interview and added even more irritation aimed at President Aurelio De Laurentiis.

“I settled in very well in Naples, I am very happy here, so is my family, it’s sunny, there is great food, the fans make you feel part of them. We just have to live in the present, knowing that I have all these situations in favour, but people want to win, people are ambitious, so I am very open to all sorts of things, then we’ll have to look at reality,” continued Conte.

“We keep going, I am open because I am happy in Naples and the fans give me an emotional response, which is very important.

“However, everyone who hires me knows that I come with certain expectations. I put those expectations on myself to a degree, anyone who hires Conte says they’ll finish first or second even if they were 10th the year before. We have to challenge for the Scudetto, so just qualifying for Europe isn’t enough, the expectations grow and so everything has to grow.

“I can be a guarantor for a lot of things, but I am not stupid if I don’t see the resources necessary to do this.”

epa11885064 Napoli’s head coach Antonio Conte reacts before the Italian Serie A soccer match SSC Napoli vs Udinese Calcio at Diego Armando Maradona stadium in Naples, Italy, 09 February 2025. EPA-EFE/CESARE ABBATE

When Conte was asked about the David Neres injury in training yesterday, which was just a few minutes before the press conference, it seems this was a large part of his irritation towards De Laurentiis.

“Neres felt a little soleus muscle issue, we’ve had a lot of them recently, perhaps it is down to the training ground pitches at Castel Volturno. Those too were supposed to be changed, but they are the same as always,” continued a visibly irritated Conte.

“We’ve had quite a few injuries all in those areas. We have to shut up, keep working, if we could get the pitches changed then we’d be even happier.”