“We are not even close to being ready” : Antonio Conte on whether Napoli are ready to dominate Italian football like Inter, AC Milan and Juventus
Napoli claimed the Supercoppa Italiana title yesterday, as they defeated Bologna 2-0 in the finals. David Neres was on target once again, as his brace inspired Napoli to another landmark achievement this year. Napoli had defeated AC Milan by a similar score-line in the semifinals a couple of days earlier.
Napoli’s manager Antonio Conte was quizzed if he believes his team was ready to dominate Italian football like their rivals Juventus, Milan clubs have done in their prime. Napoli have been among the top sides in Italy over the past two years, winning the Scudetto in 2022/23 and 2024/2025 season.
Napoli made some great signings over the summer, bringing in Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund on loan for the season. However, Antonio Conte chose to remain modest, as he believes his side are nowhere close to dominating Italian football. He also believes that the top four race is going to extremely close this season, and one cannot predict the final standings at this stage.
“No, I wouldn’t feel right saying that at all,” insisted Conte. “I’d be lying if I said that. We won the title last season with a very reduced squad, we introduced many new players this summer, and are therefore not at all ready to be in a commanding position.”
“In fact, if you look at the Serie A table, we must try to stay close to the Champions League zone for as long as we possibly can, because this will be a very tough year. Predicting the top four is going to be extremely difficult.
“With humility, we must realise that work is the only way to climb the rankings. I cannot say we are ready to command, because we are not even close to being ready.”
In fact, Antonio Conte believes that his side will need to do a lot of work to stay in the top four race this season, and contend for the Champions League spots. The top 5 teams in the league are separated by just four points, with Inter Milan at the top with 33 points. Napoli are currently third with 31 points, having lost their last league match to Udinese 1-0. Napoli return to action on Sunday, where they face Cremonese in a tricky away clash.
