
Conte: The pitch was not prepared, and I do not accept what happened
Antonio Conte, the head coach of Napoli, expressed his dissatisfaction after his team's 0-0 draw against Venezia, confirming that his team was the better side but lacked decisiveness in front of goal.
Conte commented on his team's performance during the match, saying: "We did not feel any tactical difficulties; we imposed our control over the game and created many chances, but we could not convert them into goals. Venezia is an organized team and is going through a good period, but we were the better team on the pitch. The chances they had came due to our mistakes, and the counterattack that almost cost us the match in the final minutes should never happen, as it means we lost focus."
The Italian coach expressed his surprise at the state of the pitch, adding: "I do not understand why the pitch was not watered before the match; the ball did not flow naturally, and this affected the speed of play. I asked the Venezia coach if it was a deliberate decision on their part, but he denied it. In any case, in such matches, we need to be more decisive in front of goal."
Conte touched upon the upcoming international break, emphasizing that it is an important opportunity to continue working: "We will continue to work as we did in previous periods; we have more than 10 players who will stay with us, and we will utilize this time to develop tactical and physical aspects, especially for those who need to improve their fitness."
Regarding the top match between Atalanta and Inter Milan, Conte stressed that Napoli is only focusing on itself: "We are not concerned about what will happen in that match; we are only required to focus on our performance and give our best. At the end of the season, we will see where we stand in the standings. Today we deserved to win, but we must learn from our mistakes and remain fully focused until the final whistle."
Conte commented on his team's performance during the match, saying: "We did not feel any tactical difficulties; we imposed our control over the game and created many chances, but we could not convert them into goals. Venezia is an organized team and is going through a good period, but we were the better team on the pitch. The chances they had came due to our mistakes, and the counterattack that almost cost us the match in the final minutes should never happen, as it means we lost focus."
The Italian coach expressed his surprise at the state of the pitch, adding: "I do not understand why the pitch was not watered before the match; the ball did not flow naturally, and this affected the speed of play. I asked the Venezia coach if it was a deliberate decision on their part, but he denied it. In any case, in such matches, we need to be more decisive in front of goal."
Conte touched upon the upcoming international break, emphasizing that it is an important opportunity to continue working: "We will continue to work as we did in previous periods; we have more than 10 players who will stay with us, and we will utilize this time to develop tactical and physical aspects, especially for those who need to improve their fitness."
Regarding the top match between Atalanta and Inter Milan, Conte stressed that Napoli is only focusing on itself: "We are not concerned about what will happen in that match; we are only required to focus on our performance and give our best. At the end of the season, we will see where we stand in the standings. Today we deserved to win, but we must learn from our mistakes and remain fully focused until the final whistle."