Antonio Conte, the coach of Napoli, confirmed that Rasmus Højlund has shown significant improvement after scoring a brace against Cremonese, but he emphasized that his team is not yet at the same level as Juventus, Inter, and Milan.

Conte said: "We are celebrating an amazing year, where we achieved what was unexpected and extraordinary with the Scudetto, and then crowned it with the Super Cup, after defeating teams like Milan, Inter, and Bologna in that tournament, which was truly remarkable."

He added: "It was a year full of satisfaction, and the celebrations in Naples are completely different from other places. We celebrated the Scudetto and the Super Cup, and now in the Italian league, we are trying to stay close to the top positions."

He continued: "We are facing many problems this season, some very serious, but we are dealing with them courageously. I always tell the players, we can win or lose, but they want to honor the Scudetto symbol on their jersey and make the fans happy."

Regarding Højlund's improvement, Conte said: "Højlund is a very young player, only 22 years old, and he can improve a lot. Since joining us, he has developed into a dominant player in his position because he has started to understand the right situations, how to defend the ball, and when to approach it or pull back."

He added: "He is well connected with the team. In my style, forwards have an important and special role in the overall approach, and there is plenty of room for further improvement."

Regarding the team's absences and their impact, Conte continued: "The team was missing several key players like Lukaku and De Bruyne, so we had to rearrange the tactics with a 3-4-2-1 formation, and it seems that this system is working well."

He added: "If there is no path, we have to build one. We create our path through hard work and dedication, facing challenges along the way. We hope for the return of all the players in 2026, but the injuries to Lukaku and De Bruyne were serious, so we cannot rush and must be patient."

Regarding Napoli's level compared to the giants, Conte concluded his remarks by saying: "I don't feel that Napoli is ready yet to be a dominant force in Italian football. Our infrastructure is not ready, while Juventus, Inter, and Milan have the structure, depth, and salaries that surpass the other clubs. Every time a team other than those big clubs wins, it means something exceptional has happened. We are striving to close the gap through as much work and dedication as possible, but we must acknowledge that the gap exists."