Napoli coach Antonio Conte refused to blame his players for the heavy 3-0 defeat against Juventus, in the 22nd round of the Italian league competition, at the Allianz Arena.

The coach said in his statement: "As long as the score was 1-0, the game was balanced, and we could have reached a draw. After the second goal, spaces opened up for them and they scored the third goal."

The match witnessed the debut of player Giovanni in Napoli's jersey, as he participated as a substitute in the second half less than 24 hours after joining from Verona.

He added: "I congratulate them, but I also congratulate my players. There is nothing to blame them for, as they gave everything they had. Sometimes you overcome the obstacle and sometimes you don't, today we succeeded only partially. For the first time in my career, I played a player I had never seen before, a young man who arrived just yesterday. We are sailing in open seas, but we will not leave the boat. We want to fight with all our strength, despite the almost unbelievable situation we are living in."

Napoli objected to a suspected penalty incident before the end of the first half, and Conte demanded a video review, saying: "I didn't see the incident. I told Mariani, who officiated our match against Verona, that on two occasions he went back to the VAR and changed his decision. These are in-field situations, we talk a lot and that's not good."

On refereeing, Conte added: "We always hope for fairness from those who watch and manage the games. We want a clear match without any strange matters. If a mistake happens, let it be a human error. Previously it was easier to accept, but with the video, it has become difficult to accept mistakes."

When asked about Napoli's ambitions to win the Scudetto this season, Conte answered clearly: "It's an absurd question at this time. We still have 16 league matches ahead, and there are many goals: the Champions League, the Europa League, and the Conference League. We are trying to give our best and maintain the right mentality."

He concluded: "The players are giving everything, and I see the extent of the suffering they are going through, even risking their physical condition by playing every three days. It is natural for some to get injured eventually. I hope that doesn't happen. This season has been exceptional, and it's better to smile... maybe we are paying for something we did in the past."