Antonio Conte has expressed serious concern following Napoli’s heavy 6-2 defeat to PSV, describing the loss as a possible sign of deeper troubles caused by questionable transfer decisions made during the summer. Despite winning Serie A last season and starting reasonably well in their title defense, Napoli’s recent results suggest a worrying decline.
The defeat in Eindhoven came immediately after a 1-0 loss to Torino, raising more questions about the direction of the team. Conte, speaking after the match in the Netherlands, was critical of the club’s decision to bring in nine new players, including high-profile names such as Kevin De Bruyne and Rasmus Hojlund. He said, “Last year we won an extraordinary and incredible championship where everyone pushed their limits with unity across the board. This year, however, between playing so many games and bringing in so many players… in my opinion, nine new players were too many. We weren’t balanced.”
Conte highlighted the challenges of integrating so many new faces and stressed the need for patience, adding, “This is the level of the Champions League. We have little to say and a lot to work on. I live the dressing room every day, so I say certain things with purpose, we mustn’t despair. We’ll try to recreate last year’s chemistry.”
The Italian manager did not hold back in his warnings to the squad, suggesting that further humiliations could follow if attitudes do not change. “We need to humble ourselves. I’ve been saying this for a while. Some people in Naples are blowing smoke and that’s a club that always needs to hear the truth. Both old and new players need to step up. We all need to step up, regardless of the red card,” Conte warned.
The match itself saw Scott McTominay open the scoring for PSV, soon followed by two quick goals that left Napoli on the back foot at halftime. Dennis Man’s brace in the second half, combined with a red card for Lorenzo Lucca, extinguished any hopes of a Napoli comeback. McTominay netted a second, and late strikes from Ricardo Pepi and Couhaib Driouech deepened the Italian champions’ misery.
Hojlund, one of the high-profile summer signings, was absent due to a minor injury, while De Bruyne, who did play, was heavily criticized by Italian media for his lackluster performance. Corriere dello Sport rated him 4.5/10, stating, “He is seen very little, touches the ball very little and disappears when needed. With his experience, he should be carrying the team on his shoulders.”
Club captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo also voiced his concerns about the team’s fragility, telling Sky Sport Italia, “It was a horrible night. We need to stop, reflect and analyse what happened. We feel fragile right now, the opposite of last season when we were so solid. It’s true we’re trying something new in attack, but we conceded goals we should never concede. We’ve lost our balance, our desire not to concede, our defensive mentality. We must all question ourselves.”
Despite mounting pressure following consecutive defeats, Conte made it clear he would not be altering his tactical approach for the upcoming Serie A match against Inter Milan. He defended his choices, saying, “If we win, everything’s fine. If we lose, everything’s bad? You’ve all praised the choice of using four midfielders. De Bruyne had a bad game and suddenly he can’t play? But after the Sporting match, he was irreplaceable. A good coach puts the best players in the starting eleven and creates the right chemistry. Tactically, what should we change? The balance we’ve found now is the best one. Having two very attacking wingers gives us no stability and I don’t think sacrificing a midfielder is the right choice.”
Off the pitch, Dutch authorities detained and deported 180 Napoli supporters the night before the game over concerns about possible disturbances. Reports indicate that the group entered a restricted safety zone in Eindhoven and ignored repeated orders to leave, resulting in their arrest and subsequent deportation, particularly as many did not have match tickets.
