“Even With 13 Players Out, We Were Brave And Aggressive And I'm Convinced That We Can Improve Further”

After one year of absence, Napoli’s return to Europe ended in a disappointment after they were knocked out of the competition entirely after eight matches in the group phase 30th, six places away from the final spot that would have taken them into the play-offs, just like Inter, Juventus and Atalanta.

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The reigning Serie A champions were eliminated from the Champions League, llosing 3-2 at home to Premier League side Chelsea, despite leading 2-1 at half-time and they will now have to focus entirely on defending their Serie A title this season plus the Coppa Italia.

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They knew they had to win to stay in the tournament, although they still would have had to win a two-legged play-off side as it would not have been enough to finish in the top eight of the league but they conceded a late goal to crash out and Antonio Conte wasn’t really upset in his post match interview.

Speaking to Sky Sport Italia after the game, Conte said: “The difference was the finishing, they were far more precise and clinical in front of goal.” He said as he praised Brazilian forward Joao Pedro, who scored two brilliant goals for the visitors to complete the second-half comeback.

“I feel that Joao Pedro made the difference tonight, he is a really impressive player. We feel great pride and satisfaction, because despite missing more than half the squad, we played if not on the same level, then even better than Chelsea, and deserved a lot more,” continued Conte.

The former Inter and Juventus manager echoed comments from captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo, who told press after the game that Napoli were not eliminated from the tournament solely based on tonight, with the mistakes coming earlier in the campaign.

“I told the lads that the regret was in Copenhagen, where we simply couldn’t let that win slip through our fingers. It forced us to be in this situation against a top club, don’t forget Chelsea won the Club World Cup, they have extraordinary players on the field, the bench and even left in the stands.”

Conte was proud of his side, despite the result, claiming they gave Chelsea a good contest a the Maradona. “I am so proud of our lads, because we pressed them, created chances, fought them for every ball. It’s a pity, we deserved to at least get into the play-offs. Their quality in the final third was decisive.”

“The problem is that Chelsea didn’t even have that many scoring opportunities, but when they got into those positions, they hurt you,” he further added. Conte was clear that his side’s performance impressed him, but stressed there is still room to improve on it and get better.

“We got ourselves into those situations and some crosses could be decisive, but we need to improve. I still say it was an impressive performance, we were not afraid, we attacked them, we accepted duels leaving space behind us, and I think played good football.” On the changing state of football, he said:

“This is the way, football is evolving, it changes, and you have to adapt and prepare. It’s just a pity that we won’t continue measuring ourselves up against the best teams in this competition. We did it today against Chelsea, and I feel did it well, but we paid for the great quality they had available to them.”

Conte once again underlined how the difference in quality available to both coaches was instrumental in determining the result. “Mistakes can be made, but when you have players like Joao Pedro who have such a high level, they punish your every tiny error.”

“We honoured the Champions League with this performance, causing Chelsea huge problems, and I think the result does not reflect the game at all.” He continued in his assessment andvwas then asked to comment on how the tempo of Premier League teams compares to Serie A?

“In the Champions League, you often find opponents who play open and attacking football, so there has to be intensity and duels. Serie A is more tactical, teams can clam up and you have to find the solution to unlock them. In Europe there are more duels, there is more pitch to defend.”

“Having said that, in modern football, you cannot just park the bus. I want my teams to play with a higher tempo and be aggressive. Even with 13 players out, we were brave and aggressive. This is what allowed us to win the Scudetto and Supercoppa, it is the way forward. I am convinced that with more players at my disposal, we can improve further.” He concluded.

As for Di Lorenzo, he believes that this exit cannot be pinned solely on their 3-2 defeat to Chelsea, insisting the damage had been done earlier in the campaign as the captain cut a frustrated but composed figure after the final whistle, praising both the fans and his team’s effort on the night.

“The fans are always with us, we knew that and we know it,” he said. “It hurts, but we weren’t eliminated tonight. We made mistakes in too many other games, we dropped too many points and we paid for that. Tonight we played a great match, it’s just a shame about the result.”

Napoli went a goal down early on thanks to an Enzo Fernandez penalty after a Juan Jesus handball and then they fought their way back into the game thanks to goals from Antonio Vergara and Rasmus Hojlund but an impressive second-half comeback from the Blues gave them all three points and sent Napoli out of the UCL.

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Napoli’s season has been heavily disrupted by injuries, and Di Lorenzo admitted the squad is feeling the physical toll. “We’ve had these injuries for a while, we’re living with them. The group is giving everything it has,” he explained.“The same players are out there every three days. It’s not an excuse, it’s just how it is. We hope the others come back as soon as possible.” He said.

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