“The Fact Is That We Are Still Up There Which Means That Our Journey Has Been A Very Good One”

Written By Onyeka Daniel

The top four race in the Italian Serie A might seem to be the most intriguing battle right now in the league as we enter the last lap of the 2024-25 season, owing to the number of teams involved, but the title race is also a spectacle on it own.

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After this weekend round of matches, we will be left with just six matches and the battle for the title is between the current champions, Inter Milan and the former champions, Napoli, who have undergone some serious changes after the disappointment of last season.

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After Inter’s 3-1 win over Cagliari at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, the ball is now in the court of the Napoli to get their win in order to maintain the gap between them and for Antonio Conte, he feels that the Scudetto race with Inter is a good pressure to have his team.

Last week, both teams were held to draws, keeping the gap at the top intact and this time week, the Partenopei will be facing Empoli, who are battling for every single point that could be crucial to drag them out of the relegation zone, but are without a Serie A victory in 2025.

“There are dangers in every game, as from now to the end of the campaign, every team has an objective it needs to achieve, whether it’s fighting for safety, a place in Europe or the Scudetto,” said Conte in his press conference ahead of the Monday night fixture.

The coach has been adamant since the start of the season that Napoli did not expect to be in this position, so he joked when asked if he believes they can win the last seven matches. “I had started out thinking we could win all 38,” laughed Conte.

“However, that cannot happen, even just going unbeaten for a whole season is something that is extraordinarily rare. There are setbacks, draws and defeats, this is natural. We’ve been fairly consistent this season.”

“There were spells where we had a run of consecutive victories, but the fact is that we are up there, which means our journey has been a very good one. Empoli will come here with knives drawn, so it is a very difficult fixture, as every point can be the difference between safety and relegation at this stage.”

“It is always tougher in the second half of the season, because there is more strategic thinking, the games are less open. We’ve all studied each other carefully at this point.” Conte reiterated that the pressure must all be on Inter rather than his team.

The Nerazzurri are still in the running for the Treble of the Serie A title, Champions League and Coppa Italia. “We are the direct antagonists of Inter and will try to do something extraordinary, to put that pressure on them.”

“It means we are doing remarkably well, in a situation where we are asked to go beyond our capabilities to keep up with a team that proved it is built to win everything in Europe too. It’s a good pressure to have, there is enthusiasm among the fans, the dream of competing for the Scudetto is firing them up.”

“We earned this pressure, this battle of nerves, and we must also enjoy fighting for something important. The fans can sense that the team is going beyond its limitations and that can only be appreciated.” He said.

Napoli have shown a tendency to struggle in the second half of their recent matches, with assistant manager Cristian Stellini suggesting this was a mentality problem rather than a physical one. “If the second half was a problem, then we’d have zero points against Juventus, Inter and Atalanta,” he replied.

“Matches last for 90 minutes plus added time. It is inevitable that at times we can control leads a bit better, either because we dominate and the opponents want to respond, or that we think we can defend an advantage and without meaning to we start to sit deeper.”

“That is true of all teams, not just us.“We must let the lads understand we continue Plan A, even if we are leading 1-0 or 2-0, the pressure and possession should not change. Admittedly, that’s easier to say than to do, but it’s part of the growth process.”

Alessandro Buongiorno is still out of action, with Conte confirming that the defender is expected to be on the treatment table for “one or two weeks,” but Leonardo Spinazzola returns. The Important news is with Scott McTominay.

The former Manchester United star has shaken off the knock he sustained in the 1-1 draw with Bologna. “McTominay is fine, we hope he can get back to scoring goals, as he had so many chances in recent matches. We need his goals too,” concluded Conte.

Another reason why Napoli will want to fancy their chances in the title race is because they’ve an easier fixture list in the title run-in, facing opponents like Empoli, Monza, Torino, Lecce, Genoa, Parma and Cagliari.

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Unlike Inter who will be playing against Bologna, Roma, Hellas Verona, Torino, Lazio and Como, while also competing in other competitions, but first the Napoli needs to get maximum points against before hoping for favors from other clubs.

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