NAPLES, Italy :Napoli coach Antonio Conte said it was time to savour the moment after his side went three points clear in the Serie A title race with victory against Torino on Sunday with the win also securing their return to Europe’s elite club competition.
Two first-half goals from Scott McTominay helped Napoli to a 2-0 home success, sending them above defending champions Inter Milan in the standings after Simone Inzaghi’s side stumbled to a shock 1-0 home loss against AS Roma.
“It’s not the first time we’re in the lead, we’ve been in the lead more than anyone else,” Conte told a press conference.
“However, there are fewer and fewer games and you can pay for any type of mistake in a big way. We are mathematically in the Champions League, a very important economic goal for the club, and you have to enjoy it at least a little.”
Napoli, who won the league title in 2023, were absent from European competitions this season after finishing 10th last term.
“There are four steps to go, I told the lads too,” Conte added.
“We had a strange evening. I didn’t watch Inter, because I already suffer enough for our games. I didn’t intervene with the lads (either), I wanted to leave free will, knowing that we could also lose mental energy.
“Before the game I told them that nothing had changed and that we had to win, with great motivation. The lads were very good, driven by an extraordinary environment.”
With four games remaining in the season, Napoli travel to relegation-threatened Lecce on Saturday before facing Genoa, Parma and Cagliari – all in the bottom half of the table – in their final matches.
The Italian manager gave an update on midfielder Frank Anguissa and defender Alessandro Buongiorno, who were substituted due to injuries around the hour mark.
“It’s difficult to make assessments for Anguissa while it’s still fresh. I think he took a blow to the pelvis,” Conte said.
“For Buongiorno we’ll have to wait 24-48 hours to understand better (what happened). He had this tendon problem in the lower part of the pubic bone, but now it’s very difficult to make a diagnosis.
“We’re used to dealing with emergencies and we’ll continue to do so without problems.”
