Conte Reveals Napoli's Killer Mistakes in the Video Room

Conte's Video Room Review: Napoli's Killer Mistakes Exposed

Antonio Conte, Napoli's manager, held a long meeting on Thursday evening at Castel Volturno with the players to discuss the mistakes shown in recent matches and urge a stronger performance starting with the upcoming game against Atalanta.

The session came days after the international break, when most of the squad were with their national teams, while Conte took a brief rest before returning to Napoli last Monday.

The Italian coach welcomed all the international players back, including Elif Elmas, Matías Oliveira, Amir Rahmani, Rasmus Höjlund, and Scott McTominay, to begin preparations for the next match.

The meeting was serious and focused; the first part centered on reviewing on-field performance using the video room, where Conte and his staff highlighted the key mistakes in the Bologna defeat, noting a decline in attacking efficiency, several late passes, and defensive lapses that led to two clean goals for Bologna.

Afterwards, the session lasted about an hour, with Conte giving players a chance to respond to his expressed anger after the game and his decision to take a few days off.

Italian media described the meeting as "constructive," emphasizing the need for a quick reaction, especially with a demanding run of nine matches in 36 days ahead.

Conte will skip a press conference before the Atalanta game, speaking only after the match and ahead of the Champions League clash with Karabakh.

The session served as a focal point for Napoli's immediate priorities and set the tone for a pivotal stretch of fixtures.

Napoli's season is discussed in context of both European competition and domestic league: they returned to the Champions League this season after missing out last year; they started with a 2-0 loss away to Manchester City, then beat Sporting Lisbon 2-1 at home at Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. The shock came in the European group stage with a 6-2 home defeat to PSV Eindhoven, raising alarm within the club and putting Conte's Napoli under pressure.

In the Champions League, after four matches Napoli had four points (one win, two draws, one loss), placing them fourteenth in the group, the last position before the playoff line for the knockout rounds, a situation that presses the team to rethink their approach before upcoming games.

In Serie A, Napoli began the season brightly, leading the table for several weeks, but recent results have been disappointing, including a 0-0 draw with Como, a 2-0 defeat to Bologna, and losses to Torino and Milan in earlier rounds.

Across the first eleven rounds, the team had 16 goals for and 10 against, collecting 22 points and occupying fourth place, two points behind the leaders, equal on points with Milan. It’s worth noting they earned just one point from four consecutive matches they could have won, contributing to a slide from first to fourth.

Napoli's European and Domestic Run: Schedule, Form, and Future

Napoli faces a tough run of fixtures before year’s end: first hosting Atalanta, then welcoming Karabakh in the Champions League. Next they travel to Rome's Stadio Olimpico to face Roma, followed by home games against Cagliari and Juventus at Diego Armando Maradona. They will also play three away matches against Benfica in Europe, Udinese, and Cremonese, with the final league fixture at home against Milan.

Behind the scenes, there is internal turmoil, even as Conte’s public comments after Bologna’s defeat angered supporters—he warned about the team's fighting spirit, saying, "I’m not ready to accompany the dead," which sparked rumours about his possible resignation before the Atalanta game.

The club also suffered another blow with Cameroonian midfielder André-Frank Anguissa tearing his hamstring while on international duty with Cameroon, sidelining him until early next year. Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis voiced frustration again, calling for compensation from clubs that lose players to international duty.

Bottom line: Napoli is in a delicate phase, balancing domestic and European commitments amid heavy pressure on Conte's staff and players to restore discipline and fighting spirit.

As Conte focuses on correcting mistakes and motivating the squad, everyone awaits results on the pitch—these upcoming games could decide the battle for top of Serie A and the future of the Champions League campaign.

Punchline 1: Conte’s tactical notes are so long that by the time you finish reading them, Napoli will have played three more matches. Punchline 2: If Napoli’s defense were a sniper, it would be amazing at dodging shots—though the scoreboard says otherwise; at least it keeps life interesting.