Conte's Bold Stand: Napoli Stands Tall, Inter's Alibis Face the Spin
26 October 2025
Conte Pushes Back at Inter Critics
Antonio Conte, Napoli's coach, voiced sharp criticism of Inter Milan president Beppe Marotta's remarks about a penalty decision that helped Napoli in the 3-1 victory over Inter. He dismissed the comments as excuses and insisted Napoli never planned to lose to the Nerazzurri.
Conte told DAZN that he lives every match with his squad and faced what he believes was the best Italian lineup against them, from his point of view.
He noted that Napoli have been hampered by injuries and had lost four of their past seven matches across domestic and European competition, including a heavy 6-2 defeat to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League just days earlier.
Conte's View on Napoli's Form and the Post-Match Noise
“We faced a team in excellent form,” Conte said. “Napoli reached the Champions League final twice in three years – that is no accident.”
He also pointed to the absence of players due to injuries and the fact that Inter, despite their strong run, faced a side that has shown resilience at the highest level in Italy and Europe.
In response to Marotta's post-match comments, Conte criticised the Inter president, saying that such remarks harm the coach's image and distract from the players’ and staff's work. He stressed that the match should be decided on the pitch, not in the press.
“We did not intend to die,” Conte added. “We fought with pride and delivered a great performance despite the problems and without losing faith.”
Curse or Courage?
Conte finished by noting the challenges his side faced, including missing players, while praising Napoli’s execution and the visitors’ tough resistance, underscoring that the season’s journey is far from finished.
Martial Exchange and Coaching Fronts
Conte also touched on the moment following a heated exchange on the touchline between Napoli and Inter players and warned against letting on-field incidents become a distraction from tactical realities.
He asserted that Napoli had returned to the path of form while Inter's campaign remained a battle of consistency, not a single-match fate.
Inter and Napoli by the Numbers
Inter started the season with a big win over Torino (5-0) but then slipped with two surprise losses to Udinese and Juventus. A sequence of wins against Sassuolo, Cagliari, Cremonese, and Roma followed, before the 3-1 defeat at Napoli left them four points behind the league leaders. Napoli, chasing a return to the Champions League and a renewed title charge, have won five Serie A games this term against Sassuolo, Cagliari, Fiorentina, Pisa, and Genoa, with a couple of stumbles along the way. Their 3-1 victory over Inter moved Napoli to 18 points, one ahead of Milan and three ahead of Roma and Inter overall.
Conte observed that Napoli’s consistency and readiness to fight on multiple fronts keep the title race open, with both sides fighting for every point as the season progresses.
Punchline time
Punchline 1: If luck were a defender, Inter would need a new goalkeeper—because their season keeps letting in the silly goals of fate.
Punchline 2: Napoli is playing like a jazz combo—every pass has a beat, and sometimes Inter just can’t keep up with the rhythm.
