Antonio Conte has sounded alarm bells after Napoli’s dismal 6-2 defeat by PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League, warning their nightmare in the Netherlands could be the start of a deeper crisis.
Scott McTominay’s brace at the Philips Stadium was the sole positive for travelling Napoli fans as they watched their side capitulate disastrously on Tuesday night.
The former Manchester United midfielder opened the scoring with a well-taken goal on the half-hour mark before two goals in three minutes handed PSV control at the break.
PSV star Dennis Man then netted in the 54th and 80th minute to take the game away from the Italian giants, whose attempts of a comeback were made harder in the 76th minute when Lorenzo Lucca was shown a red card for arguing with the referee.
A flurry of goals at the end of the match saw Napoli strike again through McTominay in the 86th minute, before conceding twice in the next three minutes to Ricardo Pepi and Couhaib Driouech, capping off a dismal night in Eindhoven.
After the match, Conte sent a stern warning to his Napoli squad, fearing the 6-2 battering was not a one-off.
Antonio Conte has sent a stern warning to his players to step up after Napoli’s 6-2 loss to PSV
The Italian giants were humiliated in Eindhoven, marking their second successive shock defeat
Veteran Kevin De Bruyne was blasted by the Italian press and handed a poor 4.5 rating out of 10
‘We need to humble ourselves, I’ve been telling you this for a while,’ he told reporters during his post-match press conference.
‘Some people in Naples are blowing smoke, and that’s a club that always needs to be told the truth.
‘Both old and new (players) need to step up their game. We all need to step up, regardless of the sending-off. If we want to grow and build something that can make Napoli proud, we need to understand that we need to get back to last year, where only the good of Napoli was at stake.
‘This has to return — the good of the individual is useless. The good of the team is what counts, and due to various over-the-top factors, so many situations have arisen that I even enjoyed watching, given how shameless they were. I repeat, Napoli and the Neapolitans shouldn’t be taken for a ride.’
Despite winning Serie A under Conte last season — and carving out out fairly robust start to their title defence — Napoli’s form has begun to unravel in recent games.
Two defeat in three in the Champions League leaves them with lots of work to do to secure knockout qualification, while the 6-2 hammering comes just days after a 1-0 loss against Torino in Serie A at the weekend.
Conte fears that too many changes were made to his squad during the busy summer transfer window, with 10 new players arriving to his squad from Manchester City legend Kevin De Bruyne to Manchester United outcast Rasmus Hojlund.
‘Last year, we won an extraordinary and incredible championship, where everyone pushed their limits with great unity and unity across the board. This year, however, between playing so many games and bringing in so many players,’ he continued.
Lorenzo Lucca was needlessly sent off for arguing with the match referee in the 78th minute
The former Chelsea boss fears Napoli made too many signings in the summer transfer window
Despite sounding alarm bells, Conte has urged not to change his tactics ahead of facing Inter
‘In my opinion, nine new players were too many. We weren’t balanced. I’ve always said this year would be difficult; there are some aspects that need to be absorbed over time.
‘This is the level of the Champions League. We have little to say and a lot to work on, even though we know it will take a lot of effort. I experience the dressing room every day, so I say certain things; we mustn’t despair. We’ll try to recreate last year’s chemistry.’
While Hojlund remained absent from the squad with a small quadriceps injury, De Bruyne featured in midfield during the 6-2 defeat and was subsequently hammered by the Italian press on Wednesday morning.
The Belgian was handed a dismal 4.5 rating out of 10 by Corriere dello Sport, who said of his performance: ‘He is seen very little, touches the ball very little and disappears when needed. With his experience, he should be carrying the team on his shoulders.’
Meanwhile, the Italian newspaper described McTominay as Napoli’s ‘light in the darkness’ after his two-goal display.
Captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo, who was blasted with a 4/10 rating, admitted after the match that he and his team-mates feel ‘fragile’, raising more concern that the club are in the midst of a crisis.
‘It was a horrible night,’ Di Lorenzo told Sky Sports. ‘We need to stop, reflect and analyse what happened out there. We feel fragile right now, the opposite of last season when we were so solid.
‘It’s true we’re trying something new in attack, but we conceded goals we should never concede. ‘We’ve lost our balance — that desire not to concede, that defensive mentality. We must all question ourselves.’
Scott McTominay, who scored twice on the night, was described as the ‘light in the darkness’
Captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo admitted that his Napoli side ‘feel fragile’ in a worrying statement
Despite the mounting issues and successive defeats, Conte has urged that he will not budge on his tactical system ahead of facing Inter Milan in Serie A on Saturday.
He said: ‘If we win, everything’s fine; if we lose, everything’s bad? You’ve all praised the choice of four midfielders. De Bruyne couldn’t play after a bad match, but after the Sporting match he became irreplaceable.
‘A good coach is one who puts the best players in the starting eleven, creating the right chemistry. Tactically, what should we change? The balance we’ve found now is the best one. Having two very attacking wingers doesn’t give us any stability at all, and I don’t think it’s right to sacrifice one of the midfielders.’
On the eve of Tuesday’s match, Dutch authorities arrested 180 Napoli fans and deported them to prevent potential disturbances, according to Football Italia.
A group of travelling supporters reportedly infiltrated a designated safety zone in central Eindhoven and ignored multiple warnings to leave, prompting several arrests.
Many of the fans, who were taken to the police station, were unable to display tickets for the match and deported as a result.
