Napoli manager Antonio Conte refused to be too downbeat after his team’s frustrating goalless draw with Serie A strugglers Venezia on Sunday, March 16, 2025. Despite dominating the match and accumulating 1.67 expected goals to Venezia’s 0.74, Napoli were unable to find a way past home goalkeeper Andrei Radu, who made seven saves to deny the visitors.
Conte insisted that the result “changes nothing” for his team, and that they should not be too concerned about the overall state of the title race.
“To us it changes nothing, we have to look at ourselves and give everything as we did today, then in the end we’ll see the products of our efforts.” Conte said.
The Napoli manager was particularly concerned by a big chance Venezia created late on, which could have resulted in a shock win for the hosts.
“The thing that bothered me was the six versus two counter-attack at the end – that must never happen. We switched off our brains at that moment and it must never happen”; Conte remarked.
Despite the disappointing result, Conte remains optimistic about his team’s chances, and is looking forward to the upcoming international break, which will afford his exhausted squad vital respite.
Napoli next host AC Milan on March 30, after the international break, and Conte is hoping that the break will allow his team to regroup and recharge.
“We only have half a team left. We’ll use the break to continue working, perhaps organising a few friendlies for those who arrived in January so they can get into better context and condition”; Conte mentioned.
Despite the setback, Napoli remain in contention for the Serie A title, and Conte is determined to keep fighting until the end of the season. With nine games left to play, Napoli will be looking to bounce back from their disappointing draw and make a strong push for the title.
