Conte warns De Bruyne and Napoli players over complaints ahead of Sporting clash
Napoli entertain Sporting CP in the Champions League on Wednesday, and Antonio Conte has warned his players about conduct.
Ahead of their Champions League clash with Sporting CP on Wednesday, Antonio Conte has stated he “won’t allow” further complaints from Kevin De Bruyne or any other Napoli players.
The warning follows the former Manchester City player's angry response to having been substituted in Napoli's 2-1 defeat to Milan in Serie A on Sunday.
The Italian giants had gone into last weekend's showdown as league leaders, having won all four of their opening four league games, but Massimiliano Allegri's 10-man Milan held on to clinch a vital win to reach the Serie A summit.
Conte's side are still on the hunt for their first win in this season's Champions League, after losing 2-0 to Manchester City in their opener – a game in which the Italians were forced to play with 10-men after Giovanni Di Lorenzo saw red in the 21st minute.
Napoli hold a perfect Champions League record against Portuguese opposition, with group-stage doubles over Benfica in 2016-17 and Braga in 2023-24.
“Sometimes those who don’t know me make some mistakes," Conte said in his press conference.
“It’s not a matter of situations involving a specific player.
“Those who know me are well aware of my point of view on management, on certain behaviours that must be maintained.
"Sometimes, those who don’t know me make some mistakes, and it’s up to me to restore the situation and reiterate certain concepts to the whole group. Therefore, the first time you allow it, but the second time you don’t allow it anymore."
The Italian coach also addressed Napoli’s defensive issues ahead of tomorrow’s match, with Luca Marianucci excluded from the UEFA squad list, Amir Rrahmani, Mathias Olivera and Leonardo Spinazzola sidelined by injury, and Di Lorenzo serving a suspension.
“Olivera and Spinazzola trained separately yesterday. We’ll see today,” Conte explained.
“We’ll see if we must take some risks because we don’t have many alternatives. One alternative could be Elmas playing as a right-back, but we’ll see if we’ll take some risks with one or both of them.”
