Napoli manager Antonio Conte lashed out at Juventus boss Luciano Spalletti after his side lost 3-0 to the Turin giants – and practically blew their Serie A title chances.
Conte was pricked by Spalletti referring to Napoli as the ‘former champions’, emphasising that they are the current title holders and warning his Italian rival to watch his mouth.
Napoli were hammered 3-0 on Sunday in a defeat which left them fourth and nine points behind league leaders Inter.
Many feel that Scott McTominay and Co will struggle to retain their Scudetto after a run of one win in their last five Serie A outings.
The pressure is ramping up on Conte as Napoli also stand to be eliminated from the Champions League unless results go their way on Wednesday night; they host Chelsea.
Speaking ahead of that fixture, Conte clapped back at Spalletti, saying: ‘I’m sorry because Luciano Spalletti is a great coach, but he has to be a little more careful when he speaks.
Napoli boss Antonio Conte sent a warning to Juventus’ Luciano Spalletti after losing 3-0 to him
Conte was annoyed that Spalletti had referred to his side as the ‘former champions’ as opposed to the current ones
‘I don’t understand what he said. Former champions? If he said something like that, it wasn’t a great sentence, it was an unfortunate phrase.
‘We still wear the Scudetto on our chest and that deserves respect. I would have never allowed myself to say something like that to another team.
‘He can’t say that there are still 16 games left – he’s already taken the Scudetto off us! I’m sorry because we’ve done so much to earn it and we deserve respect. Good luck to him.’
It is not the first time that Conte has lost his temper this season.
Earlier this month, Conte lost his cool and was sent off during Napoli’s intense 2-2 draw at Inter Milan.
In an entertaining encounter, the flashpoint came around the 73rd minute when the hosts were awarded a penalty following a VAR review, with Amir Rrahmani adjudged to have stepped on Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s foot.
Referee Daniele Doveri had originally not got involved, but he was urged to take another look on the pitchside monitor.
And when he announced his decision to give a penalty, Conte was left furious and booted a ball from the touchline towards Inter’s goal.
Napoli suffered a huge blow to their Serie A title hopes as Juventus as they are now nine points behind league leaders Inter Milan
Having been informed of what the former Inter boss had done, Doveri went over and sent off Conte, but this only ignited the fire.
Conte grew even more furious and confronted the fourth official, with the Italian seen shouting in his face before he was escorted away by security as he continued to yell something in the direction of the officials.
He was also said to throw a bottle to the ground, and Italian outlet Sport Mediaset reported that Conte screamed: ‘Shame on you, shame on you all.’
In October, Conte expressed fears that too many changes were made to his squad over the summer, labelling Napoli’s transfer window a ‘mistake’ during a fiery press conference.
Napoli had added nine new players to Conte’s squad, including Manchester City legend Kevin De Bruyne and 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,’ Conte said.
‘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.’
The former Chelsea and Tottenham manager also sent a stern warning to his Napoli squad, fearing the 6-2 battering was not a one-off.
‘We need to humble ourselves, I’ve been telling you this for a while,’ Conte added.
‘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.’
