Serie A 2024-25: Conte captaining the Napoli ship, on stormy seas and calm

 Napoli’s adventure this season has taken it to the Serie A summit, but with much of the journey still remaining, it will need to navigate both storms and calm seas, manager Antonio Conte said on Friday.

Conte took over after last season’s disappointing title defence when the club finished 10th in the standings, and in a remarkable turnaround, has taken it back into a Scudetto race, where it holds a one-point lead over Inter Milan.

Now, however, is not the time to take stock of what it has achieved, that will only come at the end of the voyage.

“The ship is sailing, and we are on the high seas, and when you are on the high seas, you come up against storms and calm waters,” Conte told reporters ahead of Saturday’s game away to Lazio.

“You need to have cool heads and know how to navigate the ship and how to react in different situations. What we need to do now is see the harbour, get there safe and sound, and possibly arrive with what we deserve to achieve.

“But the important thing is to get to the port, safe and sound. Once you get there, you just have to take a breath and understand what happened during the trip.

“As a captain, I have to give the right directions, both in the storm and in calm seas. Because even when the sea is calm, you have to be careful. A captain has to count on the crew, in this case, it’s the players, who are exceptional.”

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Conte has spoken before about the atmosphere surrounding the club, the high expectations of the media, and the criticism of his side, and said he was disappointed to have to confront these topics again and again.

“If you go back in time, in some of my conferences, I’ve talked about the compactness of the environment, and I don’t see any of that,” Conte said.

“You have to be careful, though. I’m sorry if what I say gets deleted, and then you ask me again when I have already answered about certain situations. Now, you are looking for another headline.

“In the press conferences, I always give input, and I say things that sometimes, I am sorry to see, are not understood. Either they don’t get it, or they pretend not to.

“In terms of the environment, I expressed myself very clearly three months ago. However, if you ask me this question, it means there’s something wrong, doesn’t it.”

Lazio is fourth in the standings on 45 points, 10 behind Napoli and has beaten Conte’s side twice this season, in the league and Coppa Italia.