Antonio Conte has said that it is his ‘duty’ to reiterate his trust in his players after w worrying 3-0 defeat to Hellas Verona in the opening round of Serie A fixtures last weekend.
The Partenopei boss spoke to DAZN ahead of kick-off at home against Bologna on Sunday evening.
Conte still feels that he can only truly rely on about 12 players in his squad, but he is pleased with what he has seen from them, and says that they have to be the foundations that his project is built upon.
Conte: ‘My duty to reiterate my trust in the team’
“I always want to tell the truth. I felt it was my duty to reiterate my trust in the team,” Conte said.
“We are counting on 12 players who appreciate our trust and have to be the basis of this project. This week we have suffered a few blows, but worked with a lot of desire to do something positive tonight.”
Conte has opted to select Giacomo Raspadori as his starting centre-forward again, over Giovanni Simeone. The coach believes that they are two players of different profiles who are typically suited differently depending on the opponent.
Explaining that choice, the coach said: “We have important players with different characteristics and qualities in that role. Raspadori is more mobile as an attacker, Simeone more of a strength player. I have used both in league and Coppa Italia fixtures.
On the things that Napoli have to improve after last weekend’s loss to Verona, Conte said: “We need to be much more aggressive in the area and be more cynical outside the box. In the last few games, we have not shown that.”