Napoli were thrashed 3-0 by Verona in their opening Serie A game, and coach Conte apologized to fans after the game.
Conte suffered a huge setback in his first game in charge of Napoli. “We have to apologize to the fans, because the performance in the second half was simply not acceptable,” Conte said in an interview. “In the first half, there was only one team on the field, Napoli, but in the second half, our attitude and performance were completely different, we melted like ice under the sun.”
Conte was harsh in his criticism of the team’s performance: “It’s really worrying. Real strong teams bounce back from adversity, but we completely collapsed.”
“As a coach, I am responsible for this, so I apologize to everyone. This game was simply a disaster.”
Conte had said on Saturday that this season was a “fresh start” for Napoli, as the team went through a disastrous previous season, finishing tenth and going through three different coaches.
“It’s all gone crazy,” he also reminded fans not to expect too much, as the team was still waiting for new arrivals and key player Osimhen was also left out of the squad due to transfer issues.
Despite Napoli’s clear dominance in the first half, their key player Kvaratskhelia went off injured before half-time, which had a significant impact on the team’s attack. Kvaratskhelia’s departure weakened Napoli’s attack and Verona took advantage to take the lead. Livramento scored in the 50th minute, while substitute Moscardelli scored twice to seal the 3-0 victory.
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