Napoli boss Antonio Conte is keen to move on from Kevin De Bruyne‘s angry reaction to being substituted as he aims to find the right balance for his side ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Sporting Lisbon.
Belgium midfielder De Bruyne was left less than impressed by the decision to take him off for the closing stages of Sunday’s Serie A defeat at AC Milan — where he had pulled a goal back from a second-half penalty — and directed some colourful language towards the bench as he stormed down the tunnel.
Conte, though, stressed he remained focused on the squad delivering a collective effort again when they host Sporting bidding to get their European campaign up and running after opening with a defeat at Manchester City.
“I have understood what I needed to understand and everything has been clarified. Clear agreements and long-lasting friendship are what they say in my house,” Conte said in a news conference when asked about Sunday’s flashpoint.
“[When] he [De Bruyne] does well, the team does well. He does poorly, the team does poorly.
“We know what Kevin can give us. He needs support, as I always say. We try to find the right balance. We can go from absurd excesses to extremes.
“I need to find the best solutions, knowing that this is the second year and it will be very complex for us, having to play every three days and bringing in new players.”
Napoli will be without captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo after the right-back’s red card against City, while Alessandro Buongiorno is unavailable through injury.
Leonardo Spinazzola and Mathías Olivera both trained separately on Monday as they manage a return to action, with Conte facing “an emergency situation” in the centre of his defence.
– Kevin De Bruyne’s Man City return cut short due to Napoli red card
– Pulisic on target as AC Milan beat Napoli to go top of Serie A
– Real Madrid travel 4,000 miles east for Champions League match
Sporting won their first fixture of the league stage, beating newcomers Kairat Almaty 4-1.
Conte said: “Sporting are a tough opponent with quality, but we are strong too and want to compete to be up to the task.”
Forward Geovany Quenda hopes Sporting can build on their opening victory, when the 18-year-old, who is set to join Chelsea in summer 2026, scored his first Champions League goal.
“We are going to face Napoli now and it has got to be one game at a time,” Quenda said. “Our goal is to get to the playoffs.”