Antonio Conte was left frustrated by Napoli despite their 2-1 victory over Genoa, conceding "I did not like a single thing about the second half". (More Football News)
Napoli had Alex Meret to thank for 📖preserving the three points, ꦦwith the goalkeeper making a string of smart saves to keep the hosts at bay
Antonio Conte was left frustrated by Napoli despite their 2-1 victory over Genoa, conceding "I did not like a single thing about the second half". (More Football News)
With Atalanta not in action until Sunday, the Partenopei took fulꦓl advantage to leapfrog Gian Piero Gasperini's si🌄de to the Serie A summit.
The damage was done during the first half as headers from Frank Anguissa and Amir Rrahmani rendered Andrea Pinamont꧙i's strike early in the second half academic.
However, Napoli had Alex Meret to thank for preserving the three points, with the goalkeeper making a string of sma🌳rt saves to ꧟keep the hosts at bay.
And Conte insists his players must improve the consistency of their performance levels if they are to genuinely challenge at the top of t🌠he table.
"If you only see ꦬthe result and three points, you don't build anything," he ꦛtold DAZN. "Our first half was our best of the season, and I really did not expect the second half to be like that. Maybe, I felt it in the locker room at half-time.
"The players need to realise they must play from start to 🐓finish, with their foot on the gas at all times. I did not like a singl🤪e thing about the second half. Defend by attacking, that has to be our mantra.
"I have pl♈ayers who know where they need to improve, and they will go home disappointed today at almost throwing away three points.
"If we want to have the l🍎east bit of ambition and be up there causing trouble for the top spots, then we need tꦓo be on it for 95 minutes."
Meanwhile, Genoa saw their six-match unbeaten st🐓reak come to an end, while they suff💮ered their first defeat under Patrick Vieira, who was still pleased with his side's efforts.
"We🍃 showed that we could play good football but, in the end, we did not take any poin🐎ts," he said. "After the game, I told the boys that if we continue to do as we did in the second half, we will win more games.
"It was a first half where we didn't play the wayꦉ we wanted to play. But I think the quality of the opponent also put the team in difficulty.
"In the second half, we were more aggressive, we grew, and I think the team deserved the poin🌃t. I feel sorry f♋or the players."