“Tiger tamer” Antonio Conte has vowed to “bring the whip” to his Napoli flops after their humiliating Champions League defeat to PSV, while hitting out at the club’s summer transfer business. The Italian tactician watched in horror as his side were thrashed 6-2 in Eindhoven despite taking an early lead through Scott McTominay’s 31st-minute header. What began as a promising night for the Partenopei quickly turned into a nightmare, as they were torn apart by a ruthless PSV team that exposed every weakness in Conte’s outfit.
For the first half-hour, Napoli looked sharp, organised, and composed. McTominay’s powerful header from a corner silenced the home fans and hinted at a possible statement performance. But within minutes, the floodgates opened. First came a horror moment when Alessandro Buongiorno bundled Ivan Perisic’s cross into his own net, undoing all of Napoli’s early work. The equaliser rattled Conte’s men, and before they could regroup, Ismael Saibari slotted calmly past Alex Meret to complete a stunning seven-minute turnaround. The collapse deepened after the interval. Dennis Man struck soon after the restart, capitalising on a disorganised Napoli back line. When Lorenzo Lucca was sent off for dissent just past the hour mark, Conte’s frustration turned to disbelief. Man grabbed his second goal while substitutes Ricardo Pepi and Couhaib Driouech added insult to injury by scoring in the dying moments. Although McTominay did pull one back in the 86th minute, it was too little too late.
Conte did not mince words after the defeat and vowed to be a tough task master to bring out the best from his squad.
“There’s disappointment, but when these situations happen, they never happen by chance. We’ll have to be good at reversing that trend, which in some ways hasn’t always impressed me,” he said.
The 55-year-old manager expressed in no uncertain terms what he believes is the root of the problem: a chaotic summer of transfer business that left the squad disjointed and unstable, with nine new faces added to the squad.
“Last year we won a championship where the players pushed themselves to the limit; we had unity in every way,” he said. “In my opinion, nine new players are too many: we were forced to do so. Bringing nine new players into the dressing room isn’t easy. This is the level, the Champions League offers this kind of level. We have little to say and a lot to work on, even if we work hard, it will take a lot of effort. This year will be a complex one, we mustn’t despair.”
However, Conte remained adamant that he will not change his tactical plan.
“If you win, everything’s fine; if you lose, everything’s bad,” he added. “You all praised the choice of four midfielders, we’ve started to let them coexist. The balance we’ve found now is the best, having two attacking wingers doesn’t give us any balance at all. And I don’t think it’s right to sacrifice one of the four midfielders either.”
He admitted to being less animated on the touchline than usual but promised that would change.
“Resigned? I never conveyed joy, it was difficult to do so during the match,” Conte said. “The first half was good, the second obviously less so. My attitude? I was definitely less aggressive. Next time I’ll bring the whip and stroll like a tiger tamer.”
For all his domestic dominance, Conte’s record in Europe’s elite competition remains underwhelming. Across his managerial career, he has managed just 16 wins in the Champions League, alongside 14 draws and 15 defeats, averaging 1.38 points per game. The Italian has reached the quarter-finals only once, over a decade ago with Juventus in the 2012-13 season. Since then, his Champions League story has been littered with early exits. A group-stage elimination with Juventus in 2013-14, a round of 16 defeat with Chelsea in 2017-18, another group-stage disaster at Inter in 2020-21, and a round of 16 exit with Tottenham in 2022-23. Now, at Napoli, the nightmare continues. And after the colossal PSV defeat, Conte warned fans to brace for a turbulent season.
“We opened the transfer window because we were forced to,” he explained. “We tried to bring in new players, it takes time and patience. The veterans who achieved last year’s feat must be good at leading the group. We built the second season ourselves, we have to take responsibility. I don’t want to be too defensive; after all, my name is often used for broadcast purposes. We have to try to work knowing that it will be a difficult year. The old guys, myself and those from last year, need to step up our game and find unity again. The new guys, on the other hand, need to settle in with humility and in silence. Last year there were no personal, selfish goals. There was only the good of Naples. Naples and the Neapolitans should not be taken for a ride.”
The numbers paint a grim picture for Conte and his team. Not since a 6-3 defeat to Sampdoria in December 1997 have Napoli conceded six goals in any competition, and never before has one of Conte’s teams shipped six goals in a single match. The man known for iron discipline and defensive organisation now faces the uncomfortable reality of a side that looks anything but structured. However, the manager won’t have to wait long for another testing battle to prove his credentials as Napoli face a daunting Serie A clash against Inter Milan on Saturday night. It will be a game that will test his resilience.
