Soccer Football - Serie A - Udinese v Napoli - Bluenergy Stadium, Udine, Italy - December 14, 2024 Napoli coach Antonio Conte during the match REUTERS/Jennifer Lorenzini
(Reuters) - Napoli coach Antonio Conte was pleased with his side's performance in their 3-1 victory at Udinese on Saturday, saying no major tactical changes were needed to secure the comeback win, but he stressed the need for continued improvement.
Conte hailed Napoli's resilience against a tough Udinese side, pointing to his team's strong response to recent setbacks, including back-to-back defeats by Lazio that saw them knocked out of the Coppa Italia and lose their Serie A lead.
"Udinese are a very good side and I saw a strong response from my boys," Conte told DAZN. "We have to be realistic, fearless and understand that to win you have to take control of the game, as we did today."
Udinese went ahead when Florian Thauvin scored from the rebound after Alex Meret saved his penalty. However, a Romelu Lukaku strike, Lautaro Giannetti's own goal and a late Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa effort completed the turnaround for Napoli.
For Conte, the scoreline in the first half did not reflect his side's dominance. "We controlled the game from start to finish, even though we were 1-0 down. The penalty didn't change the game for us," the manager added.
"We created chances in the first half and we must continue to play that kind of football. Keeping possession, dominating the game, pressing high and dictating the game is crucial for us."
The win leaves Napoli two points behind Serie A leaders Atalanta, who beat 1-0 Cagliari earlier on Saturday. Conte's title-chasing side next face Genoa in a week's time.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City; Editing by Ken Ferris)
