Napoli coach Antonio Conte was asked ahead of Saturday’s Serie A clash with Lecce whether he would watch Inter’s meeting with Juventus the following evening. “I never watch rivals play,” he claimed. However, after a 1-0 win at the Maradona that extended Napoli’s lead at the summit of Serie A, Conte had unsurprisingly changed his tune.
“I will definitely watch the Derby d’Italia,” he declared. “In fact, I will really enjoy it!” Conte didn’t just enjoy the game between two of his former clubs, though – he effectively won it. After the teams ranked second and third in Serie A essentially took it in turns to expose the other’s defensive frailties, an exhilarating encounter at San Siro finished 4-4, leaving the Partenopei four points clear of Inter at the top of the table, and five ahead of Juve.
As Alessandro Del Piero pointed out on Sky Sport Italia, the idea of Napoli challenging for the title under Conte was hardly outrageous, but the fact that they’re in such a strong position going into Tuesday’s meeting with AC Milan at the Giuseppe Meazza is astounding after such a calamitous start to the season…