Antonio Conte admitted Napoli were “too worried and too anxious” during their surprise defeat to Udinese, insisting his side must use their experience to successfully manage difficult moments in matches.
The Partenopei missed the chance to claim top spot in Serie A after AC Milan’s draw against Sassuolo, ending the matchday in third place after Inter’s win over Genoa.
Noa Lang squandered an early golden opportunity at the Bluenergy Stadium as Napoli put in a sub-par performance, with Jurgen Ekkelenkamp’s long-range strike enough for Udinese to take all three points.
Keinan Davis and Nicolo Zaniolo saw goals disallowed after VAR reviews, while Jakub Piotrowski hit the crossbar in the second half.
Rasmus Hojlund also missed a golden chance late on to rescue a point, although Conte said he could not be too critical of his players’ efforts amid an ongoing injury crisis.
“They had two disallowed goals and [hit the] bar at the start of the second half,” the Napoli boss told DAZN Italia.
“We were too worried and too scared, we had to work hard. We have to play well even in the difficult moments. We have to control situations and we definitely have to improve.”
4 – #Napoli have lost at least four of their first eight #SerieA for the first time since 2009/10 there will be season matches on the road (also four in that case). Fall. #UdineseNapoli
— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) December 14, 2025
“We need to be able to control these moments better, we need to handle them with experience. We must not lose heart or become overwhelmed. When you play like that you run the risk of giving in, and we gave in.”
“I have nothing negative to say about the guys who are giving everything in this emergency. We need to get better at managing games and putting out more character when we are away from home.”
“On a psychological level we are trying to work on it and find the right path. We can grow, we have great guys here.”
The defeat means Napoli have now been defeated in four of the first eight away games in a Serie A season for the first time since 2009/2010.
It was also their first league match without a single shot on target since facing Lazio in January 2024.
Conte also highlighted the impact of injuries on his squad, with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Stanislav Lobotka, Frank Anguissa, Billy Gilmour, Romelu Lukaku and Alex Meret sidelined this season.
“At the beginning of the season, when you play in many competitions, you worry about building a team that is at the right level,” he continued. “[What can you do] when the team is weakened due to external factors?
“This year will not be easy for us. The most important thing is to be united and compact, to face challenges and at the same time stay together. We want to work and fight. We have lost seven away games, we have to improve that.”
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