One trophy, two eliminations: is Conte’s 2025-26 glass half full or empty?
Antonio Conte’s Napoli have won the Supercoppa Italiana in 2025-26, but were eliminated quite early from the Coppa Italia and the Champions League, so is the Italian coach’s glass half empty or full?
According to Reddit, defending Serie A champions Napoli were among the favourites to win the Scudetto in 2025-26, but the Partenopei sit 3rd after 24 rounds, nine points below leaders Inter.
Furthermore, Conte’s side has been eliminated from the Champions League group phase and the Coppa Italia quarter-finals.
They won the Supercoppa in December 2025, beating Milan in the semis and Bologna in the final, but can Conte be satisfied with his team’s results this season?
Surely, injuries massively affected Napoli’s season as the Partenopei were forced to cope without several key players for big parts of the campaign.
The likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Frank Zambo Anguissa and Billy Gilmour have been absent since October. Matteo Politano and David Neres have been on and off due to physical issues. Romelu Lukaku has only recently made his season debut after suffering a high-degree muscle injury during the pre-season.
Injuries gave Conte limited chances to rotate, especially in midfield and attack, and the Italian tactician has repeatedly changed the system in an attempt to cope with injuries and keep the defensive solidity.
The Italian tactician was irritated after a Coppa Italia elimination on penalties at the hands of Como, but still defended his players.
“I credit the lads, because it was certainly not easy to face a Como side with a full squad available, who had rested for 10 days,” he said after a 6-7 defeat on penalties at the Stadio Maradona.
“We were coming off a game played against Genoa three days ago, which we ended with 10 men and lost another player to injury, as Scott McTominay is so important for us.”
During his post-match press conference, he also highlighted that Napoli have won two titles (one Scudetto and one Supercoppa) since he was appointed in 2024, suggesting that he sees the glass half full after 18 months at the Stadio Maradona.
Conte’s contract with Napoli expires in 2027, but the Italian tactician will surely meet club owner Aurelio De Laurentiis at the end of the season to decide whether to move forward.
Napoli only have Serie A left to play for this season, and Conte will necessarily need to qualify for the Champions League to accomplish the minimum target in the league this season.
“There are many positive things. It’s true, we’ve been knocked out of the Coppa Italia and Champions League. Now Serie A is what remains, and we have to do the best we possibly can,” Conte said after Napoli’s Coppa Italia exit.