Italian champions Napoli must show humility and learn from the mistakes they made during their disastrous title defense in the 2023-24 season, Neapolitan coach Antonio Conte warned, BTA reported.
Napoli won the title in 2023 under Luciano Spalletti, but endured a turbulent 2023-24 season, finishing in 10th place and changing three coaches after coach Spalletti left the club.
Conte, who won three Serie A titles as coach of Juventus and one with Inter Milan, along with a Premier League trophy with Chelsea, was given the responsibility of reviving Napoli in June last year and immediately returned the Scudetto to Naples in last season.
"By definition, those who wear the Scudetto on their shirt are favourites or among the favourites. We must not retreat or hide", Conte told reporters.
"We have worked hard to adapt. It is inevitable that this year will be very difficult. But there is a very recent past that we must never forget. We must learn from even the negative things. What happened two years ago should be a lesson for all of us. We are on the pitch and we work, we will never fly in the clouds. We will be very humble.“
Napoli have strengthened their title-winning team with the signings of Belgian playmaker Kevin De Bruyne, Dutch winger Noah Lang and Italian centre-back Luca Marianuchi. De Bruyne, widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders in Premier League history, has won 19 trophies with Manchester City since joining from Wolfsburg in 2015 - a feat that includes six Premier League titles and one Champions League. Conte hopes the 34-year-old can help Napoli take the next step.
"He comes to us to take on a new challenge, it's a different situation for him too: he has already reached very high levels in his career and he still has a lot to give to football," added Conte.
Napoli begin their pre-season with a friendly against Arezzo on Tuesday.