(Reuters) – Napoli manager Antonio Conte acknowledges that Saturday’s home game with lowly Lecce, where he started his playing career, will stir emotions but knows the Serie A leaders have a job to do.
Conte started out in the youth ranks at Lecce in 1985 and got his debut the following year before making a name for himself as a midfielder at Juventus and with Italy.
“There are feelings, but there is also professionalism as well. You have to separate those things,” he said on Thursday. “(Lecce) represents my origins, the dusty pitches, my father’s team, where I grew up and went through the ranks up to Serie A.
“It’s always held a special place in my heart. Nobody will take that away from me, but there’s still an opponent to take on,” the 55-year-old told a press conference.
Napoli, who finished a disappointing 10th last season, have enjoyed a strong start this term with 19 points from eight matches and Conte said he had faith in all of his squad.
“I don’t like to talk about turnovers, they’re all starters for me,” he told reporters with a smile.
“I make choices based on what I see, maybe certain things that aren’t always seen by everyone else, even if you seem to know at least 85% of what goes on.
“I try to put the best team out in the formation that I think suits us best.
“It’s an important game against Lecce if we want to continue getting results. I still have tomorrow to make the final decisions and draw up my starting XI.”
Second-bottom Lecce have only five points so far.
Napoli have yet to field Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and their close-season signing David Neres in the same lineup but Conte said the wingers can play together depending on the balance of the side and the opposition’s formation.
“It’s important to remember that when you play against a team that blocks off five channels, there’s a need to drop a winger into midfield, like (Matteo) Politano, or drop a midfielder deeper to create a five like other teams do,” Conte said.
“We could also play (Stanislav) Lobotka or (Billy) Gilmour deeper so that there’s not a numerical inferiority.
“If teams don’t line up against us like that, then there’s a possibility of seeing Kvara and Neres together but balance is the basis of everything.”
(Reporting by Suramya Kaushik in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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