Antonio Conte has warned Kevin De Bruyne that he will not escape punishment if he has another angry reaction to being substituted after the Napoli playmaker was taken off in the weekend's 2-1 loss to AC Milan. The Italian coach insists the issue has been resolved as he insisted his sentiments were aimed at the entire squad.
The Substitution and loss to Milan
De Bruyne scored Napoli’s only goal in their 2-1 defeat to Milan on Sunday. With Milan reduced to 10 men following Pervis Estupinan’s red card, Napoli were expected to push for an equaliser, with De Bruyne’s experience potentially proving crucial. However, in a surprising decision, Conte substituted De Bruyne for Eljero Elmas in the 72nd minute, leaving the Belgian visibly frustrated as he appeared to express his dissatisfaction toward Conte from the dugout. The player's reaction earned a warning from the Italian coach
AdvertisementAFPConte's clarification to Sky Sport
In an interview with , Conte said that corrective measures were taken and mistakes once made will not be repeated: “It's not a question of a specific player's situation. Those who know me know very well what my views are on management, on certain behaviours that should be adopted. Sometimes those who don't know me make mistakes. It's up to me to correct the situation, to reiterate certain concepts to the entire group, so that once you give it a try, the second time you don't.”
Conte's message to the group
According to , Conte did not address De Bruyne privately but spoke to him as part of the group of players present at training on Monday. He reiterated that the team is always bigger than any individual and that certain behaviours will not be tolerated twice. Conte emphasised that a player of De Bruyne’s experience should serve as a model for others in the dressing room, and that incidents like this, which happen in the heat of the moment, should remain isolated.
Conte faced a similar situation during his time at Inter when Lautaro Martinez showed displeasure after being substituted. In that case, the squad acted as peacemakers, even organising a mock boxing match between Conte and Lautaro to humorously resolve their differences.
Getty Images SportNapoli's next challenge
Conte and De Bruyne will look to return to winning ways when Napoli will host Sporting CP on Wednesday in the Champions League.
