Antonio Conte has promised strife, great changes, and, eventually, success as the new manager of Napoli. It’s fair to say that his leadership and his tactics have delivered all of this in the time that he has been in charge.
This is why today I am looking at one of the most interesting and potentially volatile partnerships in football. I am looking at Antonio Conte’s tactics at SSC Napoli.
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Antonio Conte’s Storied Career So Far
Antonio Conte is one of the biggest characters in Italian football. However, his eccentricities are balanced by a tremendously successful career as both a player and as a manager, with achievements that most fans of Italian football will be familiar with.
Conte was one of the ultimate defensive players that Italy ever produced. He had great positioning, excellent tackling and passing abilities, and could handle numerous roles and duties. He played for thirteen years at Juventus and six years at Lecce. Conte won the Serie A title five times, as well as the Champions League, the UEFA, and Intertoto Cups, all with Juventus. He was also runners-up with Italy in both the World Cup and European Championship.
Considering his leadership skills and tactical knowledge, few were surprised that Antonio Conte would choose to focus on management next. Still, few could foresee his eventual success here.
After an apprenticeship in Serie B, Juve took a gamble and appointed Conte. And while the Turin side’s results are somewhat controversial in Italy, the club indeed won three straight Serie A titles with their former defender at the helm.
Conte was then manager of the Italian national team, won the Premier League title with Chelsea and another Serie A title with Inter Milan. His brief stint managing Tottenham Hotspur was a disappointment, but Conte was unable to make the players adhere to his tactical plans.
Joining Napoli came as a surprise for many. With the job comes the promise from the chairman, Aurelio de Laurentiis, that Conte will be given free reign over who stays and who leaves the club.
Football Philosophy
Conte has become synonymous with the use of the 3-5-2 formation and with his demanding individual management style. But there is more to what the Italian wants and can deliver. That’s the only way to explain all of the trophies that he has won.
First of all, just like Jose Mourinho, Conte asks for total commitment from his players. He needs his players to be fit, tactically adept and ready to sacrifice themselves for the team. Conte teams press relentlessly from the front. Conte teams attempt to get the ball into attacking situations with as few touches as possible and are able to use the counterattack as a dangerous tool.
But Conte’s very best teams were also very versatile. Juventus, during Conte’s reign, was able to introduce short, dazzling passing when needed. Italy, under Conte, often attempted to use the skill of the team’s midfielders.
Still, yes, Conte’s biggest focus is with the central defenders and the striker. The central defenders need to be tough under pressure but also be great passers. The striker needs to find himself within space, be a tap-in merchant and make the best goal-scoring opportunities. Conte’s teams are not necessarily fun to watch for neutral fans but play very enjoyable football, typically for dedicated tiffosi.
Formations Used by Antonio Conte
Perhaps no other football manager is more greatly associated with one formation than Antonio Conte is with the 3-5-2. He implemented this throughout his successful tenure with Juventus. Conte switched to a 3-5-2, famously, while at Chelsea and this change is largely deemed responsible for The Blues winning the EPL title.
But Conte is more than a one-horse pony. And there’s a reason why managers, like even the great Pep Guardiola, referred to him as the best tactician in the game at one point.
In fact, Conte has been very daring in the way that he uses formations and tactical systems. He implemented an unusual 4-2-4 shape while at Bari and won Serie B with it.
Conte has worked within a more traditional 4-1-4-1 while in the Premier League. He implemented a 3-4-2-1 approach against tougher opposition, looking to press Chelsea more aggressively.
And, of course, the famous 3-5-2 is just the jump-off point on many occasions. The wingers can easily drop back and form a five-man defence and when attacking, Conte’s teams essentially operate in a 3-3-4 formation.
Above everything, it is Antonio Conte’s expertise accumulated as a player, as a defender or box-to-box midfielder, that gives him the understanding to make the subtle changes which have, typically, made his teams very successful.
So far, since joining Napoli, Conte has nearly exclusively used a versatile 3-4-2-1 formation.
Fantasy football fans are also able to choose their ideal formation when playing FootballCoin with the 3-5-2 a long-standing favorite of game participants.
Napoli’s Transfer Policy
As previously mentioned, Antonio Conte made one important request when joining Napoli—he would choose the squad, and whoever he didn’t like would have to be sold regardless of their fame or popularity.
This meant that the team’s most famous player, Victor Osimhen, was immediately out of Conte’s plans. Napoli failed to come to an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain over fees, and Osimhen finally was loaned out to Galatasaray.
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Natan, Jesper Lindstrom, and Jens Cajuste, who were recently brought into the Napoli squad, were also swiftly loaned out by Conte. Piotr Zielinski, another important component of the Napoli setup, was lost on a free deal to Inter.
What is more interesting is the kinds of players that Conte brought into the squad in his first transfer window. The marquee singing was Manchester United’s Scott McTominay, a tough, resilient midfielder that the Italian can mould into exactly the kind of player that he likes working with.
Other players with plenty of potential who were not fully developed, such as Billy Gilmour, David Neres, and Alessandro Buongiorno, were also brought in.
Finally, to replace Osimhen, Conte turned to one of the strikers he worked with best in the past, Romelu Lukaku. Many doubted that this partnership would work once again, but the Belgium forward’s recent tally is proving them wrong.
Napoli spent nearly 150 million Euro on transfers this summer, rebuilding their squad. They earned nearly none of that money back. However, de Laurentiis hopes that Osimhen’s eventual transfer and potential prize money will offset investments. It speaks of how highly Antonio Conte is seen in Italian football.
Napoli in Attack
Conte already knew when he joined Napoli that he would have a wealth of stellar attacking options at his disposal. Bringing in Lukaku was, as far as the Italian manager was concerned, just icing on the proverbial cake.
Napoli line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation that allows the team to press, block out counterattacks and make the best of the technical ability of players like Kvicha Kavaratskhelia and and Matteo Politano. The two attacking midfielders are great at taking long-range shots and providing through balls.
This means that if defenders opt to mark Lukaku and refuse to be drawn out of position by Kavaratskhelia and Politano, they will try to shoot from range, or will make space for one of the two wide midfielders, Leonardo Spinazzola or Pasquale Mazzocchi. to cross onto the advanced forward, or create a cut back.
Napoli likes to build up from the back and to do it quickly. Technique and tactical awareness are essential in achieving this. Players move on the pitch in order to stay linked with one another and create diamond shapes that allow the player on the ball at least three options of where to deliver the ball with a short pass.
Ideally, Napoli gets into the final third with just three passes. Typically, one of the central defenders, perhaps Rrahmani or Di Lorenzo (who moved more centrally than last season), will advance with the ball and pass to the wing-back. The wing-back will then play a one-two with the defender or their nearest defensive midfielder.
Di Lorenzo is currently a 5* rated played in FootballCoin. the highest rating that a card can receive. This means that once he retires, Di Lorenzo’s card can still be used as an Assistant Manager and receive automatic points.
They will then get the ball to the inside forward, which has moved more centrally. As previously discussed, the inside forwards have the technical ability to contribute to a goal-scoring opportunity.
Lukaku, Conte’s Secret Weapon?
So, why was Lukaku such an important part of Conte’s plan? Why did the manager make his former pupil the priority of this Summer’s transfer window?
At his best, Lukaku is one of the best poachers in the world. He may not be as versatile or quick as Osimhen. However, when fit and confident, there are few strikers who are better at finishing than Lukaku.
Furthermore, the Belgium striker knows how to get involved in the team’s passing game, how to play with the back to the goal when needed, and how to remain patient while waiting for his opportunities. Conte has taken a chance on Lukaku, and the player is looking to repay his confidence in him.
SSC Napoli in Defense
There were talks before the season began of Conte moving away from his three-man defence style and into a more classic four-man defence setup. This has not been the case.
Instead, Conte has changed the roles of some players and worked to accommodate their strengths. The biggest change was the use of Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Napoli’s captain and Italy’s starting right-back, as a central defender. Di Lorenzo‘s incredible eye for a pass has made this transition largely successful.
But Napoli aims to press from the front. The team compresses in order not to allow opposition players to move between the lines. The use of the two defensive midfielders, the highly experienced and dependable Stanislav Lobotka and Frank Anguissa, is proving invaluable. Both have a tackling success rate of 80% at the chance of writing and the confidence to help maintain the team’s defensive shape.
Another player who has been excellent in terms of tackling and creating pressure on the opposition has been Kavaratskhelia. The Georgian, known for his excellent technique, has no trouble diving into tackles and, even, improving his working rate to compensate for his teammates.
Conte has retained only players in his squad that he feels he can still mould to his liking. This is perhaps why defenders like Natan and Cajuste were swiftly moved on. Instead, Alessandro Buongiorno was brought in for a hefty price. However, the former Torino defender brought with him great reliability. There are few better defenders when it comes to making the right tackle or positioning themselves to make an interception.
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What’s Next for Antonio Conte and Napoli?
The 2024/2025 season did not start out swimmingly as Antonio Conte and the Partenopei fans would have wanted or expected. Napoli was humbled by a 3-0 defeat to Verona in the very first week of Serie A.
However, past experiences show that Conte’s teams reach their peak after a while of working under the tactician’s guidance. Napoli secured an impressive 4-0 victory away from Cagliari, and confidence is once again high.
Although Napoli won the Scudetto just two years ago, this will be a big project, a huge undertaking. If nothing conspires against Conte’s harmony in the dressing room, there is no reason why Napoli shouldn’t become a title contender again in the immediate future.
Conte has a very clear vision of what he wants his version of Napoli to look like. His transfer policy and tactics prove this. Besides, there aren’t many instances in which he received the freedom he wanted from the club’s board and failed to deliver. It will not be instant, but Napoli’s rebirth seems almost guaranteed.
