Inside Napoli: Conte’s Tactics, Transfer Window and Best Players

So far, so good for Napoli and Antonio Conte.

The union between the firebrand 55-year-old and a side reeling from one of the meekest title defences in Serie A history was never guaranteed to be a fruitful one, but so far the honeymoon period remains intact, with I Partenopei sitting top of the table, 12 games into the season.

Conte’s Juventus roots may have caused suspicion among some supporters, but his record on a silverware level can’t be ignored and the signs are there that he could be capable of landing more on the south coast.

His prospects have been boosted on two fronts. His first slice of good fortune was a deeply trusting and generous Aurelio De Laurentiis, who agreed to his new head coach’s demands during the summer transfer window.

The purse strings were loosened to allow for the arrivals of Scottish duo Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour, as well as much-needed centre-back in the form of Alessandro Buongiorno. Most eye-catching of all perhaps was the reunion with Romelu Lukaku, with the striker handed another Serie A shot.

The second has been a very kind schedule. Unlike each of their rivals for the Scudetto, Napoli don’t have a European campaign to contend with this season. Five of their rivals have a newly-formatted 10-game Champions League group stage to navigate, while Lazio and Fiorentina are also tackling continental action on a Thursday evening.

It is the type of situation in which Conte has flourished before. He took Juventus to an unexpected Scudetto in 2012 as they focused their full efforts on the league without European distraction. It was the same scenario at Chelsea when he lifted the Premier League title in 2017.

There was an inauspicious start, with penalties needed to get past Serie B side Modena in the Coppa Italia and a humbling 3-0 defeat at the hands of Hellas Verona on the opening weekend. But since then the team have hardened, a recent run of 10 unbeaten – which included nine victories – only ended recently by a slick Atalanta side.

That humbling defeat at home against Gian Piero Gasperini’s side was followed up with a credible draw away at Inter, but with the top six separated by just two points, the need to return to winning ways is pressing.

While Conte will be putting the pressure on his side, the message has been more relaxed from higher up. Owner De Laurentiis recently made a point of spelling out why he believed his side aren’t quite ready to challenge for the top prize in Italy, despite their eye-catching start.

Addressing supporters on X, the 75-year-old wrote: “It’s a journey that has just begun and it will take calm and patience to reach the goal, even if we started off very well.

“I have seen too many inappropriate reactions. Rebuilding means laying the foundations for a lasting future in terms of results, as has been the case for 14 years in a row.

“It takes time, patience, work and above all the support and embrace of all of you fans, because Napoli has become not only an important team but also the flag of a city that is experiencing an extraordinary phase of Renaissance.”

Transfers: Conte was allowed to spend big on ‘rebuilding’ a side that had limped to a 10th-placed finish in 2024, with a number of key positions bolstered. Buongirono arrived for €35million from Torino, with the club finally filling the hole left by Kim Min-jae when he departed for Bayern Munich in 2023.

McTominay, Lukaku and Gilmour all arrived from the Premier League, Gli Azzuri paying Manchester United, Chelsea and Brighton €30.5m, €30m and €14m respectively. David Neres was a wildcard addition for €28m from Benfica to add more options on the flank, while Leonardo Spinazzola arrived on a free from Roma and centre-back Rafa Marin joined for €12m from Real Madrid to add depth.

Despite the big name arrivals, the main focus was on the exit door at the Stadio Diego Maradona, with the Victor Osimhen saga dragging out for the entire summer. In the end, the Nigerian ended up joining Galatasaray on loan, with no big club forthcoming with a sizeable offer for a striker who had appeared on top of the world just 12 months earlier.

Elsewhere, Leo Ostigard departed for Rennes, while Piotr Zielinski, Diego Demme and Hubert Idasiak all left for free. Meanwhile Jens Cajuste and Jesper Lindstrom were allowed to move to Ipswich and Everton respectively on a temporary basis.

Best Performers: Napoli’s place at the top of the table has largely been built on defence, with Buongiorno and captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo forming a key part of their solidity. It has also been a season for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to answer some of his critics. The Georgian underwhelmed last term but was voted player of the month in September and has five goals and two assists to his name.

Tactics: Antonio Conte has grown synonymous with 3-5-2 throughout his career, but at Napoli he is trying something a little different. Still intent on demanding absolute devotion to his methods, the 55-year-old started the season with a 4-2-3-1, which still drew upon his desire for a direct attacking game. However, the loss of Stanislav Lobotka in the middle of the park has seen him tweak to a 4-3-3 in the Slovakian’s absence. Now back in the fold, expect to see a return to the previous plan.