Kevin De Bruyne has had an interesting start to life in Naples. Yet, while his first few games have seen him score three goals, a bad reaction to being substituted against Milan on Sunday raised some questions about the Belgian’s relationship with Antonio Conte.
In a flying Napoli performance against Sporting in the Champions League, De Bruyne registered assists for both goals in the 2-1 win, and spoke of the game and of that previous flashpoint with his manager.
“We played a good match and deservedly won. I feel like we’re growing as a team. Personally, I thought my first assist was the best. I tried to create space to play the ball to Hojlund, and then he did the rest. He’s a lot like Haaland as a player. They’re both left-footed and attack space.”
He continued, “I’m playing a bit differently now than I did last season at City, but I think we can rotate well between positions in midfield. It’s a bit tricky sometimes because we don’t have a ‘true’ left winger, which doesn’t always make it easy to find depth, but we’re growing and everyone will find their role.”
“I’ve never had any problems with Conte. I’m a winner and always want to play.”
Conte: “Nothing to criticize about De Bruyne”
Antonio Conte himself, in turn, was full of praise for De Bruyne – the recent argument seems to have been a flash in the pan.
“Compared to our other signings, Kevin has a wealth of experience. He’s played at the highest level. Kevin is a good guy, serious and dedicated. I have nothing to criticize about him.”
“I understand that everyone wants to play, but when I make a substitution, it’s not to make our game worse; quite the opposite. I’m the first one who wants to see aggression and attention at all times.”
