Conte: ‘This Supercoppa is even more important now’ as Napoli face Bologna

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – DECEMBER 18: Antonio Conte, Head Coach of SSC Napoli, looks on prior to the Supercoppa Italiana Semi-Final match between SSC Napoli and AC Milan at King Saud University Stadium on December 18, 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

Napoli head coach Antonio Conte believes the revamped Supercoppa Italiana format has raised the stakes even higher, as his side prepare to face Bologna in the final.

Speaking to Sport Mediaset on the eve of the match, with quotes via TuttoMercatoWeb, Conte underlined that trophies must ultimately be decided on the pitch, while welcoming the added difficulty of the new structure. “The pitch is what has to deliver the verdict,” he said.

“Before, the Supercoppa was played between the league winners and the Coppa Italia winners. The new format is intriguing, but it makes everything more difficult because there’s a semi-final before the final. This trophy, as it’s designed now, becomes even more important.”

Conte also reflected on the demands of preparing a final, comparing his experiences as both a player and a coach. “You have to prepare the match, through video analysis and training on the pitch,” he explained. “As a player, it was about putting your quality at the service of the idea. As a coach, you definitely carry more responsibility.”

Conte firm on Napoli vision ahead of Supercoppa clash with Bologna

Addressing Napoli’s broader ambitions, Conte reiterated the vision he outlined when he first arrived.

“On the day of my presentation, I said it was right for a place like Naples to have a team capable of fighting every year, being competitive, causing problems and challenging for trophies,” he said. “We’re trying to do that. Last season we accelerated the process in a sudden and, for me, unexpected way, because we won the Scudetto.”

This season, however, is about sustainability. “Now we’re continuing our journey across the league and the cups, trying to build foundations that can last for a long time,” Conte added.

With penalties a possible factor, Conte explained how decisions are made. “You have to understand who strikes them best in training. You need to make the right choice, sometimes together with the player. It can also happen that someone takes them well in training, then the pressure in the match becomes very high.”

Finally, Conte offered a broader reflection on finals themselves. “First of all, you have to reach them, and that’s already very difficult,” he said.

“I always tell my players that at the end of their careers, people look at what they’ve won, regardless of the team they played for. You have to think there won’t be another chance.” Drawing on experience, he concluded: “I’ve won a lot, but I’ve also lost many finals. Those defeats gave me an inner edge that many people don’t understand.”