Despite Winning, Napoli Still Face Misery

NAPLES, SUNDAY — Napoli ended a three-match winless streak across all competitions by defeating Atalanta 3-1 on Sunday (23/11/2025 WIB) at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples. However, this first victory in November came at a cost, as two key players of coach Antonio Conte suffered injuries.

Two players who had to be substituted due to injuries are center-back Amir Rrahmani and forward Rasmus Hojlund. Rrahmani was substituted in the 64th minute, while Hojlund had to end his impressive contribution in the 74th minute. Hojlund appeared to be suffering from pain in the hamstring of his left leg.

The disaster that occurred during the 10 minutes in the middle of the second half was a significant loss for Napoli. This is because Napoli is facing a period of extremely busy matches at the beginning of the winter season.

They will play matches every three days until Christmas Day, December 25. Starting with hosting Qarabag in the Champions League on November 26, the Little Donkey will face fellow top-tier competitors in the Italian League, AS Roma, as part of the opening matches in December.

After that, Cagliari in the Coppa Italia, then Juventus and Udinese in the Italian League, Benfica in the Champions League, and AC Milan in the Italian Super Cup will be the opponents faced by Napoli.

Without Rrahmani and Hojlund, the path for Napoli will certainly become more arduous. Conte's ambitions for his team before the New Year break in 2026 are quite clear. He wants to lead Napoli to maintain competition at the top, advance to the knockout phase of the Champions League, and make a strong effort to secure the Supercoppa Italiana trophy.

Rrahmani has already played as a key player in six matches for Napoli. Meanwhile, Hojlund, who is on loan from Manchester United, has scored four goals and provided one assist for the Little Donkeys.

The injuries sustained by Rrahmani and Hojlund have returned them to the sidelines. In fact, Rrahmani had just returned to the field after being sidelined during the September-October period due to a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, Hojlund also missed time at the end of October due to a muscle injury.

If Rrahmani and Hojlund have to rest, it will worsen Napoli's player crisis.

Conte has already lost Romelu Lukaku, Billy Gilmour, Kevin De Bruyne, Alex Meret, and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa ahead of the match against Atalanta. However, Conte is reluctant to surrender and does not use the injuries of these key players as an excuse for failing to secure victory in the next game.

"That situation forced me to reflect and make changes to the team's game," Conte said, as reported by Corriere dello Sport.

Ahead of facing Qarabag, Conte reminded the Napoli squad of the importance of recovering their physical condition.

"Qarabag is one of the surprise teams in this season's Champions League. Therefore, we must recover our energy and prepare ourselves for the next challenge," he stated.

Napoli achieved their eighth victory of the season thanks to a hat-trick in the first half. The three goals were contributed by two wingers, namely David Neres and Noa Lang.

We are pleased with the way we achieved this victory. We displayed a high tempo in the first half, then maintained intense pressure after the break.

Neres opened the scoring for Napoli in the 17th minute by capitalizing on an assist from Hojlund. In the 38th minute, Neres added another goal for the Little Donkeys.

Lang secured victory for Napoli with a goal in the final minute of normal time in the first half. It was Lang's first goal after his move from PSV Eindhoven to Napoli during the last summer transfer window.

Atalanta was only able to score a consolation goal in the second half. The goal was scored by striker Gianluca Scamacca in the 52nd minute.

"We are pleased with the way we achieved this victory. We displayed a high tempo in the first half, then maintained intense pressure after the break," said Conte.

Neres was delighted to contribute with a brace, or two goals. The Brazilian had previously been on a goal drought since January.

Neres acknowledged that Conte's tactical change from 3-4-3 to 3-4-2-1 helped him regain his sharpness. In this new formation, Neres and Lang played closer to Hojlund and moved more frequently within the penalty area, rather than operating on the flanks.

"The closer you are to the goal, the easier it is to score. I like playing on either side," said Neres.

Lang, who scored his debut goal, stated that he experienced a difficult early period at Napoli. However, he is determined to always work hard to meet the expectations of Napoli's supporters.

"This goal is just the beginning. The best things for me are yet to come," he said.

Goals from Neres and Lang helped Napoli temporarily take control of the top of the standings with 25 points. The Little Donkey is one point ahead of Inter Milan and AS Roma, who just played their 13th game on Sunday night WIB.

Meanwhile, Napoli tarnished Raffaele Palladino's debut as the new coach of Atalanta. The former Monza coach acknowledged that his team failed to display the performance he expected in the first half.

"(The first half) was disappointing. We conceded Napoli's goals, especially the third, which we should have anticipated better," Palladino told Sky Sport Italia.

Palladino failed to avoid "The Goddess," the nickname for Atalanta, from a record of eight winless games. In fact, in three consecutive matches, Atalanta has always suffered defeat.

Nevertheless, he remains optimistic that Atalanta can soon return to a path of positive results. This refers to their performance in the second half.

"I saw a better second half. We created many opportunities that could have resulted in at least two goals, but Napoli was able to anticipate. That becomes our capital to improve," said Palladino, who was born in Naples. (AFP)