Napoli SSC lost for the first time in the 2025-2026 Italian Serie A season after falling 2-1 to AC Milan at the San Siro. Milan bagged the big win despite losing Pervis Estupinian to a red card in the second half.
De Bruyne scored what turned out to be a consolation goal for Napoli in the 60th minute from the penalty spot but was substituted in the 73rd minute.
Following his withdrawal alongside Rasmus Hojlund, De Bruyne was visibly upset prompting many to believe that his anger was directed at Conte for the personnel change.
However, in a post-game interview, Conte shed light on the reasons for the substitutions and went on to fire a warning to De Bruyne.
“I tried to bring in fresh players for one-on- one situations because Milan were closing down a lot. You make substitutions to try and do something good. I think they were the right changes.”
“I hope he-De Bruyne- was upset about the result because if he was upset about something else he’s got the wrong person” Conte said.
Napoli take on Sporting Lisbon in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, October 1.
