Napoli Injury Crisis Worsens As Bleak Update Given After Sassuolo Win – With Antonio Conte To Blame

Napoli got back to winning ways after beating Sassuolo – but their injury crisis took a turn for the worse.

Three Players Injured In Napoli Victory

Stanislav Lobotka’s first Serie A goal in over three years sealed victory at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

With the suspended Antonio Conte watching on from the stands, the hosts’ pressure in the opening stages paid off in the seventh minute after Lobotka volleyed a rebound high into the net.

While the result kept the Partenopei in third place, it also moved them back level with AC Milan, who are in action against Lecce on Sunday. Leaders Inter Milan are six points clear at the top after beating Udinese 1-0.

Napoli looked to be running on fumes during the second half, having seen their squad depleted by a string of fitness setbacks. Brutally, three more followed on Saturday night.

Eljif Elmas was the first to limp off in the 56th minute, having suddenly collapsed to the floor holding his head. According to Sky Sport, the midfielder had experienced severe dizziness, leading to a change being made.

Then, Amir Rrahmani was also withdrawn. He dropped to his haunches on 66 minutes while clutching his left thigh, and it has since been suggested that he picked up an adductor issue.

Matteo Politano was brought on to replace Elmas but sustained a knock of his own deep inside stoppage time.

In the 91st minute, he pulled the trigger before seemingly straining a muscle in his right thigh. He requested medical attention and received treatment, but was forced to play on with Napoli out of substitutions.

After the final whistle, he went to ground again in scenes that will deeply concern Conte.

Rrahmani and Politano will undergo scans early next week to determine the extent of their respective injuries. Calciomercato, though, believe that the latter is at risk of missing out against Inter Milan and Juventus.

Antonio Conte To Blame For Napoli Injury Woes

Conte had delivered a downbeat interview with DAZN pre-match, insisting he did not know when his injured absentees – including Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne – would return.

“Ask the medical staff,” was his simple response.

As reported by FootItalia, Lukaku could be sold after his representatives offered him to Fenerbahce. De Bruyne’s future in Naples is equally unclear, and the club are open to offloading him.

However, according to journalist Guido Olivares, the head coach must take some of the blame for the crisis.

“Athletic preparation is handled by Conte’s staff, not the doctors,” he wrote for Napoli Network. “The athletic preparation didn’t work, that’s obvious.

“The nerves are understandable, but it must be admitted that more than a few things didn’t work.”

Napoli Urged To Buy Players

Speaking to the media post-match, Conte’s assistant Cristian Stellini begged the club to splash the cash on new signings this month, labelling the situation “difficult”.

“We don’t have many players, so we need to discuss this with the club, certainly,” he said. “We probably need new players straight away.”

Stellini then added: “We need players, the coach and the club will evaluate it. There is anxiety because there are so many matches. It’s a matter purely of numbers, not of choices to be made. Something has to be done.

“It is planned. We know the January transfer window isn’t easy to work in, but there are some interventions that have to be made.”