Conte focused on Verona amid Napoli criticism
Antonio Conte redirected focus from the transfer market to Napoli's first home game of the season as it aims to get its campaign back on track.
Conte, who took charge of Gli Azzurri in June, watched on as his side lost 3-0 to Hellas Verona last week, prompting questions about the club's ambitions in the market.
The club has made four signings so far, with its most recent addition David Neres joining from Benfica in a £23.8 million ($46.3 million) deal this week.
Napoli is also in talks to sign Chelsea's Romelu Lukaku, with striker Victor Osimhen reportedly going the other way.
However, Conte was in no mood to talk about potential incomings ahead of facing Bologna this weekend, saying: "Let's redirect the press conference immediately.
"Last week we had a press conference where we spoke only about the transfer market.
"I received zero questions about Verona, or maybe one. There was no talk of football, and then what happened, happened.
"Regarding the market you need to ask the club, but I see you are quite informed because I also read about it through you.
"Let's focus everything around the game, it's more important for me."
Napoli is aiming to improve on its 10th place finish in Serie A last season, having won the Scudetto the previous year under Luciano Spalletti.
But its wastefulness in front of goal proved costly against Verona, with only four of its 14 shots on target at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi.
During the 2023-2024 campaign, Napoli scored 55 goals, 34 fewer than champion Inter Milan and 22 less than it managed during the title-winning season.
Conte had previously mentioned the need for reconstruction at the club, with Napoli's defeat against Verona underlining its areas for improvement.
"Maybe it was good that this blow came immediately, it brought us back to reality, me, the club and fans, the players perhaps," Conte said.
"What makes me happy is to have perceived that the players understood what happened, I saw in them great motivation to start again and get out of these difficulties.
"When things go well, everyone is good. In difficulties, you see real men. We can also lose, but not in that way."
Napoli's defeat in its first Serie A match of the season was its first season-opening loss since the 2015-2016 campaign, and only once in the three points for a win era has it registered two losses in its first two league games – 2000-2001 under Zdenek Zeman.
Conte faces a difficult task to get the first points on the board, with Bologna, which qualified for the UEFA Champions League for this season, the visitor to Naples.
But the 55-year-old Italian was keen to put his side's opening day humbling behind him and focus on putting things right on home soil.
"I understand the difficulties, the second half in Verona can leave an aftermath, but we don't have time, not on the pitch and not in the stands," he said.
"There is an important game, three points, and all of us have to send a signal."
