Antonio Conte has made an apology after Napoli were defeated 2-0 by Manchester City in the Champions League on Thursday night.
The Italian champions had ambitions to cause an upset at the Etihad Stadium, with Conte even using Kevin De Bruyne to get some inside information on Pep Guardiola’s current team.
However, any plans the former Chelsea coach had went out the window when his captain, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, was sent off after 21 minutes for fouling Erling Haaland.
This left Napoli in survival mode for the rest of the contest, and Conte has now issued an apology to several people after a decision he made at the Etihad Stadium.
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Antonio Conte apologises for taking Kevin De Bruyne off
Following Di Lorenzo’s red card, Conte needed to bring on another defender, and the Italian coach made the controversial decision to take Kevin De Bruyne off on his Man City return.
Robert Earnshaw was left stunned when De Bruyne was taken off and even accused Conte of playing for a draw for the remainder of the tie against Man City.
The Napoli boss was aware of the situation and even issued an apology to everyone for his decision after the full-time whistle.
“Sometimes fate is mocking. Last year we suffered only one expulsion, and this year it came today,” Conte said via Tuttosport.
“It was the only thing I could do, I was sorry to do it, because I took away the satisfaction of playing in his former stadium against his former club”.
It was a sad end to one of the biggest stories before the match, and Conte’s decision to end De Bruyne’s night early had many people talking after the game.
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Rasmus Hojlund comments on Kevin De Bruyne’s substitution
Following Napoli’s defeat to Man City, Rasmus Hojlund also commented on De Bruyne being substituted, with the striker stating the Belgian clearly wanted to continue playing, but the squad need to respect Conte’s decisions.
“Today was tough. Playing against Manchester City is already difficult with equal numbers, but with ten men, it’s even more complicated,” Hojlund said via Tuttosport.
“De Bruyne’s substitution? He clearly wanted to play, but the coach makes his decisions, and we have to respect his decisions.”
With Erling Haaland and Phil Foden in top form against Napoli, leaving De Bruyne on the pitch might not have made a difference for Napoli. However, the Belgian superstar is the Italian champions’ biggest creative force, which is certainly something they lacked when down to 10 men.
