Antonio Conte finds himself in a Serie A title race for the second season running, and he’s keeping himself fresh by copying the breaks he had at Tottenham Hotspur.
Napoli won the Scudetto last season but 2025/26 presents a different challenge due to their presence in the Champions League.
The Italian has made it clear that his spell at Tottenham is now helping him indirectly, and it used it to convince Napoli to let him have the occasional breather.
Conte took a week off during the international break. This received some attention because it isn’t the norm in Italy, and he spoke about it after Napoli’s 1-0 win over Roma on Sunday.
He told the press – relayed by Corriere dello Sport: “With Tottenham, they gave me the right to a week off. I didn’t even ask for it. In agreement with the club, considering that there are four months of constant play, we made this decision.”
Manager believes the occasional break works for everyone
Conte said that he will take a small break whenever he can.
“I’ll take it again: playing every three days, getting some fresh air is a positive thing. For me, for my family, and for those who remain in Castel Volturno.”
Since the international break, Napoli have won all three games. Before that, they had been winless for three matches.
The approach is still pretty fresh in Italy and it will take time for the media to get used to it. For Conte, it clearly helps and that Tottenham allowed it appears to have convinced Napoli to follow.
