Conte Vows to Fight 'Tooth and Nail' as Napoli's Title Bid Stalls

Napoli's Serie A title hopes suffered a setback as they were held to a 0-0 draw by relegation-threatened Venezia, with manager Antonio Conte lamenting his team's lack of clinical finishing and vowing to fight 'tooth and nail' until the end of the season.

Napoli manager Antonio Conte lamented his team's lack of clinical finishing after they were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw at relegation-threatened Venezia in Serie A on Saturday. Despite the disappointing result, Conte expressed satisfaction with his side's overall performance.

The draw has left Napoli in second place, tied with leaders Inter Milan on 61 points from 29 matches, and three points ahead of third-placed Atalanta. With Atalanta and Inter Milan set to face each other later on Sunday, Napoli's position in the standings could be impacted further, adding to the intrigue in the Serie A title race.

Napoli's inability to convert their chances proved costly, as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Venezia. Despite having 15 shots, Napoli's efforts were thwarted by Venezia's resolute defense and the impressive goalkeeping of Ionut Radu, who made seven saves to earn his team a valuable point.

Venezia even had a chance to snatch a late winner in added time, but they were unable to capitalize on a sweeping counter-attack. Napoli manager Antonio Conte expressed mixed emotions about the result, stating, “I am satisfied with the performance, then we wanted to win it. The positive aspect is that we created a lot, the negative is that we didn't convert them.”

⏹️ Full time: #VeneziaNapoli 0-0

💙 #ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/9VMX8OFQxw

— Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) March 16, 2025

Conte was particularly disappointed with his team's defensive lapse in the final moments of the game, saying, “The thing that bothered me was the six versus two counter-attack at the end - that must never happen. We switched off our brains at that moment and it must never happen.” Despite the setback, Conte remains optimistic about his team's chances, adding, “We had to be more incisive, the one who scores goals wins. There are nine games to go, we'll try to be a nuisance until the end, fighting tooth and nail.”

The international break has arrived at a opportune time for Napoli, whose exhausted squad will have a chance to rest and recharge. Conte noted, “We only have half a team left. We'll use the break to continue working, perhaps organising a few friendlies for those who arrived in January so they can get into better context and condition.” The break will also provide an opportunity for winger David Neres to complete his recovery, and Conte hopes that his players who are called up to their national teams will return unscathed.

Regarding the injury sustained by defender Amir Rrahmani, who was substituted in the 77th minute, Conte downplayed the severity of the issue, saying, “He told me he was tired, we'll evaluate. It could be a contracture.”