Former England manager Fabio Capello has criticized Kevin De Bruyne’s comments on Antonio Conte’s departure from Napoli.
Conte left the former Serie A champions after only two years, despite having one year left on his deal at the club following the end of the 2025-26 season.
The Italian and De Bruyne had several misunderstandings during the course of the season and the Belgian playmaker told reporters he was glad about the change in the dugout at the club earlier in the week, after claiming he struggled to fit into the system.
“For me, yes, [I am happy Conte left]. As far as I am concerned, he was not obliged to stay. There were promises made last summer on the way that we would be playing, but at the end of the day, not much of it happened”, the Belgian had said earlier in the week.
“I found that a pity. Football needs to be enjoyable, and unfortunately, I found that aspect lacking. There’s no point beating around the bush; we have different visions of football. I never got to play in my position under Conte.”
Reacting to those comments, Capello came to the defence of Conte and criticized De Bruyne for his comments on the situation.
“People always blame others; they need to take a good look in the mirror”, Capello said.
“Did he really join a team expecting them to change their entire playing system just for him?
“I think Conte had the best interests of the team in mind with his tactical choices.
“I respect De Bruyne a lot, but he should have examined his own conscience before speaking.”
Meanwhile, Napoli are working on the appointment of a new head coach following Conte’s departure and have been working on appointing former AC Milan and Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri.
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