Antonio Conte jokes 'even when I play cards with my daughter, I want to win' after Napoli victory over Venezia

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Antonio Conte has reinvigorated Napoli after last season's struggles, and a late Giacomo Raspadori winner gave them a 1-0 victory over Venezia on Sunday. The three points took them into second spot in the league, on the same points as league leaders Atalanta. Speaking after the win, Conte joked that he is so determined to win, that he even wants to beat his daughter when they play cards.

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Napoli manager Antonio Conte joked that "even when I play cards with my daughter, I want to win" after his side’s 1-0 win over Venezia took them joint top.

Atalanta remain top of Serie A on goal difference, but both teams have 41 points going into 2025.

Napoli scored the only goal of the game through substitute Giacomo Raspadori on Sunday, as Conte’s tenure at the former champions has put them on track to rebuild after last season’s disappointment.

Serie A

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Napoli finished 10th in 2024 after winning the Scudetto the previous year and speaking to DAZN, the former Chelsea manager put the success down to his winning mentality.

"Even when I play cards with my daughter, I want to win," he said.

"I would never sign on for minimum goals. Personally, I always aim for the maximum. Finding ourselves on 41 points was very difficult to predict, in my opinion.

"The squad is improving and works, game after game. We need to avoid injuries, the players and the fans are getting a lot of satisfaction."

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Raspadori has started just twice under Conte in Serie A so far this season, but the former Chelsea boss explained that the forward is being converted into a slightly different player.

"We are inventing Raspadori as a choice," Conte explained.

"I'm working on turning him into an attacking midfielder, to add quality during games, which, like today, can certainly be a strategy that works.

"I'm personally happy for Giacomo, he deserves it given the energy and seriousness which he puts into every training session, he is a guy involved in the project."

Romelu Lukaku missed a penalty before Raspadori’s 79th-minute winner, and Conte was frustrated that the three points were such a long time coming.

He continued: "It's a shame we got to the final 10 minutes still on 0-0, but it felt like the game was cursed, between missed penalties and posts.

"I am pleased, because the team is improving, but if we can score a few more goals, then we would all be more relaxed and avoid a few heart attacks in the closing stages."

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Serie A