Conte Rebukes Spalletti Over Napoli ‘Former Champions’ Remark Following Juventus Defeat

Key Takeaways:

• On Sunday evening, Napoli suffered a 3-0 defeat to Juventus at the Allianz Stadium
• Juventus head coach Luciano Spalletti referred to Napoli as “former champions of Italy” in his post-match press conference
• Antonio Conte criticised Spalletti’s comments, emphasising respect for Napoli’s Scudetto status ahead of their Champions League fixture against Chelsea

Spalletti Labels Napoli ‘Former Champions’

Napoli endured a challenging evening on Sunday as they were defeated 3-0 by Juventus at the Allianz Stadium, compounding what has been a difficult period for Antonio Conte’s side. With only one win in their last six matches across all competitions, Napoli’s form at the start of 2026 has fallen short of expectations.

During his post-match press conference, Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti made reference to Napoli as the “former champions of Italy”, stating that “winning against the former champions of Italy gives you more certainty that you are becoming a strong team.”

😱 La replica di Antonio #Conte a Luciano #Spalletti all vigilia di #NapoliChelsea

👉🏻 “Ci ha definito ex campioni d’Italia? Se ha detto una cosa del genere è stata una frase infelice, noi abbiamo ancora lo Scudetto sul petto e bisogna portare rispetto” #Calcionews24 pic.twitter.com/dN1X3dHNV6

— CalcioNews24.com (@CalcioNews24) January 27, 2026

Conte Responds to Spalletti’s Statement

Antonio Conte, speaking before Napoli’s upcoming Champions League tie against Chelsea, was questioned about Spalletti’s choice of words in describing his side as “former champions”. He responded:

“I’d like to take a break after that game, especially when you have three in quick succession. I don’t understand what he said. Former champions? If he said something like that, it wasn’t a great sentence, it was an unfortunate phrase.

“We still wear the Scudetto on our chest and that deserves respect. I would have never allowed myself to say something like that to another team. I’m sorry because Luciano Spalletti is a great coach, but he has to be a little more careful when he speaks.

“He can’t say that there are still 16 games left – he’s already taken the Scudetto off us! I’m sorry because we’ve done so much to earn it and we deserve respect. Good luck to him.”

Current Form and Upcoming Challenges

Napoli’s recent slump has seen them register just a single victory in six outings, placing additional scrutiny on Conte as the side prepares for a crucial Champions League encounter against Chelsea. The exchange between Conte and Spalletti highlights the competitive tension at the top of Serie A, especially as Napoli strive to defend their Scudetto with sixteen league matches still to play.