Kevin De Bruyne has opened up on his struggles at Napoli under Antonio Conte, with the Belgian midfielder admitting he was happy to see the Italian coach leave the Serie A side
Kevin De Bruyne has candidly confessed that he’s relieved to witness Antonio Conte’s departure from Napoli following a challenging maiden season in Italy. De Bruyne moved to Napoli last summer after concluding his decade-long stint at Manchester City, but the 2025/26 campaign failed to meet expectations.
The Belgian playmaker managed only 21 outings in all competitions for Napoli, with a hamstring problem proving a major setback. And when he was available, the 34 year old found Conte’s cautious approach restrictive.
Conte is renowned for his structured, defence-oriented philosophy and while it proved successful in his debut season as Napoli claimed the Serie A crown, it failed to deliver the desired results in the second term.
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The side finished runners-up, trailing champions Inter Milan by 11 points and crashed out of the Champions League group stage, prompting Conte to step down.
The former Chelsea and Spurs manager announced his exit at the campaign’s conclusion, and speaking to Belgian publication Het Nieuwsblad, De Bruyne pulled no punches, reports the Mirror.
“I actually thought it was pretty good at the beginning, and even when I came back, it was at a pretty good level,” he said. “It was difficult for me, of course, because Conte has a very different vision of football than I do; we shouldn’t beat around the bush about that.” He added: “I was never really able to play in my position. It is what it is. I always gave my all. I played quite a lot, even after my injury, so for me, everything is actually fine.
“We play very defensively. If you score one goal every match in a 5-4-1 (formation)…. That’s not so great. At the start of the year, we also play really, really deep. Our top scorer has 10 goals, so yeah, you know the stats aren’t there, but in terms of level and football, I thought it was pretty okay.
“Am I happy that Conte is leaving? For me, yes. As far as I’m concerned, he didn’t have to stay.”
Rasmus Hojlund bagged 12 goals following his switch from Manchester United, while former United midfielder Scott McTominay maintained his excellent form by hitting the back of the net on 10 occasions. De Bruyne, meanwhile, notched five goals and four assists.
“It’s been an honour, really special to coach Napoli. It’s been two great seasons, an exceptional experience,” Conte said when announcing his departure. “It was my decision, I told the chairman a few weeks ago. Napoli will always be home.”
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