Noa Lang opens up on ‘great’ Conte and intense workload at Napoli

Noa Lang Signs for Napoli (Photo: SSC Napoli)

New Napoli signing Noa Lang says adapting to Serie A ‘won’t be a problem’ and that he enjoys ‘stepping out of his comfort zone’ as he reflects on the hard work and intensity required by head coach Antonio Conte.

Speaking to Radio CRC, via TMW, Lang also revealed his desire for ‘everyone to enjoy themselves when I have the ball’ as he sent a rallying cry to his teammates and fans ahead of the upcoming Serie A campaign.

‘Conte is great’ – Noa Lang

Napoli have had a strong summer transfer window so far, adding Lang to the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Lorenzo Lucca. Many of the players who have joined the club have made no secret of the fact that coach Antonio Conte played a huge part in their decisions to join, with Lang no different.

The Dutchman admitted “working with Conte is great, I like stepping out of my comfort zone – in the Netherlands, the intensity was lower.” He continued, “I think this kind of work is exactly what you need to become a better, more complete and stronger player.”

Lang joined the Neapolitan club from Dutch side PSV and in the 24-25 Eredivisie campaign, the winger scored eleven goals and assisted ten in 29 appearances. He also made 10 appearances for PSV in the Coppa Campioni last season, scoring two and assisting a further two, including an assist in the first knock-out round when the Dutch club came back from a 2-1 first-leg defeat to knock out Juventus.

Arezzo a pre-season hurdle for Napoli as Lang concedes penalty

Noa Lang revealed that he is still recovering fitness ahead of the new season, “I’m a bit tired, but that’s normal for pre-season. I think training is going really well, I’m adapting: I can’t wait for the season to start.”

In their first pre-season friendly of the new campaign, Napoli succumbed to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Serie C side Arezzo. Lang played the first half of the match, conceding the penalty which gave Arezzo the lead heading into half-time.

“I think it was important for us to get some minutes in our legs after a tough week of training,” the Dutchman confessed, “We created lots of chances, we just didn’t score – but it was the first time we all played together, so it’s fine for now.”

When asked about conceding the penalty, Lang admitted “That’s what happens when a winger defends! It can happen. I want everyone to enjoy themselves when I have the ball, to make the games easier for my teammates. I want to create lots of chances and to make it fun to watch me, and the team, play. That’s my goal.”