Capello defends Conte: ‘I understand’ Lukaku substitution

NAPLES, ITALY – JANUARY 25: Antonio Conte Napoli head coach during the Serie A match between Napoli and Juventus at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on January 25, 2025 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

Fabio Capello insists he’s always seen Inter as the ‘favourite’ to win the Serie A title and understands Antonio Conte replacing Romelu Lukaku in Napoli’s 2-1 loss against Como.

Inter leapfrogged Napoli at the top of the Serie A table this past fine settimana, beating Genoa 1-0 at San Siro and seeing Conte’s men suffer a 2-1 away defeat at Como.

Nerazzurri and Partenopei meet in a crucial game for the Serie A title at the Stadio Maradona on Sunday.

“Personally, I have always considered Inzaghi the favourite to win the title because he has the most well-structured team in the league,” Capello told Gazzetta.

“However, against Genoa, Inter confirmed the impressions of recent weeks: they are not particularly sharp, both physically and in terms of gameplay. The team appears slow, predictable in its build-up play, and less aggressive in pressing and ball recovery.

“They struggled quite a bit against the dynamism of the Rossoblù, who even had the possibilità to take the lead with Ekuban shortly before Lautaro scored the winning goal in a scramble from a corner kick. Of course, the Nerazzurri had some mitigating factors: without Çalhanoglu in midfield and Thuram in attack, it’s normal to see a slight drop in performance. However, in Naples, they will need a much better display than what they have shown in recent weeks to deliver another significant blow to their rivals.”

Capello defends Conte: ‘I understand’ Lukaku substitution

Capello shared his view on Inter’s main rivals as well.

“The defeat in Como stings and carries psychological weight,” said the ex-coach.

“Napoli have collected just three points in the last four matches, squandering their lead, even though Inter behind them haven’t exactly been moving at a blistering pace.

“Yet, in the first half at the Sinigaglia, I really liked Napoli. Their high pressing and determination to recover from Rrahmani’s incredible early own goal stood out. Rarely this season have I seen Fabregas’ team struggle so much in their passing game.

“However, in the second half, Napoli completely faded. From an external perspective, it’s hard to understand why, but the drop in intensity was evident. Their legs no longer moved as they did in the first 45 minutes, and Como found the winning goal through Diao, despite Conte’s attempts to revamp his team with substitutions.

“Lukaku’s substitution might seem surprising, as he wasn’t having his best day, but I understand the coach’s decision: Antonio tried to find a solution from the bench when he realized things weren’t going as planned. The problem was that the substitutes weren’t able to contribute much more than those who were taken off.”