Napoli coach Antonio Conte said that fatigue and lack of energy led to his team’s 2-0 defeat to Benfica.

Napoli’s defeat to Benfica was a result of their own fatigue and lack of energy, according to coach Antonio Conte. The Partenopei fielded the same starting XI that beat Juventus on Sunday, and it showed, as they seemed sluggish and capitulated 2-0 to goals from Richard Rios and Leandro Barreiro.

Conte acknowledged that his team was not sharp from the start, and that Benfica’s aggression and pressing had caught them off guard.

“We weren’t sharp from the very start. Benfica, who had played on Friday compared to us on Sunday after a long run of tough games,” Conte told reporters.

The Napoli coach explained that his team had used up a lot of physical and mental energy in their previous games, and that it was inevitable that they would pay a price. “In those games, we used up a lot of physical and mental energy. I had talked about energy going into this match, because I knew that in the long run we’d pay a price.”

Conte was understanding of his team’s performance, given the circumstances. “It’s understandable. We knew the difficulties of this match, and when they start to pile up with six in a row every three days, you will inevitably pay a price.”

Napoli’s progress in the Champions League is now in huge doubt, with just seven points after six games, and they sit on the edge of the elimination places.

Conte is hoping to get some of his injured players back soon, including Stanislav Lobotka and Miguel Gutierrez.

The injury crisis is immense, with several key players missing, including Kevin De Bruyne, Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa, and Romelu Lukaku. Conte is proud of his team’s effort, but acknowledged that they were lacking sharpness and quality.

“We still don’t know when Lukaku could get into training with the team, he hasn’t done that yet,” Conte concluded.

The Napoli coach knows that his team has to regroup and prepare for their next game, but it’s clear that they are facing a tough road ahead.