Happy Conte makes Napoli dream again after victory in Milan | Series A

After Napoli took the lead, he joyfully handed the ball over to the hosts, striking a pose familiar to anyone who has seen Conte's teams: deep and compact, but ready to unfurl like a feather.

The fatal blow shortly before half-time was an act of individual brilliance: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia cut across the penalty area from the left and shot past the goalkeeper from 20 meters. A film we've seen before, but no less breathtaking.

Milan never recovered. There was a moment early in the second half when Álvaro Morata headed Samuel Chukwueze's vicious inswinger past Alex Meret and San Siro rocked to blaring electronics. But after a long silent review, it was confirmed that the Spaniard had been narrowly offside.

It takes two teams to make a football match, and this game highlighted Milan's weaknesses as much as Napoli's strengths. The Rossoneri are struggling to find their identity under new coach Paulo Fonseca and his decision to omit Rafael Leão from the starting line-up for the second consecutive season will only fuel speculation of a rift. Christian Pulisic, Milan's standout player this season, also missed the first hour as he recovered from a gastrointestinal infection.

But Napoli can only beat the opponents in front of them. They did it with astonishing consistency. Since opening their season with a shock 3-0 defeat to Verona, they have won eight of nine games – a sequence only interrupted by a goalless draw at Juventus. The Partenopei have already kept seven clean sheets in Serie A – as many as in the entire 2023/24 season.

Their absence from European competition was an advantage as Conte had more time to work on the training ground with players who arrived late in the transfer window. The club's failure to find a buyer for Victor Osimhen threatened to derail all of Conte's plans, but deals for Lukaku, Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour were finalized in the last week of August.

Everyone made a difference. Lukaku's goal on Tuesday was his fourth goal of the season. McTominay was Napoli's wild card, allowing the coach to deploy a hybrid 4-3-3/4-2-4 system while moving forward from midfield and acting as a second center forward. Gilmour is becoming increasingly comfortable in midfield. Conte shouted: “Grandissimo! Great!” as he wrapped the former Brighton player in his arms at full time.

Is completing a Scudetto challenge enough? Realistically, it's too early to tell. But there's a lot to like about this Napoli, from the new signings – including Alessandro Buongiorno at centre-back – to the long-lasting heroes of the 2022-23 title-winning team.

Kvaratskhelia is being asked to retire more than ever under Conte and has often been withdrawn before the 90th minute to save him from exhaustion. But he will also be given the freedom to follow his instincts and move inside with the ball, as he did to such devastating effect on Tuesday. Anguissa appears to have regained the form he showed under Luciano Spalletti, while left-back Mathías Olivera is producing some of his best performances in a Napoli shirt.

When asked if the players believe they can win the league again, Kvaratskhelia answered without hesitation: “Yes. Obviously.” Even Conte didn't shy away from the prospect, saying: “After ten games we can realistically see what we're doing.” It's something incredible that even the craziest among us wouldn't have expected.”

He emphasized that the club's primary goal is still to return to Europe and, ideally, the Champions League. “But we want our fans to dream.”

Above all, it is his presence that inspires her to do so. Conte is the coach who wins everywhere: he led Juventus back to the top after the Calciopoli scandal, Inter to their first Serie A title in more than a decade and Chelsea to triumph in the Premier League in between.

Well, almost everywhere. Conte again defended his record at Tottenham on Tuesday night, stressing that he inherited a team that was ninth in the table and led them to the Champions League, adding: “I can't do miracles.”

Winning the league with Napoli this season might cause some people to question that assertion, in a city where the iconographies of football and religion so regularly merge. But we are ahead of ourselves. Conte and his team will be recalled to San Siro a week on Sunday to face the reigning champions. Your trials have just begun.