The Azzurri meet Atalanta on Saturday in a major top of the table showdown, but Conte's presser was dominated by Kvara's departure.
Is the match or the farewell of the most important player more sensational?
"We have made 47 points with great work, now we focus on Kvara, but if we objectively analyze this team compared to last year it is without 3 players, Osimhen, Kvara and Zielinski, 4 with Kim compared to the Scudetto. It is objective, then everyone can have their say and say it is stronger, it comes out strengthened, weakened, it needs this or that, but I also think of Mario Rui who played in the year of the Scudetto.
"Even Elmas, yes. They say there is the backbone, but now it is another Napoli. With the departure of Kvara it is different from the one of the Scudetto and last year it did not have a good championship. We must continue to work because we know that the work has brought us there for a long time, perhaps we were the team that was in the lead the most times, credit must be given to the work, to the boys, at the same time we must not forget that it is another Napoli compared to two years ago, now even more so without another key player and we face the remaining 18 games."
With Neres 11 goals in 5 games, is he the post-Kvara or are you expecting something from the club?
"You have to ask the club, the director, I repeat that I came here to try to help Napoli in a difficult moment. I married this club, this situation, I had the pleasure of living an experience in a city like Naples, with all this passion. We try to do things in the best way, we know what our limits are compared to other clubs, but I always say that we have to be ambitious otherwise there wouldn't be that desire, determination, to work and try to be among the top in the championship.
"Head down and pedal, whatever happens, some things we can direct, others not and we don't waste energy, I have to give it all to the team. Today I have to be focused on the team, we are doing something beautiful and I have to protect it, these guys deserve it."
After the first meeting you said Atalanta is 'now stronger than us'. In 2 months 7 wins out of 9 and +4 in the standings, is there still a gap?
"You look at our statistics, but they have won 11... they were strong and have remained strong, they are aware of being strong because they won the Europa League, beating the German champions. It has been for a long time, but when you win you acquire that awareness that you can compete with anyone.
"They also showed it against Real, even if they lost the match, but it was wide open. Having said that, we must focus on ourselves, not on them, we have grown since the last match against them and we must continue in the process. I don't know how it will end, but we also need these away games against strong teams to measure ourselves, to understand how much is missing, how much work there is to do to get closer and hope to win one day."
Kvara was iconic, can you generate a further reaction from the team?
"I said that January was special, it's called the transfer market, so one-two, whoever leaves, whoever comes in... today we are halfway through the month and 4 players have already left, Caprile, Folorunsho, Zerbin yesterday and Kvara, due to locker room dynamics, human dynamics, relationships are also created between them, it's inevitable that such strong shocks can create small imbalances.
"Having said that, we will have to be good at maintaining the unity created up until January 1st. I have always said that the points we have made are the result of 24 players, not 11 who played. We will also have to be good with the new ones, and I must say that I am satisfied because they have the spirit, but they must adapt to the new methodology and tactical situations and we will have to recreate that alchemy to also make up for Kvara's absence, but we have never complained, these are football dynamics that have also existed in the past and I hope there will be fewer of them in the future (laughs)."