Napoli came away from Empoli with all three points on Sunday, but the Serie A leaders struggled against stubborn opponents, and manager Antonio Conte was content to get the win after a disappointing opening 45 minutes.
A second-half penalty by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia earned a 1-0 win, but Napoli could easily have trailed at the break as they failed to get going.
Conte recalled Napoli’s dismal title defence last season and their opening 3-0 defeat at Hellas Verona in his first game in charge after his side became the first to win at Empoli in this campaign.
“In the first half we were spectators, I didn’t see what we had prepared and I saw a lot of nervousness,” Conte told reporters.
“Certainly, what satisfies me is to have seen a reaction in the second half, the first was very negative.
“This is a difficult place to come, I don’t know if it was due to the fact of defending the top spot, but it makes me smile if I think about last year or how we started this season.”
Conte sent on Giovanni Simeone for Romelu Lukaku and replaced Leonardo Spinazzola with Mathias Olivera just before the hour mark, and seconds later, they were awarded the decisive penalty.
“When you work during the week you prepare the game in all phases, we had prepared it defensively with 4-5-1,” Conte said.
“I changed something from a tactical point of view, from a possession point of view. I think it bore fruit, because we saw another game.