Work, work, work is Conte's mantra at Napoli, win or lose

Napoli lost their place at the top of the Serie A standings last weekend, and manager Antonio Conte said on Friday that he wants the same reaction from his side as when they win.

A 1-0 defeat on Sunday to Lazio, who also knocked Conte's side out of the Coppa Italia three days before, has left Napoli two points off new leaders Atalanta.

Conte was asked what those two Lazio losses have left behind and how his side will move on after two successive defeats as they prepare to face Udinese away on Saturday.

"Zero points and elimination from the Cup, more than this they cannot leave," Conte told a press conference.

"We start again always in the same way as when you win, by working, working, working. The mentality must continue to grow, the falls must help us reinforce this mentality.

"Tomorrow we will see, after a crash what answer we will have."

Conte will have to do without winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, with the Georgian facing some time on the sidelines after suffering a knee sprain, but the manager was giving little away about his formation.

"Tomorrow you'll see, I haven't decided who will take to the pitch yet," Conte said.

"Tomorrow you will see the choices and what kind of contribution everyone will make. We still have a training session tomorrow morning at the hotel.

"We are trying different formations, this week we have tried many and then we will see which one will be the best for this team."

Udinese began the season brightly, with three wins in their opening four games putting them top of the standings, but they have since collected just three wins in 11 and have slipped down to ninth place.

They did get their first win in six in their most recent game at Monza, and Conte won't be taking Udinese lightly, a side managed by German Kosta Runjaic in his first season in Italian football.

"They started very strong, then they slowed down, but they won the last game," Conte said.

"They are very strong physically, for years they have made these choices, they go for very physical, fast, resistant players, they are a very good team.

"The coach is in his first year here but he is doing well, we will need respect and we will have to be in the best of our condition."