During the press conference held in the Dimaro theatre, home of Napoli's retreat, coach Antonio Conte took stock of the team's situation after a particularly disappointing season. "It's inevitable that the residue from last season hasn't completely disappeared.", declared Conte.
"Let's not forget that it was a peculiar season, very disappointing. I tried to put it behind me with the boys, let's try to focus on the rebuilding that awaits us, but I also told the boys not to forget that experience.
It's right to put what happened in the past in a drawer, but we must be ready to take it out in the event that there are difficulties to refresh our memories."
"At this stage, the hardest thing was to realign the whole situation and put Napoli back at the center of everything. We did it, and it's thanks to everyone, the club and the players.
When you win, all the dynamics change. There are great honors for everyone, but at the same time, there are burdens. You have to try to handle the year after the victory with care because it's not easy.", he continued.
Conte: "Our objective is the Champions League, but the gap is still difficult to bridge."
"At the same time, it's also difficult to manage disappointment. There was a moment when there was so much negativity throughout the city. The president was the first; I saw him deeply disappointed by what happened.
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When there's so much disappointment, sometimes you think everything is wrong, but there are values that can't be lost in a year, which is why the realignment work played a crucial role. There was a risk of everything being destroyed due to a strong disappointment, let's try to be balanced, there are things of value that must be maintained."
The coach then analysed the significant gap from the main competitors in Serie A: "This gap is difficult to close in two days: 41 points behind Inter, 22 behind Milan, 18 behind Juve and 15 behind the famous zone Champions.
This is the reality of the facts, when making predictions you also have to be reasonable, otherwise you risk falling into something that is not truthful".
Conte said he did not fear external pressure: "I'm not afraid of predictions. If someone wants to put pressure on me or the team, it's not a problem, I'll gladly accept it. We need to keep things short and let others do the talking." The coach clarified what the realistic objectives are for the new season: "We know we've had an absurd, unjustifiable year. We have a duty to improve and return to the cups, possibly through the front door (the Champions League, ed.).
This must be our realistic goal. If I were to make a different argument today, someone would have to lock me up."
EDITORIAL TEAM
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