The time for friendlies is over. For Antonio Conte's Napoli the official season begins tomorrow.
At the 'Maradona' the Azzurri face Modena in the thirty-second finals of the Coppa Italia. A commitment that the team finds itself facing in this period, after many years in which it had made its entrance into the second national competition only starting from the month of January.
This is a negative legacy of the poor championship, which ended in tenth place, a circumstance that forces the Neapolitans to start from the beginning to make their way and reach the challenges with more titled opponents. The season therefore begins, but at the headquarters of the Napoli retreat that ended this afternoon, the sign 'work in progress' still stands out.
The market is at a standstill, there is no news. For De Laurentiis' company, to tell the truth, this is nothing new.
Purchases and sales have never been particularly timely and fans are used to watching the very last stages of the transfer market with bated breath in the hope that good news will arrive. There is no news regarding the sale of Osimhen and there is no news regarding the purchases of the cards of Lukaku, the Scottish midfielder Gilmour of Brighton and even less of Brescianini of Frosinone.
Every day we hear about negotiations being finalized but then nothing is done. The same goes for the transfers that will have to be numerous (Mario Rui, Juan Jesus, Cajuste, Gaetano, Folorunsho, Ngonge and Simeone) and that the sporting director Manna is struggling to conclude.
In these conditions, Antonio Conte makes do with what the convent gives him. The formation he will field against Modena is practically a given.
In front of Meret will play the three of the defense, Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani and Buongiorno, the four of midfield, Mazzocchi, Lobotka, Anguissa and Spinazzola, the two under-forwards Politano and Kvaratskelia, with Raspadori as an advanced striker. Osimhen will watch the match from the stands waiting for some news from France.
PSG, apparently, has no intention of increasing the offer which would have reached 80 million. De Laurentiis is asking for at least one hundred and is not willing to take a step back.
In short, Napoli is full of problems, the team is unfinished, there are many long faces around, but tomorrow things start to get serious. It is no coincidence that captain Di Lorenzo, after the stomach aches that characterized the first part of the summer, sounds the charge today on his Instagram profile, addressing the fans. "Tomorrow we start - he writes - we are waiting for you at Maradona'.
Article published on 9 August 2024 - 19:54
