On the eve of Parma-Napoli, Antonio Conte shows up at the press conference with the serious face of someone who knows well that this is not an ordinary match. The Champions League qualification goal is already in the bag, but on the horizon there is something bigger, more unthinkable, more historic.
“The sensations are those of a team that is playing for an objective that was not foreseeable - explains - for a place like Naples it is something historic, while for the big clubs it would just be one more scudetto. We know the difference well, and above all we know how to live certain situations". Conte speaks with the emotional charge of someone who has already seen up close what it can mean to win in Naples.
He does so without hiding the pressure, indeed claiming it: "I feel a huge responsibility, maybe even too much. It's a big burden, but I have the broad shoulders to handle it. In other places there is nothing like this."
And then the culinary comparison that has already made the rounds on the web: “We were asked to return to the Champions League, a beautiful cake. And we presented it with four days to spare. Now we have to put the icing on the cake”.
Conte: “Different Eve, we are playing for something historic”
The air in Castel Volturno is anything but serene, but not for lack of confidence: it is real tension, the kind that accompanies decisive moments. “It's not a normal eve, we're playing for something important — Conte underlines — and only those who have never found themselves in certain situations can think that there is no emotional involvement. We have already achieved the real objective, now we just have to understand how much of a nuisance we want to cause until the end of the championship".
There is also room for a more concrete analysis: “There is no worry, but there is always the unpredictable, like against Genoa, with a defender who breaks away and scores a goal. You can prepare everything, but then there is the unknown. This time we hope it turns in our favor”. Tale he doesn't promise anything, but he lets it all sink in: the team is ready, and so is he. And Napoli can continue to dream.
Article published by Vincenzo Scarpa on May 17, 2025, at 15:12 PM
Comments (1)
The article talks about a very important match between Parma and Napoli, but I don't know if the pressure is really necessary. Sometimes teams can also play without stress, but Conte seems to feel it a lot. The words he uses are strong, so I wonder if the team will handle this tension.