The victory against Fiorentina wasn't enough to reassure Antonio Conte. The Napoli coach appeared before the microphones with a tense expression and harsh words, especially after Giovanni Di Lorenzo's injury. "Today we lost another key player. It seems Di Lorenzo has torn his cruciate ligament. You know very well what he means to us.", says the technician, letting us understand the gravity of the moment.
Conte immediately linked the episode to the ever-increasing number of seasonal commitments. "We always come back to the same thing: it's not good to stack games on top of games. This type of injury is also the result of too many commitments," he emphasizes, then extending the discussion to the entire system. "With so many games, you're killing the players and the game. We have a very limited squad, partly because of the roster rules, which perhaps need to be revisited."
The Italian coach insists on the need to change course. If we have to play sixty games a year, the teams will inevitably have to be expanded. It's no good having competitions just because they bring in money. Then, that revenue has to be spent on salaries and players. If clubs don't understand this, football will go in the wrong direction. I'm not speaking in favor of Napoli, but of the players.
Finally, a look at the standings, but without illusions. "Right now, there's no talk of anything. This team is trying to do the best they can with what they have. Ask yourself a question and give yourself an answer: where would you place Napoli with this squad, if the championship started today?"
A tough, hard-fought victory, earned through character rather than skill. Antonio Conte savoured Napoli's victory at Marassi, but he didn't soften his analysis in front of the cameras. "I think it's a courageous victory, but we did everything we could. Genoa's goals were two of our own mistakes, and it wasn't easy to bounce back, but we did it," he said immediately after the match, emphasizing how the match was complicated primarily by internal responsibilities.
The Italian coach, however, highlighted the mental strength of the team, capable of reacting even in the most difficult moments. "Even with ten men against eleven, we never stopped attacking, and in fact, the final penalty came that won us the match. This team never gives up; every week there's a new challenge." These words describe a team under pressure, yet still alive and determined.
Win again to maintain their European run. Napoli prepares for the trip to Marassi with a clear objective: to follow up on their victory against Fiorentina and consolidate their position at the top of the table. Maintaining a solid position in the top four is an absolute priority, both sportingly and financially, and Antonio Conte wants no letup against a Genoa side that has historically proven difficult at home.
The good news for the coach comes from the defense, where Amir Rrahmani returns. The Kosovar center-back has overcome a gluteal injury and will return to the starting eleven. It remains to be seen whether he will be deployed in the center or as the right-back in a three-man defense, a solution that would open up Buongiorno's central position ahead of Meret and Juan Jesus on the left-center position. This is a significant return to a defense that will have to do without captain Di Lorenzo, who is sidelined: the defender took advantage of his time out for foot surgery related to a knee problem.
The victory against Fiorentina isn't enough to ease the tension at Napoli. Antonio Conte appears before the microphones with a drawn face and words that weigh like boulders, a mixture of bitter irony and suppressed anger. The focus isn't on the team's performance, but on the transfer market situation and the delicate moment the group is experiencing.
"I see that other teams are making significant preparations for the transfer market. They've actually blocked ours: I think that's fantastic." The coach uses a clear sarcasm, leaving little room for interpretation. Then he doubles down, bringing up the club's finances: "We're the only club with €240 million in cash and a profit, and they're preventing us from making any transfers. They really are number one."
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
Comments (1)
Conte's speech is very interesting, but I don't agree with everything he says. There have always been matches, and injuries happen. Napoli's squad needs to work better to address these issues.