“We are close to year zero. And I am not able to talk about objectives at this time”. Antonio Conte presents himself with great clarity on the eve of his team’s championship debut Napoli against Hellas Verona. The Azzurri leader was honest: “We are at the beginning of a reconstruction. If the club puts 10-12 players on the market, this makes us understand how much work there is to do. The other teams add a few pieces, but there is solidity. We are in a delicate moment. This does not discourage me, on the contrary I am even more determined to do well, but I want to be clear with everyone, especially with the fans”.
This is your tenth debut on a club bench. Are you satisfied with the work done so far?
“We have been working with the team for over a month. I have found guys who want to work, to grow individually. This helps me, it gives me enthusiasm”.
Are you satisfied with the market?
“You know the situation very well, sorry. Argue? What can I say, it’s a blocked, complicated situation, I can’t say anything else”.
Osimhen a trap, Conte’s new Napoli blocked by the market
by Paolo Condò
What is the mantra for the start of this season?
“Our mantra will have to be to give 200%. We have to understand that we will have to go beyond our limits. It is a very critical moment for Napoli. The president spoke of reconstruction. I have made my assessments and I agree with him completely. There is a need for a total reconstruction that must start from the foundations. When a club puts 10-12 players on the market it means that there is a reconstruction underway, so patience and a lot of humility are needed. There is a lot to do. This is a total reconstruction, so we must all give more. Even the fans themselves must understand how delicate the moment is. We must all come together and the difficulties must strengthen us”.
Osimhen-Lukaku, how do you imagine the ending?
“I’m not talking about players who aren’t part of the Napoli squad. Osimhen is a situation I found. It will be addressed exclusively by the club and the player. I didn’t really get into it.”
Where did he insist on the intensity of his training?
“When I talk about rebuilding I mean the base of the squad. Once this is done, you have to work with the guys to try to improve them. The success of the team starts with the improvement of each individual player. For me these are normal training sessions, high intensity in training must be a mantra. During the game, you carry over what you did in training. The player must get used to this and then repeat it in the game”.
According to Opta, Napoli should be eighth. What do you think?
“These are statistics that take into account some parameters from last year, plus some have left and it was easy to draw it up and put Napoli eighth. Then the parameters change from year to year, like the performances. We must not think that last year was a coincidence, I assure you. For those who think it was the result of bad luck or other situations, I say be careful because the ranking speaks clearly as well as the gap from the others, sidereal gaps. For those who think it is just bad luck is far from the truth”.
How far along are you with the reconstruction?
“We are at the very beginning of this journey. Making predictions now is not possible. I am not capable of doing so. I will only say that this year we all have to prepare ourselves to suffer. We have to get the most out of it. Today I struggle to make any predictions. Let’s try to give our best and sweat for the jersey. We all need it”.
How is Buongiorno? Where will Di Lorenzo play?
“Good morning, he sprained his ankle on Thursday. We will make the appropriate assessments. He has improved a lot, we will decide at the last minute. Di Lorenzo is so intelligent and eclectic that he allows me to use him in both positions”.
Did you expect such a drastic change when you arrived?
“I expected a better situation than the one I found. I was hoping for positive surprises, that’s why I spoke in a certain way. But I didn’t find any, I expected better. We are here to make assessments together with the director. We know that we will do things step by step. I see the other teams, they have consolidated situations. Pieces are being added. I’m not saying that we are at year zero, but we are very close to this. This situation doesn’t scare me, but it’s better to be clear. I say this above all to the fans. I ask for great unity and compactness, we must exalt ourselves in the difficulties to bring Napoli back to being competitive. I honestly don’t know how long it will take, if six months, a year or two. We should be prepared without worrying beforehand, this will help us to be more tough”.
Are there similarities with your first Juve?
“There isn’t. It doesn’t exist. Here is the big trap from two years ago that confuses ideas and blows smoke. The facts say otherwise. I wish there was, as happened there, the desire to stick one’s head out”.
How many purchases do you need?
“We know that we have to travel on certain parameters, the cost, the salary and convince players to accept Napoli without Cups. It is a significant handicap. We have to find solutions to plug the gap, we cannot think of doing everything in a single transfer session. We have to take the bare minimum, the exits we make are not bringing in money, they are only loans, so I understand the difficulty of the club. There is a situation that was supposed to bring in revenue, but it is still blocked. I repeat, I am determined. I will transfer this thought to those who work with me. We have young people like Iaccarino and Coli Saco, we will try to enhance them”.
Will he play with two strikers tomorrow?
“I humbly ask you not to go into tactical discussions. Let us work from all points of view. We are working on certain things, we will try to improve what worked less. I remember the famous 4-3-3 of last year, then Napoli came tenth. Then one day we get together and talk about football. But the tactical aspect is the least of the problems”.
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– 2024-08-18 23:20:16
