Kolkata: 4 managers in lower than one yr, from defending champions to tenth and Victor Osimhen, one of many architects of their first league title since Diego Maradona was the lodestar, loaned as a result of the membership couldn’t promote him meant Napoli undoubtedly wanted “refounding”, as Aurelio de Laurentiis put it. So, the membership president employed a person well-known and notorious in equal measure for trophies and horrible endings – Antonio Conte.
File picture of Antonio Conte who’s on the centre of Napoli’s run to the highest. (REUTERS)
The start has been so good that sudden severance, of the sort he had threatened early in his time at Tottenham Hotspur, appears to be like unlikely. Midweek, after Napoli beat AC Milan 2-0 away, Conte spoke of respiratory the “fire and enthusiasm” of the workforce, which, he mentioned, was the most effective he had labored with.
Eight wins and one draw from 10 matches has put Napoli 4 factors clear on the high. Juventus supervisor Thiago Motta sees them as title contenders. Conte didn’t need to go so far as a fifth Serie A title as supervisor however has conceded that “the craziest among us” didn’t anticipate this.
The beginning was something however auspicious. Napoli misplaced 0-3 to Verona in August and, true to kind, Conte waded into his workforce. “We melted like the snow in the sun,” he instructed Sky Italia.
New gamers, he mentioned, would be part of. Romelu Lukaku, Scott McTominay, Billy Gilmour, David Neres and Alessandro Buongiorno did and Napoli haven’t misplaced since. They’ve seven clear sheets which was what that they had managed in all of final season’s Serie A.
Can they go all the way in which, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was requested after Milan have been conquered in San Siro. “Yes, obviously,” mentioned the Georgian playmaker.
Kvaratskhelia scored the second aim towards Milan, a screamer from vary, after Lukaku had put them in entrance. Kvaratskhelia serving to out extra whereas out of possession is one indication of how eliminated Napoli are from the chaos underneath Rudi Garcia, Walter Mazzarri and Francesco Calzona that noticed them finish tenth final time period after successful the 22-23 league. New signings bedding-in was one other.
In a approach that could possibly be bewildering for Belgium’s nationwide workforce coach, and people at Manchester United and Chelsea when he was there – nobody will get as a lot out of Lukaku as Conte. The massive Belgian has scored 4 objectives already, the final of them after beating massive central defender Strahinja Pavlovic. He’s trying not just like the participant who simply couldn’t convert from shut vary within the 2022 World Cup however just like the one who acquired 64 objectives in two seasons at Inter underneath Conte.
“Thanks Antonio. You changed me as a player and made me stronger…I am glad I had you as a coach,” Lukaku had mentioned on Instagram after Conte left having ended Inter’s Serie A title drought that stretched from 2010 to 2021.
McTominay, a pure revenue sale Manchester United wanted to steadiness books, can play as a second striker, Gilmour is doing effectively as defensive midfielder and Neres is an choice to maintain Kvaratskhelia contemporary. Like Conte’s groups, Napoli have usually received with out having a lot of the ball; Inter would try this with 30% possession towards groups battling relegation. Like Jose Mourinho, Conte prefers to remain compact in defence.
Volatility – who can overlook the touchline bust-up with Thomas Tuchel – is one other trait Conte shares with Mourinho. Investing in skilled gamers a 3rd. And each are recognized to have left groups in a shambles.
Conte’s departures from Chelsea, after successful the Premier League (30 wins, 13 on the trot) and FA Cup, and Inter didn’t go effectively after falling out with the administration over recruitment.
His time at Spurs slid south for lots of causes: a well being emergency, having to avoid household and the dying of former teammates Gianluca Vialli and Siniša Mihajlović and health coach Gian Piero Ventrone. However earlier than he left, within the season after Spurs acquired a Champions League spot, Conte additionally accused gamers of being egocentric.
So, sure, issues can bitter simply. Conte, 55, has signed for 3 years and he has not held a job that lengthy since 2014. However proper now, issues are going swimmingly. “Antonio is able to get inside the players’ head,” mentioned Ciro Ferrara, Conte’s former teammate at Juventus. “He’s able to extract the best out of his players,” Ferrara instructed DAZN.
Like Arne Slot at Liverpool, the draw has been variety. Napoli additionally don’t have to give attention to Europe which means fewer video games and extra coaching floor classes. However starting with Milan, more durable challenges await. Napoli host third-placed Atalanta on Sunday and play defending champions Inter Milan, Roma, Torino and Lazio subsequent in all competitions. Matches that might point out whether or not they’re pacesetters or a workforce able to one thing extra.