Interviewed by the notebooks of Corriere dello Sportthe former Napoli and Inter midfielder Salvatore Bagni took stock of the situation in the race for first place in the championship. Examining the Antonio Conte effect under the microscope on the slopes of Vesuvius and releasing some personal considerations on the Azzurri’s summer signing campaign.
Is the ranking what you expected at the start of the championship?
“I didn’t expect Conte to be able to immediately do so well in such a short time. He had gathered together the team that finished tenth which with Verona at its debut still had residue from last season. Instead, in a very short time he did an extraordinary job, he immediately entered harmony with the players, he created a group that plays as a team, wins or loses as a team, attacks or defends as a team.”
Who surprised you the most among the new ones?
“I would say McTominay, but in reality it’s not a surprise for me. He came from Manchester United, he’s that player there, we know him. But the surprise was his immediate inclusion in the mechanisms. He allowed Conte to play differently. I immediately got in tune with the team. I would also like to mention Buongiorno, a simply amazing player. He didn’t surprise me either, but when you move from Turin to Napoli you can pay for something reference to the word “acclimation”, in reality we are talking about nothing because if someone is good he is always good and doesn’t need who knows how much time to establish himself. Buongiorno is a nice sight on the pitch, both for his interventions and for his always correct behaviour with teammates and opponents.”