A letter put an end to the first novel of Antonio Conte’s life in Naples. “Dear Napoli fans, in the last few weeks our love has been a bit “scumbinato”, like the one Pino Daniele sang in one of his beautiful songs. It happens even in the most beautiful and intense stories of experiencing moments of crisis. All those who, like us, carry the blue in their hearts are coming off 12 very difficult months. For me, they were the hardest of my career. Going from the indelible joy of the scudetto to the sadness of a season in which nothing was possible was a trauma that was difficult to metabolise. I felt your disappointment on my skin and I couldn’t change the inertia of our year with my teammates. I admit, I toyed with the idea of leaving. I felt your dissatisfaction with me and, as the President said, I had the perception of having been abandoned by the club. After the collapse we experienced on the pitch, however, everything was understandable: your anger, the frustration of the club, my confusion”. These are some of Di Lorenzo’s words (you can find the full text here) in the letter announcing his stay.
A soap opera that had been started by the President, Aurelio De Laurentiis. He had announced to Di Lorenzo that he was among the transferable ones – like almost everyone else, after all – increasing dissatisfaction and unleashing the desire to say goodbye to everyone. Because if the captain ends up on the market in such a blatant way, with a presidential communication, then the intention to welcome the thing at all costs is there. Instead Antonio Conte managed to defuse the bomb that had practically exploded. He touched the right strings, he made him feel important. He healed a fracture. Almost a job as a manager rather than a hot-headed and divisive coach as he has often been.
But this leads to the most difficult question. Will Antonio Conte be able to manage Aurelio De Laurentiis? Because the truth is that in the last period he has become decidedly cumbersome. He was also with Spalletti, because when you get to the eighth finals of the Champions League and in the pre-match press conference you talk about Juve stealing the Scudetti, effectively completely overshadowing your coach’s words on the match, you probably always want to be the center of attention. Let people talk more about De Laurentiis than about Napoli. Last year he didn’t find anyone who could fix the pieces when they fell to the ground. Rudi Garcia wasn’t capable, Mazzarri is no longer the same as a decade ago, Calzona arrived late and perhaps doesn’t have the physique du role.
Conte certainly has it. He wants to keep Kvaratskhelia at all costs, otherwise he will resign the next day (he already did it with Juve, it would not be a novelty). Who knows, maybe he will also be able to block the sale of Osimhen in some way.even though Paris Saint Germain already has a €100 million plus €10 million bonus offer in the pipeline to take him away. Lukaku plus Denkey in place of Simeone and Osimhen, plus Kvaratskhelia, Politano. And maybe a surprise name in place of Lindstrom. Napoli brings a lot of curiosity, even without De Laurentiis. Let’s see if the morning shows the good morning…