Saturday Anthony Conte will return to the Allianz Stadium and it will be his first time as coach of the Naples. In front you will find the Juventushis former club, and he has no intention of hiding it, as his words at the press conference testify: “Every match is a test, it was in Cagliari for some aspects, temperamental, on a difficult pitch on an environmental level. Sometimes it can be a test on a tactical, environmental, temperamental level. We must face it with the utmost seriousness regardless of who is in front of us”.
The coach, however, is also covering his back a bit: “We hope it can be a challenge that counts for something, both for them and for us, it’s too early to say today. We’re starting on two different levels, compared to last year there are 18 points to recover, but surely both will want to get their revenge. I don’t think a team like Juve can be satisfied with finishing third and at a sideral distance from Inter, we can’t think of finishing 20 points behind them, Milan and 40 from Inter. We’re starting from different starting levels, but we hope when we return to our home that we can talk with greater certainty”.
Impossible though for Count pretend it’s a game like any other: “It’s inevitable, my story speaks clearly, 13 years at Juve as a player, I was captain for several years, winning practically everything. I had the chance to coach for 3 years in a difficult period for Juve, starting a cycle of 9 years of Scudetti. I am part of the history of Juventus for what I have done and given, it’s inevitable as a player for each of us it’s easier, you can also choose to stay forever. I’m referring here to Bruscolotti in Naples, Maldini, Baresi, Antognoni, Totti etc. as a coach it’s very difficult, impossible that you decide your career. I coached Juve for 3 years, my career took me to different places, which I honored by becoming the first to defend the colors for these teams, today I have the truly immense pleasure of coaching a team like Napoli, for me who am from the south it’s pride and satisfaction. There will be great emotion in returning to that stadium, there was the inauguration with me, it will be the first time with the fans because I came back with Covid, it will always be the same as it will be in the future in many years to face Napoli as an opponent, I have been hoping for a long time though (laughs, ed.)”.
Finally he proves once again that he is a master at putting pressure on other coaches like Thiago Motta: “He takes on a heavy legacy, a coach who has written several pages of history like Allegri. It’s not a trivial thing to coach there, there is a demand for victory, like at Milan or Inter. He was one of my players with the national team at the European Championships, it also makes me smile, but it also saddens me a bit because I’m getting old (laughs, ed.). He’s a serious, good guy, he did very well in Bologna and so I wish him the best from a human point of view, not in the matches against us. You know that I always tell the truth about the cups: there is an advantage and a disadvantage. For me, who is in my first year, it gives me the opportunity to work more, otherwise with 3 matches the work is reduced, when you arrive at a new club you need time to work on your ideas and after so many players who arrived at the last minute. I don’t deny that there is the positive aspect of working, the disadvantage is that without cups you make a squad that is not as competitive as those for the European Championship. Instead of 25-26 players you have 17-18”.