Antonio Conte is not thinking about the Scudetto and talks about qualifying for the next Champions League as an objective for his Napoli, who after the first 10 matchdays are still at the top of the table with a four point advantage over second place, Inter. The next one will be a final exam for the Azzurri, who will face Atalanta at the Diego Armando Maradona on Sunday, with the Azzurri coach who spoke about many topics in his press conference the day before, which we propose again.
After the great victory against Milan, is there a mental problem with Atalanta?
“There is a danger because it is a strong team, which won the Europa League by beating Bayer Leverkusen who I don’t know how many games were unbeaten. They have been in the Champions League for years, they are a team that today should be counted among the strong ones , without a doubt. Credit to the club, to Gasperini who has done an extraordinary job in all these years and I have great respect for Gian Piero who was also my coach, he was the Primavera coach and when I had some injuries I asked for help I respect his Primavera a lot, he achieved results through hard work, you don’t win the Europa League if you’re not strong, you say, but if we underestimate this match… maybe Atalanta could underestimate it that happened last year and we don’t play cups while they are doing well in the Champions League, they are structured for the Champions League. As I always tell you, those who don’t play cups like us have an advantage perhaps because they train even if we are in the third season of one. week, but then it is far from the structure of the Champions League teams.”
How is Lobotka? Satisfied with Gilmour?
“He will be ready for the next one, we are in the final stages of recovery. It wasn’t a small problem in the national team as some had labeled, he is still in the recovery phase and we need to be patient. He will be available for the next one. I had no doubts about Gilmour, zero, ve I’ve always said it. He was a pet peeve of mine, he deserved to play, then you watched Lobo in the game and he had exceptional performances. I knew Billy’s value, he’s doing very well and we’re happy to have him because he’s young and will be able to stay for many years in Naples”.
He shortened the journey, the team already has its mentality. He looks more like him every day.
“I always say it’s ‘work in progress’, you can’t think that in 4 months you’ve passed on everything. I found a willing group, prepared to still want to improve and this is thanks to the boys. Availability is the basis of everything, both tactically that physically and mentally, it is not obvious and this has accelerated the path, but I repeat, I hope to be proven wrong, but in a construction situation you need a certain path and you have to grow to reach certain levels. This can be said whatever you want, but my experience says that we have to follow this path and we don’t think about multiple leaps. This isn’t the case, otherwise the whole theory of work would collapse, it would be too simple, but maybe I’m wrong, I hope so, but we have to cover our ears. and work. It’s a positive moment, but less positive moments can come and this must not deviate us from the path.”
A further check with Atalanta after Milan? A potentially Scudetto-winning match?
“I don’t know if it can be defined by the Scudetto, but they will certainly try to enter Europe next year too, they are already there through the main door, our goal is to return to Europe by trying to steal the idea from the others and enter it from the main door. They are a consolidated reality, they have been present in the most important competition for years. The team has grown year after year and the Europa League gives you awareness, they have built a path and continue to do so, strengthening themselves. For us they can be an example, they laid bricks every year, building even after important transfers, as they left us because let’s not forget that we lost players, I don’t know if we will lose them again, but they were replaced adequately and with their work they are competitive. Big credit to Gian Piero, now they are known as a strong team, I saw it with Arsenal… they are strong, not to praise them, but congratulations to them and they can be an example for us because we have to take steps. to become strong and aim for important things.”
On the defense and growth of Kvara and Lukaku. What should they do further?
“At the presentation I said about the 48 goals conceded and we shouldn’t just blame the defenders, just as today we shouldn’t just give credit to the defenders but to the defensive phase, to the 11 players who defend. We all participate in the two phases, see also the goal against Milan with high pressure, we recover with McTominay, then the ball to the central defender, vertically to a midfielder and vertically to the attacker, we touch all 3 sectors. Even in the defensive phase we all do it together, not just the 4 defenders and the goalkeeper. The team has rediscovered that desire and spirit, it has rediscovered the importance of being united, as well as in the attacking phase. I would like to underline this, we don’t give credit to players or departments, but to the team in general, we are all involved in the two phases. We are happy, it will be a testing test also on a defensive level because Atalanta has the best attack and we will try to be prepared and organized even if it is not easy against them, the first thought will be to score a goal and then not to concede it , only in this way can you think about the three points.”
You said I don’t do miracles, would winning this year be a miracle?
“I am a very believer, even practically, I only know one person who does them. I always pray, even for the team, that they are well, in addition to my family there is also a prayer for the players, I say this sincerely. We, the team and the club we can go together, united, to build something important and that will last over time, then we say God sees and provides. We must not lack what we have to do, work and make ourselves available, all of us, to the chef and the warehouse worker to create something beautiful that can give us extra points in a championship. We must not make any mistakes on this, we are not in a position to make mistakes. Then there have always been football miracles, but you have to work to hope that it happens. it’s not enough to pray.”
Who would he have told about the Golden Ball?
“I’ll leave it up to whoever has to judge. I have other thoughts, I’m not talking about the Ballon d’Or…”
The bar rises after certain challenges, how do you manage the enthusiasm? There were also many fans from abroad at the entrances.
“Enthusiasm must be fuel, it’s positive, I will be the last person to extinguish the enthusiasm, we must ride the enthusiasm, fuel it by coming here every day and working with only one thought in mind to make them proud beyond the result. I want there to be attachment, a sense of belonging, then the result is relative. In Milan, hearing them sing at the end of the match… it must fill our hearts and give strength in the face of difficulty and fatigue to overcome the difficulties, I will never dampen the enthusiasm, they must be with us. It is right to dream of the most beautiful thing for them, but realistically I must say that it is the beginning of a path to provide stability for Naples, for the. president and for the fans who deserve joy.”
On Politano’s sacrifice in the defensive phase.
“Matteo was the first to pitch me this idea, he told me ‘mister, if in some matches there is a need to lower myself because they attack the 5 channels I will lower myself…” he was the one too. He’s doing it perfectly, but Ngonge also did it perfectly with Lecce, then in attack we need technical players, but in non-possession against teams that attack the 5 channels… Arsenal (with Atalanta, ed.) lowered Partey to Lookman and a 5-man line was formed, in Italy a midfielder is lowered, sometimes Arsenal themselves lower Saka and Martinelli to 6, some things are cleared on a tactical level. There is an evolution, you attack in one way and defend in another, I don’t ask Matteo to lower himself if the full-back stays, so I was talking about the defensive phase before, it’s not done by 4 men but by everyone. Ngonge has similar characteristics, otherwise you have to lower a midfielder.”
Atalanta plays man after exasperated man, will you bring it more on the qualitative level under construction to come out with the ball or will you accept the physical match?
“We are preparing for the match, with them you have to be very prepared, today we were very… I bothered the players a lot to make them understand some situations. The match must not just be played, it must be prepared, we must show what will happen. Saying we are these, we have our concepts is fine, but they have to know what will happen and if you prepare first you find or already give situations. The qualitative one messes up some situations, but the preparation in physical competitions like these and they give great pressure in every area are matches that you have to prepare carefully and bother a lot”
It is difficult to imagine Conte’s Napoli without Kvara and Lukaku.
“Let me start by saying that it was also a topic of discussion internally with the heads of communications. I want to clarify that Napoli wins, Napoli loses, it has nothing to do with Conte winning, Conte losing. I understand some situations, but I’m I was also amazed and dumbfounded after Inter-Juve, the title was neither on Juve nor on Inter but which I was enjoying, but the concept must be one: we win, we lose, also the question of giving specific merits to a player or a coach is all wrong for me, it bothers me a lot and those close to me know it. I hope there are no longer these distinctions, we are one thing, we all do well or badly together temporary after 10 games, we have to divide them just as in the negativity we will have to absorb all the criticism, but I hope not, but I know very well that today Politano is the emblem of not conceding goals and then I am convinced that someone will say Politano is too low when we score goals. Even in our environment, in Naples, we try to be united, compact, share the credit from the president, but then we deserve what we are on the tenth matchday? But we are doing things well and we need all the components to do so. It’s something I’ve had here for a while… it bothers me. We, us and us!”.