Towards the match against Roma, the Napoli coach Francesco Calzona at 1.00 pm he will speak in the conference room of the Konami Training Center in Castel Volturno to answer questions from the press. On Tuttomercatoweb.comas usual, the live text of the press conference.
1.00pm – The press conference begins
The manager communication Nicola Lombardo: “It’s not a pre-match press conference, we don’t do them anymore, we limit the conferences to under 100 during the year. The pre-match conferences are the only ones in which we have no obligations. This is a medium press conference deadline, there are 5 games left and Calzona wanted to talk to the journalists and the club is just happy about this.”
Complicated, heavy moment. Did he sense that there would be the long-awaited reaction?
“Up until now we had always created a lot by conceding, but the result in Empoli told us we also had offensive problems, I pointed this out to the boys who were very disheartened, but we have a duty to work on the pitch and try to improve and finish the game championship in the best way, we owe it to the city. Training went well, we started subdued but it was predictable, we grew, today I saw that the right enthusiasm has also returned. We have to take responsibility, that’s why I’m here, first and foremost I have to take it, then they go on the pitch and I hope that pride comes out, we play against a team with excellent condition, they are doing very well, they won yesterday too and I expect a great match for motivation and pride.”
There is still Champions League hope seeing the wasted opportunities.
“We threw away opportunities to get back into the important league table, but now we can’t make plans and we have to think game by game. Our future no longer depends on us, but also on our opponents and I asked the boys to think only about Roma and then we’ll see what comes out”:
To feel satisfied that Naples do you want to see on Sunday?
“I want to see the performance, both when in possession and when we are not, players who chase the opponents with anger, the thing that has been missing lately. I hope to see this, with the performance also come the results, I want to see character, desire to win the match.”
You talked about mental apathy, can two days of retreat help in this sense?
“No, two days of retreat are due because we need to be together as much as possible. It’s a choice agreed with the club, I agreed, being away from the family can make you realize that we are missing in Empoli in many ways of view, the retreat is just for being together, not punitive, but productive”.
Why does the defense have problems on high balls? What do you hear the fans say?
“It’s a problem of defending the goal, not of high balls, we also conceded low goals with balls put behind, see with Inter. We conceded goals one-on-one, like Djuric, with Cerri there were two of us but badly positioned It’s a question of positioning, but like in Milan there were no midfielders to cover and we work hard on this. We lack the desire to not concede goals, it doesn’t just depend on the defenders, but on the team. I have no words, I’m always present at away games, at home it’s always full, there’s no point in asking the fans to support us, we have to push them to support us, we’re the ones who unleash their desire below performance as we are doing, it bothers me a lot.”
In the case of EL or Conference, would you feel satisfied with your job?
“In my opinion it is wrong to make the comparison with Napoli last year, let’s think about Napoli this year. I never say it, but the data that tells us that we have improved many things, with the ball at our feet, but many, many, we play more balls in the area, possession but sometimes sterile, but a lot of numbers, I don’t like to talk about it but I rely a lot on the numbers, the problem is the goals conceded but at the end of the year I judge my work since I arrived and based on what he did this year, not with last year otherwise it would all be a failure. I will compare my management at the end of the year and I will have no problem saying so publicly if I have done badly.”
Structural problems too?
“The president also said that there are problems, if I’m not mistaken, something under construction didn’t go right. Those who arrived to replace important players like Lozano, Kim, Elmas then in the running, didn’t have much impact but It’s not even their fault because it’s a particular season. I expected to encounter fewer problems, but after 2-3 days I realized that there were more than expected.”
You and the club have taken responsibility, should the locker room also take it after your words?
“Everyone, the players cannot help but hold themselves responsible, they will be on the pitch in the end. I make the choices based on what I see during the week, I feel that there are players sacrificed, but apart from three, Mazzocchi, Dendoncker and Natan the rest had space, more than we think, so they must feel responsible and they had the space to show off. I tell them every day that we are the first ones responsible, me and them, the club was close to me. the president himself, he has never had a negative impact, he takes an interest every day, he is very nice, polite and respectful towards me, he asks me many things, but it is normal for a head of a company”.
Has talking about the future had an impact?
“No, we are professionals, they also pay us well to do this, what we wanted to do as children, but there are also negative sides and in times of difficulty we talk about new players, directors, coaches, but it’s your job. It’s a moment in which things are not going and we have to live with it, the news I hear doesn’t bother me at all, it’s normal, the work must be questioned and the same for the players, if you don’t perform it’s normal for the club to take measures for the next season”.
You talked about lack of desire, of not being a team, do you see the team motivated?
“In Empoli I saw a lack of desire to win, we didn’t have a shot on target, we conceded two chances and it surprised me because it was the first time, with Frosinone we had created a lot by missing chances in the area, until Empoli I hadn’t had this feeling of lack of desire. From Empoli yes, before instead the lack of not conceding goals is not a question of tactics, but of attention, desire to go beyond the mistake and make a run not foreseen in training to recover the ball and save the game. team. We miss this, I never see the extra run-up, it’s not an excuse but I didn’t think there were any problems up to this point in this troubled season, but it doesn’t mean ending with this trend, we have to react, I’m not in it and I’m there. ‘I told the boys.’
Why is there a lack of pressure up front and the departments don’t shorten, so it’s easy for the opponents to move up?
“When we lose the ball we struggle to get back into shape and get back in front of the ball, it’s the worst thing, we’re missing a pass, but there must be a perception of the danger, getting back immediately behind the line of the ball. As a mentality I always ask to defend forward, but in some moments you don’t do it, maybe you’re spending too much, you can create density, but not in our half of the pitch. I showed the team some images in which without Osimhen who was out with 10 men they made an excellent density, but in the last few. games instead… with 11 against 11 we don’t perceive the danger. Why do we do it well with 10, with the opponents never verticalising, and not with 11?
What are the pitfalls of the game?
“Many, De Rossi’s management beyond the points leads them to score a lot, they have great physicality, they are strong on inactive balls, there are many things to worry about. But if we play as Napoli we also have our weapons. They they verticalize very centrally, we have to avoid letting this blessed ball pass inside us, it could become fatal, they also won yesterday in a few minutes, they have important objectives, it’s a difficult match but now we have to find ourselves beyond the opponent. and get out of this situation!”
1.30pm – The press conference ends
