Conte is aiming for a masterpiece with Napoli, but a movie-like change of scene is brewing around the corner. With an unexpected return to center stage
Conte vince e saluta: il Napoli punta un nome pazzesco (Foto: Ansa) – serieanews.com
Sometimes all it takes is a moment. A goal in the 90th minute, a penalty saved, a ranking that suddenly seems shorter than previously thought. And Naples, you know, is waiting for nothing else to get swept up in the excitement.
The point is that the Scudetto is now no longer just a romantic suggestion, a consolation prize for those who have regained their pride: it is a real possibility. The points separating the Azzurri from Inter are 3, and with a bit of luck (and a few Nerazzurri distractions in the Champions League), the mountain might seem much less high to climb.
The calendar says that Napoli, from here to the end, will only have to deal with teams from the right half of the standings. “Affordable” opponents, as they say in the jargon, but whom no one can afford to underestimate. However, let’s face it, if there was a finale to choose for a surprise sprint, this is it: with no direct confrontations, no great external pressures, and a belly full of rivals.
Then it all comes back: the positive tension, the adrenaline. But above all, he returns: Antonio Conte. He arrived with pomp and circumstance in a Naples still stunned by a baleful season: ninth place, general disillusionment, an air of refoundation. Instead, in nine months, the coach everyone knows for his maniacal attention to detail has rebuilt everything. Identity, character, will to fight.
Conte e il solito bivio: vince e va via? C’è la Juve che lo aspetta
That is where the real game is played. Because winning the Scudetto would be a fairy tale in itself, but it could also become his swan song in the Azzurri. Oh yes, because Conte has a special talent for ending stories at their best. He has done it everywhere: Bari, Juve, Chelsea, Inter. He arrives, he wins, and – if he feels he cannot replicate – he leaves.
Conte e il solito bivio: vince e va via? C’è la Juve che lo aspetta (AnsaFoto) – serieanews.com
The talk is not officially open yet, but it is clear that at the end of the season we will sit down at the table. De Laurentiis will try in every way: solid technical project, important budget, carte blanche on the market. But if the Scudetto should really come, it is plausible that Conte feels he has already made his own, and that the lure of Juventus will become more than just a suggestion.
Paradoxically, staying might become easier if the Scudetto escapes. In that case, there would be a desire to try again, to complete the task. Because one thing is certain: Naples has entered him. He has conquered it. And he, as a man of the belly, knows it well.
But De Laurentiis, who certainly does not rely on tarot cards, is already moving. He knows that Conte is not a man of half-measures, and that permanence is not guaranteed. The names on the agenda are the familiar ones: Pioli, Gasperini, Italiano. All estimable, sure. But none with that “wow” effect needed to get the enthusiasm machine moving again.
Napoli, se salta Conte idea Allegri: ADL ha gli argomenti per convincerlo
And here enters the scene an idea that seems to have sprung from a football novel: Massimiliano Allegri. The only one who, in the recent history of Italian soccer, has been able to replace Conte without making Conte regret it. He did it at Juventus, he could do it now at Napoli.
Napoli, se salta Conte idea Allegri: ADL ha gli argomenti per convincerlo (LaPresse) – serieanews.com
Yes, because in spite of memes and barroom banter, Allegri is still a heavy name. He has won, a lot, and in environments that are anything but easy. And De Laurentiis, who has never hidden, has openly esteemed him for years. Napoli has the resources to convince him: he already pays Conte 6.5 million net, and can guarantee a star market. In short, the conditions are all there.
Seeing Allegri versus Conte again, but with the benches reversed, would be one of those gimmicks that only soccer can deliver. And if it happened, Serie A would already have its perfect storyline for next year.
This article Conte wins and says goodbye: Napoli targets a crazy name appeared first on SerieANews.
