Napoli, Di Lorenzo: "Our strength is the group. Scudetto? We believe in it"

Naples, 30 April 2025 - Upon arrival on the bench of Antonio Conte he was one of the first players to emerge immediately revitalized by the new course, rediscovering that feeling in the goal area that would then disappear during the rest of the season: despite the continuous solicitations received in front of microphones and notebooks by his coach, Giovanni Di Lorenzo He has stalled in terms of offensive production, but his performance and leadership remain valuable for a Napoli that now more than ever I dream of the championship, not by chance the main topic of the afternoon chat at Radio Crc.  

The role of captain and the march towards Lecce

  The first topic touched upon by the Italian captain is a review of his long experience in the shadow of Vesuvius, which in the space of a few weeks risks (so to speak) being enriched with another laurel. "Six years have already passed Napoli, I'm happy here with my family and it really happened during this whole period. Two years ago we won the championship and I never imagined I would be captain like Diego Armando Maradona. Every day I try to deserve the armband and represent the club and the team in the best possible way". Captain on the pitch, who knows, maybe even of another championship, but also captain off it and in particular in the locker room, a fundamental role especially towards new signings. "Often I am the one who moves towards them, to put them at ease and to help them fit in, maybe with a message or a call. I advise them the same things they told me when I arrived: the fundamental thing is to experience the city like a normal person and not feel different. I often go out into the centre, I go down and I don't live the place badly". We then move on to football played, which in the next round will put the Napoli in front of the transfer to Lecce, team, club and city recovering from mourning for the sudden passing of the physiotherapist Graziano Fiorita. "First of all, I want to send a hug to the family of their physiotherapist, whose death news has deeply affected us. It will be a difficult match: they are fighting to save themselves, and this tragedy has made the atmosphere special. But we want to take home the victory". In fact, calendar in hand, the match of Street of the Sea it could be one of the last real obstacles for the Azzurri to overcome towards glory, for a journey that actually began in the summer with the arrival on the bench of Tale. "As captain I am the closest to the coach, I pass his messages to the team. Since day one there has been a direct, sincere and loyal bond. The basis is sincerity: Tale he is a strong coach, I already knew his qualities as an opponent and - continues By Lorenzo - has confirmed them in these months. We are happy to have him with us".

The Scudetto Dream

  Despite being one of the strongest personalities in the world of football, Tale makes the collective its strong point, as confirmed by the captain of the Napoli. "Our strength is the group: behind every great victory and every great team there is a solid group. When you really love each other, you face everything better. Difficulties will come, as always, but what matters is how we react. If the group is healthy, overcoming limits becomes easier". From the collective to the right-handed chain, the one that has actually suffered fewer shocks, especially if you think about the left-handed one that lost a certain amount in January Khvisha Kvaratskhelia. "Last night I saw his match with the Paris Saint-Germain: he is very strong and I wish him the best, even to win the Champions League. We on the right have known each other well, for years. We know how to read each other's movements, and it's a quality that we carry with us over time. But the credit also goes to the coach, who keeps the intensity high and involves everyone. Even those who play less give an important contribution: it's this spirit that brings results". We then move on to the role of full-back, perhaps the one in football that has undergone the most evolution over time. "Every era has its own. The role has changed: today we are asked to do much more, even as playmakers. I have tried to improve myself, thanks also to my teammates." To benefit from a By Lorenzo the whole is always very chameleonic Napoli, one step away from reliving the most beautiful emotion, apparently no longer a taboo for anyone: neither for Tale in front of microphones and notebooks and nor for the same locker room. "We are at a crucial point. At the beginning it seemed unattainable, now we are there: difficult, but we can play it. Everything is in our hands. With work and sacrifice we are there and we will play it, it will be difficult and so far we have done nothing". The championship is obviously not over yet, but rewinding the tape one thinks about how in the summer, at least publicly, the ambitions of the Napoli were quite different: then everything started to go better than expected, leaving the general impression that the championship was no longer just a dream. "There was no precise moment in which we understood that we could win the tricolor. Game after game we built this path. Now we need the final step: the group is united, it believes in the objective. When you are first for a long time it is never by chance". In fact, the Napoli has been the sole leader of the standings only since the last round of the championship, but before the reign ofInter there had been a streak of well 18 games at the top of the rankings. It is still early to celebrate and, even more so, it is still early to think about the future of By Lorenzo once he hung up his boots. "I still see it far away, but as a family we are fine here. My daughters are Neapolitan, I have a house in Napoli and I'm attached to this city. And the mural is something that will always move me."Read also - ATP Madrid, Arnaldi beats Tiafoe in two sets