Napoli, Oriali: "We are ready to do anything for the Scudetto. Conte? A champion of the trade"

Naples, 21 March 2025 - The championship break, with several players travelling around the world with their own National, it's the opportunity to get to know each other at home Napoli staff Antonio Conte and in particular Gabriele 'Lele' Oriali, the coordinator of the technical staff intercepted in the afternoon by the microphones of Radio Crc.  

Discovering Conte

  The chat started from the expectations related to the last league games. "We are ready for anything. The goal at the beginning of the season was to qualify for the European cups, preferably through the main door, so far it seems to me that we can't complain. The team has done very well so far and we are happy with what we have done. The hope is that the players return from their respective National in good condition and without any injuries". In the shadow of Vesuvius it is true that the appetite comes with eating. "I have to be honest, if I said otherwise I would be a liar: neither I nor the coach expected to find ourselves in this position in the standings with nine days to go in the championship. We came here with the idea, the intention and the conviction of doing well, but we were certain that we would not find ourselves where we are now". It is impossible to forget, in fact, the situation of the club at the time of the installation of Tale, of his staff and of all the new faces of a club coming from a post-scudetto period that was, to say the least, turbulent. "When we arrived at Napoli we immediately found a very collaborative environment. We were helped by the fact that the team was coming off a negative season and the players couldn't wait to get back on track and start all over again. The guys made themselves available, they did what we asked of them and they understood it. Now we are seeing the results. That's what we try to convey to the players - continues Orials - is that through work, sacrifice and sweat you can achieve important results. They have done it by making themselves available but they have not yet raised their heads: they will do so on the last day". Credit goes to the players but also to those who have guided them since the summer with the right mix of carrot and stick. "The coach is an important part of the success of a club and Antonio is crucial in this. A strong coach like him gives something extra to the team. As I said before, Tale he is a champion among coaches. He has many strengths, but also many flaws like everyone else. He is someone who makes himself well liked for his ability to involve everyone, both those who play and those who do not play. He is frank, loyal and sincere even if in some cases this can represent a problem, especially in an environment like ours where there are successful losers and successful liars. Antonio, however, stands out for his ability to create a heterogeneous, united and cohesive group: the results are also visible for this. The coach affects the weight of a team, otherwise today we would all be doing this job. I have worked with some of the best coaches in the world and I can confirm what I said". The words of Orials about this profession actually also hide a regret that not everyone expects. "I would have liked to continue my studies. I thought about being a coach in my life, but I changed my mind when I thought about the fact that I would have to draw up and write down a team and then tell the players who would play and who wouldn't. I would have felt very embarrassed".

Towards the final rush for the Scudetto

  However, it is difficult to reproach us for anything when we have already become legends thanks to the World of the 1982, for a glories that are far from the current performance of the National. "L'Italy fielded yesterday I liked it to tell the truth, especially in the first half. I am convinced that on Sunday Dortmund the Azzurri can overturn the result of the first leg. The team never seemed to be in trouble with the German game and I believe that on Sunday we can advance to the next round". An optimism, combined with wisdom, that Orials try to also put into the issues that concern his Napoli, like the referee's one. "I handle it like everyone else. I respect the decisions made by the referee even if sometimes they make mistakes. Those made by the Yes, on the other hand, I digest them less, because he has the possibility of reviewing the episodes. The referee's decisions, on the other hand, are easier to accept". We then move on to talk about the Azzurri fans. "The day of the first Scudetto of the Napoli, in the match with the Fiorentina, I was on the pitch but on the opposite side of the pitch. I remember a great celebration and I must admit that I am happy to have been one of the protagonists of that moment, even if I was wearing the purple shirt. The fans of Napoli have always shown that they put passion and enthusiasm into following the team. I would like to leave a good memory in this city precisely for the passion that we feel every time we play at home. For someone like me, who is of a certain age and a certain experience, hearing the fans singing in chorus and supporting us is something beautiful and indescribable". The race for the title heated up before a break that, according to Orials, could once again shuffle the cards. "There are three teams in the fight: Inter, Atalanta e NapoliThe first two were the teams that had something more than the others, even than us, since they have a large and competitive squad.Atalanta is still in the running, the title will be played in the last nine days. During the season, teams like Milan e Juventus. I think we are also in the running for the title". He closes by talking about the commitment of the Azzurri in this final rush. "From the beginning the players have tried to put their heart and soul on the field and they will do so until the end. At this moment the players have their heads down and will raise them only at the end of the last match of the championship when we will be there to welcome them on the field because they will have given everything and more to try to bring back the Napoli at the top".

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