Torino-Napoli, Conte: "More cynicism is needed. Kvara and Raspadori? No case"

Naples, 29 November 2024 - Perhaps, in terms of the calendar, at least for the first half of the season the worst is behind us and the Napoli he left it defending tooth and nail, and without thinking too much about the show, the first place in the rankings. In reality, the pitfalls are still around the corner and one of them is called Turin, team started off like a rocket under the new management Paolo Vanoli before dropping sharply until today, with the victory missing for more than a month and that in the home match of Sunday December 1 he could return against the Azzurri: of course Antonio Conte he does not share the same opinion, as he implied in front of microphones and notebooks for the now customary press conference the day before Christmas.  

The student versus the master

  The good news is that his team, which started the season with very different objectives, has shown that it can handle the pressure, even more so now that a large group of pursuers has formed behind them. "We have to be realistic and think that we are only at the 13th day and that they are there 6 teams within a few points. It's a balanced championship, but in my opinion it won't stay that way until the end: I think that already at the end of the first half of the season the situation will change and expand. For now I'm happy with what my team is doing, which is proving to be constantly growing both individually and collectively, especially if I think about how some of the guys got to Dimaro". In fact, a lot of things have changed since then for the Napoli, at the time barely credited with a place in Europe and today for a long time leader of a ranking that in first place, for a very short reign, also saw the Turin: at the time, perhaps too early, people were already talking about 'Vanolism', while today in those latitudes the ambitions have returned to the usual ones, those that lead to the middle of the rankings. "Paolo he is a serious guy, a hard worker, who I met when I was in National: he raises a Under and we had a chat, before taking him with me when the opportunity arose. He is a curious boy who worked on my staff and, in fact, I was sorry when he decided to leave to pursue a different career but - continues Tale - at the same time I was proud to have been able to give him something, as he had done with me in our years together". Despite the honeyed words, the pupil and the teacher will be rivals for 90 minutes, but in the long term the scare will be Napoli, in this case in the figure of the staff director Gabriel Oriali, I am Inter e Atalanta, in his opinion the favourites for the championship. "Lele he is a friend and he knows what he is talking about. The rest was done by the days of Cup, who have demonstrated the value of our teams. I also mention the Rome, which is a great team and showed it at home Tottenham, one of the candidates to win the Premier League. I congratulate all these teams, who are following a path that will help me soon also Napoli can emulate".

No Kvara and Raspadori cases

  The answer of Tale it is sibylline before the conversation moves on to individuals, and not always with soft tones: we start from Khvisha Kvaratskhelia, who had left the field in the race against the Rome not hiding some signs of nervousness. "In terms of determination and desire he is a player who is constantly improving and on Sunday he was very disappointed with himself for the two wasted opportunities that would have given us peace of mind for the final. I see that on the pitch, despite his young age, he is clearly improving and in tune with his teammates in both phases and therefore I am calm and serene. We are talking about a good boy who has understood that he must work hard to become a top player". Therefore, no case Fourth despite the hot potato of renewal perhaps even postponed until the end of the year. The fact is that, statistics and XG in hand, il Napoli creates little and is not always able to capitalize on the turnover to the fullest. "We need to improve in our choices in the final meters, between quality, individual plays and methods. We are working on it and training session after training session I see the right application from the boys, who however need to be more cynical in front of goal". Even more so at the home of a Turin in crisis of results and contested by their fans, who could therefore unknowingly become 'allies', but only on condition of putting the game on the right track. "I actually saw their last games. They are in difficulty also because of injuries, but it is a solid group that has quality and values. Living in Turin then I know the environment well: beautiful, warm, strong and attached to history. We will have to pay great attention and play with the right attitude, respecting the Granata and what they have behind them as experiences". Last season the Napoli he lost it 3-0, right under the watchful eyes of Tale. "I remember that match well, which was very particular in a period in which everything was going badly for the Azzurri. Now we need to reset without looking at either the very bad things of last year or the beautiful things of the previous season". He also put his signature on the scudetto in his own way James Raspadori, which today demands space. "He is a strong and important player who, as such, must remain at the Napoli. I want to strengthen this team, not weaken it and this must be clear to everyone. Not playing European competitions, but only the championship and Coppa Italia, it is difficult to rotate the players, who in turn do not find the outlets they deserve on the pitch. However, the fact remains that - he concludes Tale - if we are first in the standings, the credit also goes to those guys who play less, like Jacks".Read also - Tennis, Sinner case: the CAS will not rule before February 11