Napoli beaten by Juventus, goodbye dream of the Scudetto. And now there is a season to straighten out between injuries, controversies, tense nerves and a European event not to be missed.
The defeat on the Juventus pitch, deserved net of the penalty not called (who knows why) due to Bremer’s deadly embrace of Hojlund, almost sounds like a handover for Conte’s Napoli. Thinking about the scudetto today is more of a utopia than a project, the truth is that the Neapolitans will do well to look over their shoulders in a season that is taking a decidedly negative turn. It’s true, there ishuge excuse for injuries and an environment now beyond the nervous breakdown which are elements that when it is all over will have to be studied to understand where the blame ends and the randomness begins, but now the priority is to secure at least the minimum objectives which are the passage to the European playoffs and a place in the next Champions League.
He said Antonio Conte in the post-match at the Stadium: “You can’t get off the ship because there are so many objectives, the Champions League, the Europa League: if you get off the boat you really risk leaving Europe.” Lucid reading, accompanied by a protest that was not as loud as other times for a refereeing episode that damaged the Neapolitans but which must be included in an evening in which the Italian champions gradually melted away.
Naples, the statistics of a bad season
The numbers are merciless. Defeat number 5 of the season in the league came, the eighth overall. Compared to a year ago, Napoli is traveling with ten points less and the alarm must sound because it means reaching the 70 mark which in a fast-paced tournament like this means having no guarantee of Champions League qualification. The only partial good news: Lukaku has been seen again. It will help.
Turin came later Copenhagenanother intersection taken the wrong way. And before the challenge with the Chelsea where a draw may not be enough. A week of inside or outside, in a real and non-metaphorical sense. Conte has no time to talk, he must gather the forces available and organize the resistance. Thinking of beating the world champions in these conditions is an exercise in optimism, but this is needed and Maradona will have to lend a hand.
Then we will draw a line and evaluate what remains, including a scenario (also unsuccessful on an economic level) that could give the Neapolitans four months with only one and a half objectives to focus on. For Conte it would be like returning home, in the sense of being able to express himself where he is at his best. The feeling is that it’s already late for the championship.
Conte against VAR: “It was better without it”
The manager’s protest for the failure to award a penalty kick which seemed evident, on the pitch and even more so at the VAR, deserves a separate chapter. This time Conte did not choose the line of breaking, as in even less clear-cut situations in the past. However, the reasoning raised the issue of his relationship with technology at the service of referees: “If I asked what Mariani went to the Var? Against Verona he went there twice and changed the decision twice: he was the least suitable person to ask. Let them do as they see fit, we always hope that there is always honesty between those who watch, those who call and those who referee. We hope so for clean football and without particular things. If there is error, it must be human error. Maybe it was better before because you tolerated it more. Now making mistakes with a video… sometimes it’s difficult.”
