The Napoli coach: “Are they hungrier than us? It’s unlikely, but if it happens, it will be our fault.” Then on Italiano: “He has worked his way up and is driven by great passion.”
Focused, as always. As if the game were already here, as if he were already playing it in his head. After all, Bologna has put him in serious trouble in the last two games and in November, he opened up about the latest internal crisis. Napoli came out of it stronger, but also with a different tactical approach. “That wasn’t a good game for us, especially the second half. And compared to that time, we had to change our tactical approach due to some injuries,” said Conte, “to look for new solutions. In victories and defeats, you always have to start again, and it’s easier to do so after a victory.” And so the victory over Milan served to quickly recharge our batteries. “Yes, because victory brings energy, confidence, and enthusiasm,” Conte continued. “And then tomorrow we’re playing for a trophy, so it’s easier to recover from fatigue. We’re preparing for this game as best we can, but as I always tell the boys, it’s great to reach the final, but in the end, only the winner is remembered.”
A clear message, like the one about the attitude to adopt. “If Bologna are hungrier than us, it means we’ve done something wrong, and it will be our fault. Bologna can win the cup, of course, but to do so they’ll have to prove themselves better and stronger than us. But I don’t think they can be hungrier, because we have to at least match that…” Napoli arrived in Riyadh with the Scudetto on their chest, just like two years ago. Compared to two years ago, however, they want to change the story of the final. “We mustn’t forget where we’ve come from. Last year, we achieved an extraordinary goal, winning the Scudetto after finishing tenth. But I’ve been saying since the beginning of the year that this season will be complicated. Then injuries are making it even more difficult. But in the league, we are where we need to be, we have reached the final here, and in the other cups, we still have a chance to go further.“
tribute— Finally, a pat on the back for Italiano. ”I can only speak highly of Italiano. I see a coach who always wants to learn and improve. He worked his way up like I did, and wherever he went, he did well,” Conte emphasizes. We coaches can’t stop; we must have that passion that drives us every day to try to improve. He is one of those who is always hungry and is doing a really great job.” Tomorrow, however, there will be no discounts. There is a recent bad performance to avenge and a cup to try to bring back to Naples.
