On the eve of the Super Cup semifinal against Milan, the Napoli coach approves of the Arab format: “The more the club travels abroad, the more people get to know you: I hope to stay here until next Monday…”
Antonio Conte had an extra hour to think about what to say in the press conference on the eve of tomorrow’s Super Cup semifinal against Milan. Napoli, who arrived last night, showed up at King Saud Stadium about an hour later than planned. Traffic was partly to blame—a daily thorn in the side for seven million residents. The Azzurri coach is focused on putting the loss to Udinese behind him: “Throughout the year, there are better moments and worse ones. We were coming off five wins, then we lost in the Champions League and in Serie A, but what matters is continuing to work with dedication, determination, and a lot of enthusiasm. It all comes down to hard work.”
On Lukaku’s return to the squad: “He hasn’t had any minutes under his belt; we need to be patient and wait for him. The fact that he’s back this week is a positive thing—we’re talking about an experienced, quality player, like Di Lorenzo and others. It’s an important return for us. Now we’ll have to wait for him, run some physical tests to figure out when he can return without the slightest risk.” On the Super Cup format: “A great experience. For me, it’s the first time I’m facing semifinals and a final outside of Italy; we want to enjoy it. We hope to extend our stay here until Monday. Finding Napoli fans here is wonderful; the more the club makes a name for itself abroad, the more people get to know us. Fans are drawn to us based on our victories; we’ll try to be appealing in that regard. We’ve even had people here asking for autographs and photos.” On Milan, tomorrow’s opponent: “They’re a great team, and we’re eager to test ourselves in these kinds of matches—this is the level where we want to stay. Competing for a trophy should be a major emotional boost.” . Conte also spoke about Lobotka’s return, who played for half an hour against Udinese: “The issue he had wasn’t serious,” said Conte, “he’s ready now. It doesn’t change much for us because we still have two true central midfielders: him and McTominay. Elmas is smart and knows how to adapt, but inevitably there are certain roles to fill. For now, we’ll keep going like this.”
Lorenzo speaks—  Captain Di Lorenzo was also present in the press room: “We want to compete on equal terms and reach the final within regulation time; that’s the goal. We’re ready; we’ll face a strong team, and we know it. Our focus is at its peak. We want to give it our all for this trophy. Tomorrow’s match will also depend heavily on how we defend; that will be crucial.”