Arrigo Sacchi, the legendary Italian football manager, has expressed his confidence in Antonio Conte’s potential success at Napoli. In a recent interview with Il Mattino, Sacchi shared his thoughts on Conte’s appointment and the impact he could have on the club.
Has Serie A regained a great coach in Conte?
“One capable of growing and improving himself and those around him season after season. One who always aims to take a step forward: in just a few matches, the Neapolitan Conte has already shown to be different from the Inter version. In between, there was the experience at Tottenham which will have served him to accumulate more knowledge.”
The right man in the right place?
“The Napoli bench is a wonderful place, because the fans transmit extraordinary strength. I experienced it as an opponent and always admired their competence and connection with the team. But obviously, after such a complicated season, full of situations to fix, they needed a shock, a man who wouldn’t compromise. Exactly as I was. Few words and a lot of work on the field. You can only get out of difficult moments like this.”
Is Napoli’s dark night behind them?
“He’s a great motivator, that’s for certain. On Sunday in Cagliari, he was talking about a team that needed to get their knees dirty because he knew beforehand what would happen against the Sardinians. And against Juventus, I already see him engaged, thanks to his accumulated experience, in imagining various scenarios.”
Juventus also want to start another cycle with Thiago Motta
“Finally, after years of tacticians, they have a strategist on the bench. One who is convinced that ball possession and the pursuit of play that gives joy to fans is the foundation of everything. I met him in Bologna, where I wanted to watch his training sessions: it’s a young Juve that, for this reason, has ups and downs which in a phase like this can even be predictable.”
Is Conte a tactician or a strategist?
“He’s an old tactician who is now becoming a strategist. After all, he’s someone who loves to learn. Who never stops. I was struck by the fact that after every training session with me, he would note down all the various exercises in a notebook. He already knew he would become a coach. He loves to keep up-to-date, he likes to stay ahead of everyone. And he has never left anything to chance, as a player and also as a coach. And another beautiful thing: that passion he has for football, he transmits it to his team.”
Can he make history in Naples?
“He’s someone who makes you win league titles, there’s no doubt about it: he has very high ethical and moral values. And I’ve always admired his professionalism, commitment, and the fact that he’s never satisfied. He’s one of those coaches who gives his life for his club. And he demands the same from the club and the team. Then Naples is no different from the rest of Italy: when things go well everyone praises you, when they go badly they start shooting at you.”
Lukaku or Osimhen?
“For Napoli, the best is what their coach has chosen. The most important thing this season is that the reconstruction of the Azzurri starts without the Champions League: true, a lot of money is missing, but the Cup wears you out mentally, it eats up your energy. Let’s say that between Juve who played against PSV on Tuesday and Napoli who trained thinking only about Saturday’s game, there’s a small advantage for Conte.”
Are you curious to see how it will end?
“Conte’s teams always improve, especially if the presidents listen to his advice: Antonio is never satisfied. And he’s right. And whoever hires him knows well what they’re getting. Like it was with me, he has fire inside. He hurt his knee against Georgia, one of my last matches as national coach, and I immediately saw in him the determination to return to the field quickly. He’s remained the same as he was then. I see a beautiful fight for the Scudetto and I ask only one thing from the many coaches: make us enjoy it.”
They say that, like yours, his training sessions are grueling.
“Then they forget to remember that Maldini retired at 42, Baresi at 40, Costacurta at 41. Evidently training doesn’t mean massacring them.”
The hero of Italia ’90, Schillaci, has passed away.
“A great sorrow. The first time I saw him I was at Parma and he was at Messina and he scored against me. One of the most famous faces of our football.”
