Napoli – Atalanta Bergamo: Conte’s Reclamation On Palladino’s Prologue (3-1)

The pressure is on for Antonio Conte and newly-appointed Rafaelle Palladino, to repair their fractured frameworks. Three goals before half-time gave Napoli a new lease of life in their 3-4-3 system, but will this change sustain results?

Tactical analysis and match report by Joel Parker.

Traditionally, international breaks are used for clubs to wind down with the first team on their travels. However, in both Naples and Bergamo, meetings had been held to save their respective campaigns.

It was inevitable that Antonio Conte was going to face some friction, especially after a dreadful run of results. Zero goals in three games, the team's inability to create has not been more prevalent. Conte will cite external matters, but his blueprint has always struggled to consistently put teams under pressure. Nevertheless, he is correct in his assessments. A judge in Rome has referred both the club and its president, Aurelio De Laurentiis, to trial on false accounting allegations, mostly involving Victor Osimhen’s transfer back in 2020. Conte took an unexpected week off away from the training facilities at Castel Volturno, which has only fuelled questions around his future at the Champions.

Turbulent times had struck Atalanta too. The hiring of Ivan Jurić sparked little enthusiasm, despite him having always been looked at as a Gasperini replacement. Alas, Atalanta have played in an identical way and won just twice this season. A very public bust-up with Lookman, on the bench in

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