Napoli – Bologna: Conte’s Napoli Turn The Tides With Home Win At The Maradona (3-0)

Antonio Conte’s Napoli got the much-needed three points in their first home game of the season at the Diego Maradona. Goals from Di Lorenzo, Kvaratskhelia & Simeone gave Conte’s side a statement home victory after their 3-0 loss to Verona on the opening matchday of the season. 

Tactical analysis and match report by Gaurav Krishnan. 

Antonio Conte is perhaps a paradox in himself. The Italian manager does seem to deliver results & trophies but that doesn’t come without a tradeoff between winning and the controversy & chaos that inherently seems to follow him wherever he goes. Conte’s latest project at Napoli started in some upheaval with a shock opening day loss to Verona. For a Napoli side that is in a bit of a flux, with Victor Osimhen’s future uncertain & Romelu Lukaku seemingly on his way from Chelsea, the last thing Conte needed was being humbled by a 3-0 loss on matchday one. However, judging Conte by just one game or suggesting that he’s a spent force might just reiterate the Italian slang term ‘Che Palle!’.

Osimhen may have fallen out with the Napoli fans but Conte’s ethos is centred around teamwork & the collective and his statements during his title-winning spell at Chelsea outline his philosophy “I prefer to lose a game than have selfish players”. But this is a team that won the Scudetto two seasons ago and Conte will be judged by the end of . . .