Read the Editorial in Italian on ilNewyorkese
Between Conte’s team and Spalletti’s, at the moment, there are two clear levels of difference—despite Napoli’s injury emergency—and it was fully visible on the pitch.
Mission accomplished: Antonio Conte has succeeded in bringing a team that only a few weeks ago appeared drained and stripped of the hunger that drove them to last year’s title back to full competitiveness and into the Scudetto race.
His outburst in early November, after the heavy defeat to Bologna (“I’m worried—after their last Scudetto, Napoli finished tenth. I don’t want to accompany a dead man…”) had the intended effect. Just over a month later, Napoli are back at the top of the table, achieving crucial wins in direct clashes: three straight Serie A victories against Atalanta, Roma and Juventus, plus their Champions League win over Qarabag and progression in the Coppa Italia.
Sunday night’s match against Juventus was an Azzurri monologue: Napoli dominated the game, won every second ball, prevailed in individual duels and imposed their pace on a disoriented Juventus side, one that still looks far from anything resembling Spalletti’s footballing vision.
I won’t go deep into the tactical analysis of the match or Spalletti’s initial (and ineffective) choice not to field a striker to avoid giving markers to the defense. Instead, I want to highlight the individual performances that, combined, produced a complete team display. Elmas, deployed as a holding midfielder in an emergency to partner McTominay, delivered brilliantly. Højlund worked tirelessly up front, as usual, but also rediscovered his touch in front of goal, scoring the decisive brace. Beukema, Rrahmani and Buongiorno once again proved to be exceptional defenders capable of anchoring the entire back line.
And then there are Conte’s “miracles,” Neres and Lang—decisive with their attacking quality but also, and perhaps even more impressively, fundamental in providing balance through their defensive commitment. Why call them miracles? The hyperbole is intentional: Neres has always been a player of flashes—moments of skill, acceleration, but also inconsistency. He has never been a natural stabilizer for the teams he played for. Lang arrived from the Eredivisie, where defending might as well not exist, and it seemed impossible to expect tactical discipline from him so quickly, especially out of possession. Yet these two have become Napoli’s offensive focal points and, at the same time, its defensive equalizers, enabling the team’s transformation.
If Napoli are once again among the favorites to win the title, the credit goes entirely to their leader, Antonio Conte, who clearly won his duel with Spalletti and enjoyed the satisfaction of beating his former club once again.
Speaking of Spalletti, the deafening boos from the Maradona crowd during team introductions genuinely hurt to hear. The coach from Certaldo certainly has rough edges, and it’s understandable that fans are angry he chose Juventus as his return to Serie A—especially after stating he wouldn’t coach another Italian club. Still, he was the catalyst for Napoli’s renaissance, the man who brought the Scudetto back to the shadow of Vesuvius after more than 30 years. Napoli’s run in the 2022–23 season was extraordinary, and the joy he brought to the Azzurri people was immense.
It’s a real shame that so much love has evaporated so quickly—just as it happened in Rome, with that clumsy ending involving Totti. His karma seems to drag him, partly through his own questionable decisions, into the hostility of fanbases he once enchanted, cities where he was a proud leader capable of achieving results while respecting aesthetic principles of play.
It is also painful to see a coach of his caliber reduced to the role of caretaker for a team built with no clear plan by a club far removed from the competent, dominant organization it once was. As I wrote on Saturday, Juventus should have given Spalletti full authority to build the project, investing in his expertise and on-field leadership. Instead, they are treating him like someone who still has everything to prove—signed only until the end of the season, with any extension depending solely on results. No project, no vision. Under these conditions, performing well is difficult, and laying the groundwork for a future revival is nearly impossible.
L’articolo Serie A: Brilliant Napoli Beat Juventus and Climb to the Top of the Table proviene da Soccer Made In Italy.
