Napoli, Conte back at Castel Volturno: tense mood before squad talks | OneFootball

Antonio Conte returns today to the Castel Volturno training center after a week of total isolation. The resumption of training, scheduled for 2:30 PM, will mark the first contact between the coach and the team after the heavy defeat in Bologna, an episode that deeply strained internal relations and left evident repercussions within the group.

Napoli, Conte returns to Castel Volturno: tense atmosphere and anticipation for the face-to-face with the team

The scenario awaiting Conte is not the simplest: the locker room is shaken, the team appears lost, and the coach has hinted, with his post-match words, that he felt betrayed, especially by the more experienced players.

Silence as a strategy: Conte and the “marine cap” method

According to multiple sources, Conte's decision to distance himself from the group for a week was anything but improvised. The absence of the coach, with Stellini directing the training sessions, was a calculated move to let his harsh and direct statements, made after the collapse at Dall’Ara, settle. His intention was to avoid immediate confrontations and let the discontent that emerged in the following hours settle.

During these days, the coach maintained an absolute level of confidentiality. As reported by a member of the Azzurri environment: “Conte did not even respond to his trusted men. It was a sought-after isolation, functional to delve into internal dynamics without external influences.”

The central point of the crisis, according to Il Mattino, concerns the Conte method, described as an almost military, rigid, and all-encompassing approach, which in such a busy schedule could be excessive for part of the group. Some players believe that the intensity of the training sessions and the constant demand for top performances have contributed to the increase in injuries, including the latest case of Anguissa.

However, Conte has already drawn a clear line: “It is not the coach who must adapt, but the team.”

This is demonstrated by the decision to confirm double training sessions even during the international break week.

The new phase: individual talks and no mediation

The return to Castel Volturno will open a decisive phase. Conte intends to meet individually with several players, not to mediate, but to define roles, responsibilities, and expectations. There will be no discounts or concessions.

According to those close to the coach, Conte will present a precise request: unity and total dedication. The risk, otherwise, is a detachment from the technical project that could become irreparable.

The team awaits these hours with some apprehension: the confrontation will be necessary to understand if the group is willing to fully follow a methodical, tough, but extremely demanding path.

De Laurentiis aligned with the coach: total support and market plan

Aurelio De Laurentiis will not be present today at the sports center, but his support for the coach has been clear. The president considers Conte a fundamental resource and has chosen to grant him maximum autonomy in managing the locker room.

In recent days, the owner reiterated his position: “Conte has my total trust. He is the right man to lead Napoli where we want to go.”

A preliminary discussion on the January market has also already begun, with the intention of intervening to strengthen the squad in some key areas.

Conte will speak publicly again only on Friday, on the eve of the match against Atalanta, but the real psychological game begins today: the one to rebuild a group that urgently needs to regain identity, cohesion, and confidence.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.