Napoli in Dimaro: Buongiorno, Gilmour out, Conte faces injuries | OneFootball

In the recently concluded summer retreat in Dimaro, amidst enthusiasm and passion from the fans – with 50,000 present in the Trentino retreat – some problems did not go unnoticed, which are inevitably conditioning Antonio Conte's work.

Napoli, Dimaro joys and sorrows: Buongiorno and Gilmour still recovering, Conte forced to deal with injuries

The main issue remains that of injuries. The Salento technician, in fact, has not yet been able to count on two fundamental players in the squad: Alessandro Buongiorno and Billy Gilmour, both dealing with a long recovery from injuries that affected them in the previous season. Only yesterday, the two players resumed running with the rest of the group, but they are still far from optimal form.

However, physical difficulties are not limited to them. Scott McTominay, Matteo Politano, Frank Anguissa, and Giovanni Simeone also experienced a retreat that was anything but serene: between aches, muscle injuries, and precautionary absences, Conte had a strongly limited squad at his disposal, especially in the first weeks of preparation.

The Buongiorno case: significant investment, but conditioned by stops

Particular attention deserves the situation of Alessandro Buongiorno, central defender born in 1999 and the most expensive acquisition of Napoli's summer session.

According to what was reported by the Corriere dello Sport, the former Torino central defender experienced a troubled season: 16 missed games, almost half of the championship, due to a long series of physical problems.

The first injury – a fracture of the transverse processes of the lumbar vertebrae – occurred just before Christmas following a fall during training. The return to the field arrived only on February 15, in the game against Lazio. After some good performances, however, Buongiorno reported new discomfort: first, a tendinopathy of the long adductor of the right thigh, then a muscle resentment that excluded him from several crucial games in the final part of the season.

Despite these significant absences, Napoli managed to maintain the best defense in the championship, a sign of the solidity of the rear department and the group's ability to adapt, even in emergency situations.

The shadow of the attack: Conte studies solutions

If the defense held up, the attack instead represents a still unresolved node. The numbers speak clearly: only two goals scored in the first 180 minutes of summer friendlies. A worrying fact, especially considering the offensive difficulties already emerged in the previous season. Conte is working to find new mechanisms and to insert the new signings into his game system in the best possible way, but time and, above all, a complete squad will be needed.

The impact of the public and "open" training sessions

Another element that affected summer preparation concerns the management of training sessions. The extremely high attendance of the public forced the technical staff to give up closed-door training sessions for reasons of public order. A limitation not to be underestimated for a methodical coach like Conte, who had planned more tactical sessions away from prying eyes.

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