Napoli, Giuffredi: "No issues with Conte, Lobotka not a concern..." | OneFootball

Mario Giuffredi, agent – among others – of Di Lorenzo and Politano, spoke on Radio Crc to comment on the current situation of the Azzurri team, reports Tuttonapoli

Napoli, Giuffredi: “Mutual respect and trust with Conte, just fantasies and unnecessary alarmism. On Lobotka…”

“Napoli situation? Let's try to clarify and avoid alarmism, Napoli was at the top of the standings for a while, today they are two points behind the first and still in the Champions League race. Certainly, the Azzurri are experiencing a difficult moment as all Italian teams have, starting with Inter. Napoli's position in the standings is better than many teams like Atalanta and Lazio who are far from the top. In these three months, Napoli has experienced positive and negative moments with declines and insufficient performances. It can happen over the course of a season, but to say that Napoli's journey so far has been negative is not correct. Unfortunately, in our city, there is little balance and a lot of alarmism. I read about people inventing fantasies and creating alarmism. We must be calm and have faith in this team. Certainly, more could have been done, but this does not justify all these criticisms that do not help and do not benefit the Azzurri environment. In the last few hours, there have been rumors of a possible quarrel between the players and the coach. To everyone, starting with the journalists, I say: enough with these fantasies. It's all false. I talk to my players every day and they tell me that there is a great relationship between the coach and the team and that the Azzurri group follows him in everything and has never questioned him even slightly. Moreover, I read falsehoods about my clients requesting an appointment with the coach. These are false news, Politano and Di Lorenzo are two authoritative players who follow the coach and do everything he asks. I assure you that there is mutual respect and trust between Napoli and Conte and there has never been the will from the players, the veterans, or the club to question Antonio Conte's work.

Lobotka case? It was a joking remark by the agent that triggered all this storm, but beyond that, the agent's statements do not represent the player's certified will. Many times I have spoken and discussed with my players because they disagreed. What is not correct is all this clamor that does not exist and was created over an agent's words when Lobotka is having an extraordinary championship with Antonio Conte. Get it out of your head that Politano and Di Lorenzo met the coach, none of what has been said is true! Di Lorenzo and Politano would throw themselves into the fire to do what the coach says, they like all Napoli players, as if they were at war. Moreover, on the issue of the veterans, I feel like saying that thanks to the work done with Antonio Conte, these players manage to achieve the maximum sports performance despite reaching an age where it is easier for them to have physical problems. All this has been achieved thanks to Conte's work on the physicality and intensity of play with which he makes his players work. Therefore, this hoax about tensions between the veterans and the coach is yet another storm launched to create alarmism and fantasy. On the criticisms of Antonio Conte, let me say that it does not seem correct to me that a coach like him who arrived in Naples where there was a disastrous situation caused by the earthquake of the previous season, won a championship when the goal was to finish in the top four and brought players to Naples thanks to his appeal, should throw away everything he has done. Antonio Conte lives Napoli 24 hours a day. He has no private life, for him Napoli is a matter of life and death. Certainly, he has made some mistakes too, but all these criticisms towards him and how the fans and the environment around are repaying him are not correct. He goes beyond the technical work with the team.

Post-match statements? As one of the strongest teams in Italy, the point with the Lombards was not a given. In that match, many players sacrificed themselves, Conte expressed what he thought at that moment. After the match with Bologna, his words must be contextualized. Conte cannot accept defeat and knowing the coach and his winning mentality he speaks that way because there is a lot of disappointment and anger for the match result and he gives signals of electricity to the environment with the defibrillator to give a jolt to the players. You do not know Antonio Conte, he is a worker, his work is a matter of life. Conte cares a lot about Napoli. Those words were not said with a cool head, but after a match, you have to take into account his state of mind. Conte is passionate, the Azzurri coach spoke after a football disappointment, for him defeat is equivalent to death. I am sure that today he does not think those words. Antonio Conte will not abandon the ship.

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Rest for Di Lorenzo and Politano? I agree, rest is needed and the coach could have spared them on some occasions to let them rest. However, Conte is an intelligent person and do not think that he has not thought about certain situations. He must have had his reasons for making them play continuously during the matches. We do not live the training week with him and therefore we cannot know what his thoughts are. In the same way, I say that there are young players within the squad who would deserve more space because they are good. At this moment of the season, they could give you more hunger and energy, but Conte does not speak just to speak, he also knows what he is doing about this. He knows why he has not played them.

Vergara? I cannot answer if he can replace Anguissa after his injury. I am his agent. However, I can say that young players are the energy of the team, at this moment when the team is struggling they can revitalize the team again with hunger, grit, enthusiasm, and energy and give you something more but it is the coach who must decide and he must have had his reasons for not playing them. I am sure that sooner or later he will make them play and be calm about Conte's work. Antonio Conte is not my best friend, but the criticisms have been exaggerated. Stop crucifying the coach this way, after a match like the one against Bologna it is normal for a coach to express himself that way in a press conference. We should worry about the opposite, that is if we had a coach who would have told us that we played a good match. Let's thank the coach for what he has done and for what he is doing for Napoli. I am an agent who counts about thirty players among his clients and I am a Napoli fan. At this moment we must be an extra weapon. I have never attacked anyone nor have I sided with the coach. The priority is the good of Napoli and the serenity of the group.

Pioli's failure? Not surprised, I expected it from the first day he arrived at Fiorentina. For this, many will take back what they said about Antonio Conte. The two Italian coaches who have achieved the best results in Italy are Italiano and Gasperini. For those who do not live football, it may be a surprise, for me, however, it is obvious what the two coaches have done. Italiano, like Gasperini, is ready for a big club, but the best coach we have is called Antonio Conte.”

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