Why this is best chance for Antonio Conte to go far in Europe | OneFootball

Antonio Conte’s poor track record in European competitions is often a beating stick against the Italian. Despite having won multiple Serie A titles, Conte has always failed in Europe and there is no way to suggest otherwise.

There are multiple reasons behind that, as the Italian struggles with squad rotation when his teams play two games in a week. His in-game management is either flawed or fails to take the long-term picture into account. Those weaknesses are obvious but there is enough reason to believe that at Napoli this season, Conte has his best chance of making a mark in Europe.

One reason is the immense squad depth at his disposal. Reports in Italy have suggested that Conte wanted depth purely to rotate his team while keeping in mind European competitions and largely, he got the investment needed. There are a range of options in attack and the backline. Even though the midfield depth can cause issues down the line, Conte has shown enough adaptability at Napoli to show that he is not the older version of him anymore.

That is why the second reason is much more important.

Unlike his previous stints at Tottenham, Chelsea, Inter and Juventus, Conte has proven that he is not fixated on the same 3-5-2 or 3-4-3 system anymore.

While the fundamentals of how Napoli score goals remain the same, the shape alters constantly on the basis of the players available. On top of that, Napoli play the 4-1-4-1 only on paper. They have different shapes on the basis of the game state and they adapt to whatever the opposition throws at them. They often build with a back-three, with captain Gio di Lorenzo coming narrow and Matteo Politano holding the entirety of the right-flank.

If Napoli are pressed, one of the two number 8s drop deeper to support Stanislav Lobotka and have an extra man against the pressing opposition. Usually this season, Kevin de Bruyne has often been seen operating deeper than he did at Manchester City. If the opposition sits deeper, the Partenopei build only with Lobotka and often, Di Lorenzo too occupies a right-back role, allowing Politano to stay in the final third.

The usage of Scott McTominay is a hallmark to this. The ex-Manchester United man is always around the box because that is his fundamental strength. As a result, the centre-forwards always link-up with one of the number 8s, allowing the Scotland man the space to run in-behind. There is a lot of emphasis on central overloads because of this, allowing for incredibly flexible movement in the final third.

There is also evidence to show that Conte has moved away from making very fixed substitutions. The squad has a lot of variety and instead of sticking to a shape, he tailors it to the strengths of whichever player steps onto the pitch off the bench. More of this will be seen when Lorenzo Lucca, who is more of a poacher in the box, plays regularly and how Conte’s system changes to fit him.

This is vastly different to what the Italian did at his previous clubs and he was criticised for it. At Napoli, he has evolved significantly and has moved away from a positionalist heavy approach to a system which also relies on relationism and reliance on players just playing to their strengths.

This is perhaps done to make sure that the team doesn’t fall away from the Luciano Spalletti way, which was also fairly relationist in nature.

This will make sure that Conte adapts to situations in the Champions League and adapts to the schedule that Napoli will face this season.

Kaustubh Pandey I GIFN