Conte urges Napoli: “Let’s unite” after PSV collapse | OneFootball

After the Champions League defeat, the Napoli coach revitalizes the team with a new internal pact ahead of the championship clash against Inter

Napoli, Conte shakes up Napoli: “Let’s rediscover the ‘we’.” Appeal to the veterans after the collapse against PSV

Following the heavy defeat in Eindhoven against PSV in the Champions League, Antonio Conte returned to lead Napoli with a clear message to the team: “It’s time to find ourselves, to rediscover the ‘we’.”

The resumption of training in Castel Volturno turned into a direct confrontation between the coach and the team’s veterans, with the goal of bouncing back immediately, starting with the next league match against Inter.

Conte’s pact with the veterans

According to reports from Corriere della Sera and La Gazzetta dello Sport, Conte wanted to gather the more experienced players, the so-called “veterans,” for a decisive yet constructive talk. “The commander has taken the helm of the ship again,” writes the newspaper, “the turn, in this moment of calm, can be decisive.”

The coach reiterated his trust in his men, calling everyone back to the moral and sporting values that should characterize the group. “Let’s rediscover the concept of ‘we’,” he reportedly told his leaders, asking for unity and collective responsibility to face a delicate moment of the season.

Leadership and identity: Conte’s recipe

Conte did not look for excuses nor did he point fingers at individuals. His request to the veterans – from Di Lorenzo to Politano, including Meret and Zielinski – is clear: to rediscover identity and team spirit. No tactical upheaval, but a psychological jolt to restore cohesion to a group that, in recent European outings, has shown signs of disorientation.

In Eindhoven, in fact, Napoli had succumbed 6-0 to PSV in one of the worst recent performances under Conte’s management. A result that left a mark, but which the coach intends to turn into motivational fuel.

Towards Napoli-Inter: focus and silence

On Saturday evening at the Diego Armando Maradona, Inter arrives for a direct clash that could be worth much more than three points. Conte knows that a victory against his former team would mean reigniting the championship race and erasing the shadows of the Champions League.

No lineup revolutions: the 4-1-4-1 will be confirmed, with the possible return of Rasmus Højlund at the center of the attack. But the match, for the coach from Salento, is played first and foremost in the mind. The internal message was clear: “We need pride, we need the group. Let’s not give up.”

Post-PSV management: balance and firmness

In recent hours at Castel Volturno, there has been an only apparent calm. Conte, while maintaining his usual firmness, has chosen the path of dialogue to reignite internal motivation. Those who know him know he does not tolerate lapses in concentration, but also knows when it’s time to bring the locker room together.

The request to the veterans is not only tactical but symbolic: to become the point of reference for the younger players, to guide them through the most difficult moment, to defend the group both on and off the field.

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