Former Napoli ace Paolo Di Canio has waxed lyrical about new manager Antonio Conte amid Partenopei’s inspiring Serie A start. Only a few months after finishing tenth, the three-time Italian champions are back to the top for the first time in over 430 days.
That’s largely thanks to Conte. The ex-Inter and Juventus head coach has reinstilled a winning mentality at Napoli, turning a downtrodden team into a genuine title contender. Indeed, his men headed into October’s international break as Serie A pacesetters, boasting a two-point lead on defending champions Inter.
Napoli trounced newly promoted Como 3-1 last time out to fortify their position at the table’s summit, convincing Di Canio that Conte is the only viable candidate to rebuild the Partenopei from scratch.
“He was born to resurrect teams of the dead. His history shows it. Conte is made for this: he’s a ‘nerd,’ one who I adore for how he manages to hammer his teams. And he can even lead Napoli to win the Scudetto,” Di Canio said, as reported by Il Mattino.
Discussing Conte’s outstanding work at Napoli, Di Canio maintained they are not alone at the top by chance.
“He’s first. And deservedly so. He’s gotten into the players’ heads, motivated them, he’s the strong man that was missing, the hammer, the true heir to Trapattoni in Italy,” Di Canio added.
On top of that, he believes Napoli could reclaim the Scudetto this season.
“If Inter and Juventus continue like this, with these slowdowns, no problems. They can do it even if the others improve but on the condition that Napoli grows in offensive maneuvers, in defensive work, in nastiness for the entire ninety minutes.“
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