Antonio Conte, who bid farewell to Serie A giants Napoli, could be handed the reins to the Italian national team, say reports, in a bid to restore the Azzuri to their old glory after the fabled side missed out on yet another World Cup.
Reports suggest that Conte, could yet retain his residence in Napoli’s Chiaia, despite having bid farewell to the Serie A outfit, who he led to the a fourth Scudetto in the 2024/25 season, with the prospect of managing the Azzuri, with a plan through to the 2030 World Cup campaign in the works.
Silvio Baldini has served as the caretaker of the Gli Azzuri after Gennaro Gattuso stepped down from his role at the head of the four-time WC winners following their failure to make it to the quadrennial spectacle in North
America.
Napoli, finished Conte’s final season at the club second behind champions Inter as the side from the south of Italy tallied 76 points in their campaign, eleven points behind Inter.
The conclusion of Conte’s stint at Napoli was marred by star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne’s comments, in which the Belgian playmaker expressed his disappointment with the gaffer’s style of management and play. Conte’s assistant coach, Cristian Stellini, however, jumped to defend the seasoned manager.
“Maybe it makes little sense for Napoli to bring in players who are 33 years old with an important past and who think more about aesthetics than the result of a season,” Stellini said.
“If players with this kind of experience have to arrive, they should at least serve as an example to the youngsters of enthusiasm and joy in living a piazza like Napoli. He didn’t convey either joy or enthusiasm to me; I wish him in the future to live experiences more similar to what he wants, maybe already with the national team under Garcia.”
“I was very struck last season by how he fit in at Milan, leading his teammates with leadership and enthusiasm even while playing in a team that expressed a very pragmatic style of football, achieving excellent results and never passing judgment on the management or the coach. Being a professional also means being able to understand what you need to do to make the environment you work in the best possible, by setting an example,” he added.
