The Italian star manager is like a wind-up car. – Really good in the beginning, but eventually, preferably in season two when the elastic becomes looser, Antonio Conte becomes more and more frustrated as the results on the pitch deteriorate.
Antonio Conte’s modus operandi has not changed at Napoli.
Read: Fortunately, Everton, Como and AC Milan were busy with completely different things than Sørloth and Atletico Madrid on Sunday
Antonio Conte confirms he is leaving Napoli after what he sees as a “mediocre” season
Antonio Conte is leaving Napoli after two seasons as manager. The announcement came during a press conference with club president Aurelio De Laurentiis after Sunday’s season finale against Udinese at home at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Conte took over Napoli in the summer of 2024, and in his first season as head coach, he led the club to its fifth Serie A title. The Italian had previously won three league titles with Juventus and one with Inter Milan.
Read: One of the world’s best coaches was so thoroughly wrong about Martin Ødegaard
But this season, Napoli failed to repeat their success. The team eventually finished in second place – a full 11 points behind champions Inter.
“I’ve never been one to accept mediocrity”
Conte admitted that tensions had developed both in the squad and behind the scenes during the season.
“After the Bologna game, I noticed several situations I didn’t like. It takes courage to speak your mind, even there,” Conte said.
“I’ve never been one to accept mediocre seasons, and I never will be. I was even willing to resign. Some of the new signings simply didn’t fit into the existing squad. Some very difficult dynamics developed that had to be handled.
The road so far: From Juventus hero to Premier League adventure
Antonio Conte is one of the most winning managers of his generation. He started his coaching career at Arezzo, Bari and Siena, before making his breakthrough as Juventus manager in 2011. There he built an undefeated machine and won three straight Serie A titles.
After a spell as Italian national team manager, he took over Chelsea in 2016. In his first season, he won the Premier League and at the same time set a new record for most wins in a single season (30). The following year, he followed it up with an FA Cup triumph.
In 2019, he took over Inter Milan and broke Juventus’ nine-year dominance by winning Serie A in 2020/21. This was followed by a short and turbulent spell at Tottenham, before returning to Italy in 2024 to manage Napoli.
Now the Napoli adventure is over.
“The decision was mine”
Conte said that talks with players and club management eventually convinced him that his cycle at Napoli was over.
“I was lucky to have a group I could be honest with. We sorted it out. We said to each other that we had to stand together, and we moved on,” Conte added.
“I called the chairman of the board a month ago. I didn’t want to hear anything more. I told him, “Given the friendship we share, I feel like my time here is coming to an end.” The decision was mine.
Read: Zlatan Ibrahimovic does not escape massive criticism from supporters
