My managerial Spidey sense is tingling, and Antonio Conte is starting to give off some major wantaway vibes. Anyone with a cursory knowledge of Conte’s managerial career will be able to identify a specific pattern.
He comes into a club with insane passion and vigour, transforms said club into a successful unit, then leaves after falling out with the club hierarchy. Conte is the Leo Di Caprio of football management: he can’t settle down. Is his Napoli honeymoon period coming to an end? Or is the media possibly being a bit preemptive? Lest we forget, the defending Scudetto champs are only two points off the top of the current Serie A standings. However, hearing Conte question the heart of his players after their most recent defeat should be cause for concern (he said that he can’t perform heart transplants). There have been rumours of player revolt, with some taking exception to his gruelling, unpredictable training schedule. Napoli are reportedly involved in crunch talks with Conte as I write this. I have seen this movie before.
Worrying performances
The defending Serie A champs were woeful this past weekend, falling 2-0 at Bologna to fall to 4th in the current standings. It was a listless, uninspired outing, with Rasmus Hojlund cutting an increasingly frustrated figure leading the line (oh, there’s the guy who played for Manchester United). The result marked the Partenopei’s 3rd successive blank following turgid 0-0 draws with Como and Eintracht Frankfurt. Their recent domestic slide pales in comparison to their European woes, which included a soul-destroying 6-2 defeat at PSV. Napoli’s squad just doesn’t appear to have the depth of talent to compete effectively on both fronts.
Lacking Focus
I think the striking department is really killing the Naples giants (not exactly a hot-take after three successive blanks). But let’s look at the broader picture. Romelu Lukaku was their lead scorer in the league last season, netting a respectable 14 goals despite a waning overall influence. Napoli’s current Serie A top-scorers are De Bruyne and Anguissa (4). They both play in midfield. Rasmus Hojlund enjoyed a fast start but has since reverted to the irritable, easily distracted no.9 that wandered around Old Trafford like a disgruntled traffic cop. Say what you will about Lukaku, he offered a clear focal point and had the ability to link with the midfield. I think that Conte may need to dip into the January transfer window for some kind of quick fix (if he gets that far). But perhaps the problem begins and ends with the man in the dugout.
The Conte Cycle
As I alluded to earlier, Conte possesses a very noticeable, mercenary pattern that sets him apart from other European managers. During his stints at Juve, Chelsea, and Inter, Conte enjoyed incredible success based on insane passion and squad cohesion. His demented sideline antics make him a cult hero with fans. He is tactically flexible and brings out the best of the squads at his disposal (look at what he achieved at Chelsea after converting to a back-three). But since his three successive titles at Juve, Conte has struggled to find repeat success. The cycle is as follows: he succeeds, other teams adapt, and then he starts to project, making the club hierarchy the scapegoat for his own personal failings.
A changing narrative
At Juve and Inter, Conte railed against the owners for not investing adequately after reaching the promised land. At Chelsea, he rebelled against the internal transfer policies, seemingly demanding discretionary power on all incoming and outgoing transfers (which just isn’t the way that clubs work these days). And now he has completely switched tact, criticizing the Napoli board for destabilizing the club with too many new acquisitions! I can’t see the logic in that. Regardless of the context, Conte just can’t wait to position himself as the victim of the big-bad owners. As successful as he has been, it takes a different type of manager to maintain success over extended periods.
Boredom or something deeper
Is Conte one of those guys who just constantly craves a new challenge? Or is there something more Machiavellian at work? At this point, it feels like Conte is deliberately cultivating an anti-authoritarian mystique. Since Juve, he hasn’t stayed at a club long enough to see if he can sustain Guardiola-type success. I think he enjoys the fact that his previous club’s supporters look at him as the one that got away (as opposed to the one who got disinterested and left). That’s not as cool a look. Is this just his way of avoiding the challenge of building a dynasty? I guess time will tell. I personally feel that it won’t be too long until we see him in the Juve dugout once again (sorry Spalletti).
