Juve vs Napoli: Conte returns to Juve, Motta prioritises players’ performance over Conte’s return

Juventus and Napoli faceoff as Antonio Conte returns at the Allianz Stadium for the first time as Napoli coach.

Conte enjoyed a successful career at Juventus as both a player and a coach, winning several titles as both.

Napoli have started the season brightly, following the controversial loss of their star striker, Victor Osimhen, on loan to Galatasaray. They have won three out of four games, losing only to Hellas Verona on the opening match.

Juventus are however without a loss this season, winning two and drawing two. They also marked their return to the Champions League with a 3-1 win over PSV.

Ahead of the clash, Thiago Motta stressed the importance of his player performance rather than reminiscing Conte’s return to Allianz. He emphasised that the spotlight should be on the players rather than himself or Conte. “Tomorrow it’s Juventus-Napoli. The players are the protagonists at the end of the day. They must give their best”, he told reporters.

The Juve manager also praised the Napoli squad and expressed his expectation in the game as ‘great’, as he believed both teams are experienced and would face the game with high responsibility and seriousness.

He said, “They are a good team, I’ve said that before that they’re a team built to challenge for the scudetto. Not long ago they won the title, they expressed extraordinary football”.

“We expected a great game filled with many strong players on the pitch, confronting each other and seeing what we can do in front of our fans. Facing the game with seriousness, responsibility and respect for our opponent. When we have the ball my team is solid. As a whole we press well. Then we regroup and have a solid defensive block. We will try to not create as many spaces between the lines as Kvara can be anywhere. Lukaku is a good player”, he added.

Motta relished his relationship with the Napoli coach, tagging it a fantastic one. He admitted that it was a pleasure working under Conte, during the Euro 2016.

He also acknowledged that not participating in European competitions might benefit Napoli’s league ambitions. However, he stressed that Juventus must tackle each opponent one match at a time given their schedule constraints.

On the other end, Antonio Conte expressed excitement about facing the home fans after a long time. He left Juventus back in 2014. The last few times he went back while in charge of Inter were played largely behind closed doors due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

During his pre-match press conference, Conte reiterated the need for Napoli to improve as he believes that the transfer window is partly to blame for the slow start.

He also believed Juventus will not be satisfied with last season performance. “I don’t think a team like Juve can be satisfied with a third place finish and being such a long way off Inter, and we can’t be satisfied finishing 20 points behind them, Milan and 40 off Inter”, he said.

However, he explained that his team is trying to find their balance as he hoped the clash would also help out.

Conte also expressed his affection for Juventus. “13 years at Juve as a player while captaining for several years, winning practically everything. I am part of Juve’s history because of what I have done and given them.”

The upcoming clash between Juventus and Napoli promises an exciting encounter with both teams eager to assert dominance early in the season while focusing on individual player development within their squads.