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After the Supercoppa Italiana, which Napoli won, Antonio Conte claimed that his side were not at the level of clubs like AC Milan, leaving many baffled.
Being a manager offers two pathways, it seems. Either the one towards downplaying your achievements, and the other towards boasting when possible, and then there is Conte. A brilliant manager, of course. However, a confusing one at the same time.
After winning the Scudetto last season, he has regularly taken the underdog approach this season, and even after winning the Supercoppa, he took this approach again.
Conte’s explanation
Speaking to DAZN after their win this weekend, he claimed that his team is potentially not at the level of others, as Football Italia relays.
“We celebrate a wonderful year where we in my view did something truly unexpected and extraordinary with the Scudetto, then capped off with the Supercoppa, as beating teams like Milan, Inter and Bologna in that tournament was special too.
“In my view, we just started this journey. Our infrastructure isn’t ready. I feel Juventus, Inter and Milan have the structure, strength in depth and wage bills that are above all the other clubs.
“Every time someone other than that group wins a trophy, it means something truly extraordinary has happened. We mustn’t bury our heads in the sand and act like we are on the same level as these clubs.
“We try to bridge the gap as much as possible with hard work and dedication, but we cannot ignore that the gap exists.”
All things considered, most would put Napoli near the top of the structural leaderboard in Serie A, given that Conte has been in his position longer than the other coaches. However, he does not see it that way…
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