SSC Napoli dreams of the championship: Conte has always won

Three points ahead: SSC Napoli leads the Serie A table. A situation that amounts to a miracle; before the start of the season, no one expected the Sky Blues to be in contention for the Italian title. Not even Conte himself, who said after the last time they secured the top spot a week ago: "The Scudetto would be a miracle!"

The starting position was anything but optimal. Napoli had experienced a season with three coaches in the summer. Francesco Calzona, the last to be given a chance, had led the team to tenth place in the table. At one point, fans demanded that the first team be swapped for the U19s – Calzona expressed understanding: "I can only personally apologize once again to the fans – especially to those who sacrifice so much by following us everywhere."

The coaching personnel decision therefore seemed less surprising: Antonio Conte returned to the football world after a break of about a year and signed with Napoli. A personnel decision that made a statement. At least in retrospect. Conte summarized his ambitions at a press conference: "I have certain expectations of myself. Everyone who hires Conte says they'll finish first or second, even if they were tenth last season."

Considering Conte's previous career, these expectations are justified. Conte's spells at Juventus, Inter Milan, and Chelsea followed a similar pattern. Upon his arrival, he found a team in crisis that had little to do with the championship challenge. Within a short period of time, he managed a sporting turnaround that culminated in at least one title win. Exuberant celebrations over the successes were followed by a quick departure – often due to personal conflicts.

His time at Juventus is one of the best examples of his influence on the club's development. Before he began his work, Juventus found themselves in the middle of Serie A in 2011. Their last championship had already been eight years ago, and fans could only dream of the successes of the 1990s on the international stage. Conte, who experienced this era as a player, was well aware of the objective. He began the search for an optimal formation and initially stabilized the Bianconeri's defense. The back three of Leonardo Bonucci, Andrea Barzagli, and Giorgio Chiellini became a key pillar of the squad. The change was successful: Juventus conceded just 20 goals in the 2011/12 season and won the title. Former Juventus player Paolo de Ceglie summarized Conte's influence on the club and the players in an interview with The Gentleman Ultra : "Conte taught me the most important thing: how to win."

After three years of continued success, the club and coach suddenly left – the club and coach agreed to terminate his contract early. A decision that shocked many in the middle of preseason. Conte explained in the official announcement: "It may become more difficult to win titles with Juventus in the future. I've matured over time, and my gut feeling led me to this decision."

Since leaving Juve, Conte has worked in various positions, most of which he didn't last longer than two seasons. But after around ten months in charge in Naples, Conte has a good chance of winning the Scudetto again. The squad planning, which was thrown into further flux in the winter with the sudden departure of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, has been successful overall. Scott McTominay, in particular, quickly developed into a regular starter and key player. The Scot currently has eleven goals and four assists in Serie A. Up front, Romelu Lukaku has almost made people forget about Victor Osimhen's departure. Lukaku has twelve goals and ten assists this season. Another key factor in Napoli's success has been the stabilization of their defense – the league leaders have conceded the fewest goals in Serie A so far.

Conte himself has now also expressed his title ambitions in concrete terms: "We have to see the Scudetto as our goal. Simply qualifying for Europe wouldn't be enough; expectations are growing, and the rest have to follow suit." Napoli's remaining schedule confirms Conte's hopes: there are four matches against teams from the bottom third of the table. And unlike their closest rivals Inter Milan, Napoli aren't represented in any European competition and can focus entirely on the league.

If Napoli actually win the Italian title, it would be the third club Conte has coached as a manager. No other club has ever done that before. And, as with his previous clubs, rumors of a departure after his first season are circulating. Kvaratskhelia's departure in the winter came as a surprise to Conte – as he said: "He asked the club to sell him. I'm disappointed. It came like a bolt from the blue." His departure has not yet been compensated for by another transfer. Disagreements with the club's management regarding squad planning could prompt Conte to leave the city on Mount Vesuvius as early as this summer.

But he still has a contract that runs until 2027 and is on his way to continuing to do what he has always been able to do: win.