Antonio Conte beats Luciano Spalletti: Aurelio De Laurentiis goes down flat

Napoli-Juventus 2-1 was the game of Rasmus Hojlund, decisive with a brace, the one that brought the Azzurri back to the top of the Serie A standings, but also the great challenge between Antonio Conte and Luciano Spalletti. The two coaches crossed paths at the Maradona Stadium after contributing to the opposing team’s trophies, and the home crowd in particular was not at all tender with the coach of the 2023 Scudetto. Meanwhile, his Salento colleague has imitated him in 2025, and his president Aurelio De Laurentiis was quick to praise him, putting a definitive cross on the disagreements of recent weeks.

Marco Enzo Venturini

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“A great evening, extraordinary fans and the Condottiero leading a magnificent team. Forza Napoli Sempre”, was the comment that De Laurentiis wanted to dedicate on X to Conte in the minutes immediately following the Neapolitan victory over Juventus. Similar words to those he had already used at the end of November after the success over Roma (“Great victory of a group led by a true leader”). And that, already at the time, the Salento coach had commented with great pride. “I am very happy for the boys, because it is a helmet moment. To hold ourselves to this standard is something incredible. We have to know that for quite a while&#8217we should make a virtue out of necessity. It is a message to us: if we want to, we can”, he had said.

In the week Napoli struggled in the Coppa Italia against Cagliari, beaten only on penalties. But its coach had already put this round of Serie A in his sights. “The one against Juventus is a match, it puts 3 points up for grabs like all of them – Conte told ‘SportMediaset’ – That said, we are aware that we will face a great team. I then know their history perfectly, so there will be a very deep respect. Although, clearly, we will try to collect us the 3 points at stake”. Similar words from Spalletti, after the 2-0 midweek win over Udinese: “Returning to Naples will be a’fiery emotion. I have a lot of friends there and a lot of children waiting for me, and that is the most important thing. It will not matter how I am received, but my feeling toward them, which is that of a person who loves them the most”.

In any case, the field handed the victory to Conte and his Napoli, not only for the final score but also from the point of view of preparation. Indeed, Hojlund was decisive with his brace, while Spalletti’s choices (from the ’attack “light” with Yildiz as center forward to Koopmeiners’ position as central defender) did not pay off for Juventus.