Juventus-Napoli, contest of nerves: Luciano Spalletti and Antonio Conte surprise everyone
The countdown to Juventus-Napoli, the big match of the twenty-second day of Serie A scheduled for Sunday, January 25 at 6 p.m., has taken an unexpected turn: both press conferences on the eve, in fact, have been canceled by the respective clubs, turning the approach to the big match into a silence that, paradoxically, makes a lot of noise. Antonio Conte had already avoided the press room in the weeks with European commitments, while Spalletti decided not to appear in front of reporters by canceling the 4 p.m. appointment on Saturday at the Continassa.
The Bianconeri have decided not to attend the press conference.
The Bianconeri’s decision thus seems to be linked to Napoli’s choice not to send their coach in front of the microphones: a game of mirrors that adds tension to a challenge that is already dense with meaning, with the two coaches knowing well the weight of this match. Juventus arrives at the Stadium strong from its victory in the Champions League with Benfica but aware that it must pick itself up, in the championship, after the Cagliari knockout; Napoli, on the other hand, wants to forget the draw in Copenhagen, obtained by conceding the 1-1 goal in numerical superiority, trying to extend its positive streak within the Italian borders.
The silence, rather than a waiver, thus became a communication strategy, with the two clubs choosing to let only the field speak, avoiding statements that could shift the attention from the technical value of the challenge. Juventus-Napoli, after all, is never a match like any other, and already the first leg, played at the Maradona last December 7 and ending 2-1 for the partenopei (double Hojlund to make Yildiz’s momentary equalizer useless), had been experienced in a rather tense atmosphere, on both sides.
In the meantime, market operations continue on the part of both clubs: Juventus is about to announce the arrival of Youssef En-Nesyri, who, among other things, had also been pursued briefly by Napoli before taking the road to Continassa, while Napoli has reached an agreement with Hellas Verona for the transfer to Campania of Brazilian striker Giovane.
In the standings, it is the Neapolitans who are in a better position: after twenty-one days, Napoli has collected 43 points and is -9 from the leader, with a four-point advantage right over Juventus, the first team outside the Champions zone. Sunday’s match could also affect the balance of the standings in no small way.
