Antonio Conte’s notoriously prickly personality was on full view after Napoli’s humiliating start to the Serie A season at Verona, and Bologna are likely to further test his team and his patience on Sunday.
Napoli have had a difficult summer after last season’s disastrous league title defence but the size of the task facing Conte was laid bare by a 3-0 embarrassment on Sunday, against an even more troubled club whose holding company was seized by Italy’s finance police last season.
As Conte said in a candid post-match interview with DAZN, Napoli melted “like snow in the sun” as soon as Dailon Livramento put Verona ahead moments after half-time.
Napoli had lost talisman Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to injury just before the break and looked like a collection of strangers by the time Colombian Daniel Mosquera, signed from America de Cali, guided in his second of a remarkable first ever appearance in European football in stoppage time.
Conte could be without Kvaratskhelia for the visit of Bologna, who under new coach Vincenzo Italiano were unfortunate to only draw 1-1 with Udinese after playing with the same verve as they had with Thiago Motta last season.
Bologna looked to have absorbed the loss of Motta to Juventus — whose turn it is to take on Verona on Monday — Joshua Zirkzee to Manchester United and Riccardo Calafiori to Arsenal and are riding on a wave of optimism as a modern Champions League debut awaits in September.
Conte has been helped by the arrival on Wednesday of winger David Neres from Benfica, a sign of life on the transfer market while a series of other negotiations have stalled as Napoli fail to offload star striker Victor Osimhen.
Neither Chelsea nor Paris Saint-Germain, the two clubs most strongly linked with the Nigeria attacker, have made big enough offers for Napoli, who put a 130 million euro ($144.3 million) release clause in Osimhen’s contract when it was renewed in December.
But with no club apparently willing to offer that kind of money, and Conte insisting on ending Romelu Lukaku’s long Chelsea nightmare, Napoli may be forced to sell him for a figure much closer to the initial 70 million euros they gave Lille in 2020.
Meanwhile the Milan giants will look to bounce back from disappointing opening day draws as Inter host Lecce and AC Milan travel to promoted Parma.
France midfielder Youssouf Fofana is set to make his first Milan start at Parma on Saturday after signing for the seven-time European champions hours before their dramatic 2-2 draw with Torino, sitting out the match which opened their season and the Paulo Fonseca era.
Atalanta travel to Torino with Osimhen’s Nigeria teammate Ademola Lookman, the hat-trick hero from last season’s Europa League final, back training with the first team after his bid to leave for Paris Saint-Germain failed.
Player to watch: Paulo Dybala
Roma looked certain to be deprived of their star player for Sunday’s home clash with Empoli as the Argentina forward headed for a mega-money move to Saudi Arabia.
On Thursday the 30-year-old was met at the exit of Roma’s Trigoria training ground by fans imploring him not to accept an eye-watering 25 million euros a season from Al Qadsiah, pleas which seemed to be in vain.
However Dybala posted on Instagram “see you on Sunday”, sparking joy among supporters, some of whom gathered outside his house to celebrate.
Dybala started Roma’s opening 1-1 draw at Cagliari on the bench for unspecified “technical reasons”, and it remains to be seen what now happens with him and the club’s transfer dealings now that their highest paid player is staying on the books.
Fixtures (times GMT)
Saturday
Parma v AC Milan, Udinese v Lazio (1630), Monza v Genoa, Inter Milan v Lecce (1845)
Sunday
Fiorentina v Venezia, Torino v Atalanta (1630), Roma v Empoli, Napoli v Bologna (1845)
Monday
Cagliari v Como (1630), Verona v Juventus (1845)
