De Laurentiis-Napoli compared. And that phone call with Spalletti …

He has had the opportunity to let off some steam in the last 48 hours, spent trying to find a reason for his Napoli’s bad moment. In two days everything has changed, from the permanent retirement arranged immediately after the defeat at Empoli, to yesterday’s statement announcing the change of course: no more retirement, but only a few dinners in the company of the coach and players to try not to frustrate the work this season. So, early in the morning, Aurelio De Laurentiis showed up this morning at Castel Volturno, a few moments before Luciano Spalletti started the training session. The tension was palpable, the president used restrained tones while contesting the players’ performance in recent weeks. De Laurentiis will stay in Naples until Saturday, the day of the match against Sassuolo, to be close to the team and the technical staff.

The phone call

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Yesterday there was a long phone call between the coach and the president, a chat wanted by the manager himself to hear from Spalletti’s voice the reasons to justify what happened not only in Empoli, but also against Fiorentina and Rome. Some controversial statements by the technician issued against De Laurentiis did not go unnoticed, phrases that highlighted a state of mind that was anything but serene.

Tonight for dinner

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After the morning training the players returned to their respective homes, but tonight they will return again to the sports center of Castel Volturno for the dinner attended by De Laurentiis father and son, Spalletti and the technical staff and the players. In the hours immediately following the defeat of Empoli, there was also a strong argument between Edoardo De Laurentiis, the vice president, and the coach himself, on the train that was taking the team back to Naples. The reason for the discussion was the club’s decision to send the team into permanent retirement. This measure was then canceled by the president, because no hotel structure was found both in Naples and in the suburbs that had the availability to host the retreat.

Compromised relationship

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The relationship between the two is compromised, there is no doubt about this. De Laurentiis is disappointed by what is happening, in just three days Napoli have played the real possibility of fighting all the way for the Scudetto, on par with Milan and Inter. It is true that the seasonal goal, that is a place in the next Champions League, has been achieved. But the disappointment for the latest results and, above all, for the attitude of the players on the pitch cannot go to the attic. For the moment, Spalletti is not in question, the contract in force could hold back the president should he decide to fire him. The technician has a gross salary of 6 million euros and, with a view to reducing costs, a divorce appears unlikely. At least until the end of the season. Then, they will both make their respective assessments and decide whether to continue together or split up.