The mano in Diathe flop with the Salernitana, the scream choked in my throat. But which disappointmentthe party is only postponed: a Napoli they have waited 33 years, they will be able to do it three more days. The Scudetto will come anyway and they will enjoy it all. If anything, the regret is for the adversaries that they weren’t even able to test him to the end, instead of handing him the title with six or seven days in advance. It was supposed to be the decisive match, the day of history, and it was not. Patiencethe 1-1 at home against Salernitana nothing changes: it will be the Scudetto and it will still be well deserved. But the Naples of Spalletti – partly out of bad luck, partly out of tiredness or frenzy – he failed to win the race that everyone expected him to win. Maybe not by chance.
It’s not the first time this has happened. Sure, there have been too extraordinary evidencethe 5-1 trimmed to Juventus which was the watershed for the season (especially for the Bianconeri), the victory in the first leg at San Siro against Milanthe 4-1 trimmed a Liverpool. But on the two occasions they played under real pressure, yesterday and in the Champions League quarter-final against Milanthe Azzurri loosened up a bit, tactically (on the counter-attacks of Lion) and emotionally. Different pressures: the cup one was all sporting, an occasion in some ways unrepeatable because maybe there will be more championships but such a path towards the final of Champions it won’t happen again; with the Salernitana the result itself didn’t count, but the San Paolo and an entire city were seething with anticipation, there was one unbridled passion to satisfy. Different sides of the same coin: the ball really weighed, and the Napoli that dominated in Italia e in Europafor one reason or another this time he failed to push her on goal.
This does not detract from the Napoli but it increases the regrets of the opponents, if we can talk about regrets when we finish at minus twenty. The great demerit of MilanInter, Juventus it wasn’t giving up the title to a team that proved to be superior in every way on the field, but not even trying to contend him. Don’t explore the possible fragility of a group made up of a couple of stratospheric individuals and many good players who in any case had never won anything, led by a coach known for his difficulties in managing the voltage. No one belittles the triumph of Napoli, also because with these numbers, such a superiority would not objectively be possible. But the season was marked by one ride solo and there is one factor that certainly made it easier: Spalletti’s team has always played with the testa clear, without an opponent breathing down her neck. And this is essential in football. She was able to do it because she tore them all up – it’s true – but also because the Milanese they practically eliminated themselves, losing many simple points in decisive moments. To use a cycling metaphor, it is as if the azzurri they had made one stopwatch: they stood there in front and imposed a rhythm frenziedunsustainable for everyone. But they have never been bothered by shots e counter shots.
Almost certainly nothing would have changed. Even after the faux pas with the SalernitanaNapoli will be able to close the championship with 97 points, a dizzying quota, and even if they leave some on the street they will still be more than the 86 with which they won the Milan last year. Just stay there curiosity how he would have reacted in a head-to-head match: if he would have scored all the same points even when playing under pressure, perhaps finding himself in the most difficult month, with no energy and no Osimhenwith a’believable antagonist at minus 7 and not at minus 20 in the standings. Whether she was going to win all the time or anyhow, or shivered, like she shivered a little bit yesterday. But in the end it is one request useless: with these opponents we will never know.