Naples, the heroes of the scudetto have ended up in disgrace: Di Lorenzo, Anguissa but not only (Gazzetta)

Naples, the heroes of the scudetto have ended up in disgrace: Di Lorenzo, Anguissa but not only that. The Gazzetta dello Sport writes it in an article by Vincenzo D’Angelo.

Gazza writes:

The air is very heavy and the risk that the summer revolution will affect everyone is real. Even some pillars of the championship such as Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Frank Zambo Anguissa, the dominator of midfield who this year seems to be the stand-in for the irreplaceable pivot that he was. There are five matchdays left and Napoli expects a proud reaction from the team.

Di Lorenzo is the symbol of this team, the one who always puts his face to it. On the field he is going through a complicated period, so much so that he too ends up in the vortex of the most ferocious criticism. An ungenerous situation, which will obviously also push the captain to reflect on his future, despite the recent renewal.

If Di Lorenzo struggles to return to his old self, Anguissa has totally disappeared: 29 appearances and zero goals in Serie A, a 5.6 average rating and a perpetually empty tank of energy and also hunger. Frank is unrecognizable and without his energy the team is deflated. Lobotka no longer directs with precision and personality, Kvara does not find the counterattacks and the gaps in the midfield after the high recovery. All the heroes of the scudetto ended up in disgrace and consequently on the market: now they have 5 matches to demonstrate that they can be the cornerstones of the future.

«Di Lorenzo shouldn’t have gone to the Napoli ultras»

Mario Giuffredi, agent of Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Mario Rui and Matteo Politano, gave an interview to TV Play on Napoli and his clients.

Giuffredi: «Di Lorenzo always showed his face. My clients have a great attachment to the Napoli shirt”

He had said he would not make any statements until the end of the championship. What has changed?

«Given the moment, it seemed right to me to take the field. I represent Captain Di Lorenzo, Mario Rui and Politano, and it is my duty to make some clarifications. I want some concepts that have so far been unclear to be expressed. Premise: I am aware that after this interview I will receive insults and denigrating words. Unfortunately, however, my role requires me, to protect my clients, to put myself in an unpleasant but necessary situation. On the other hand, I’m used to it: last August 8th, on TV Play, I spoke about a locker room full of dissatisfied people and now everyone remembers those words of mine as prophetic».

So, let’s talk about responsibilities: what are those of the team?

«The negative results are there for all to see. Footballers, including, obviously, those I follow, cannot be exempt from responsibility. Those who know me know well that I only say what I think and when I do it it’s because I’m sure of it. The responsibilities, I repeat, also belong to the players. But, I want to say it out loud, these guys, despite not achieving important results, put in the utmost effort and have a great attachment to the shirt. I never doubted that there was soul on the pitch in every match, even after the most negative performances. Going into the specifics of my players, I want to disprove some falsehoods that have been read around: absolutely no one is thinking of leaving at the end of the year. I can put my hand on this one».

What is the state of mind of your clients after all the criticism received after the defeat in Empoli?

«My players and I respect the fans’ right to criticism: they are the healthy part of football, they are the ones who make many sacrifices, especially economic ones, they leave their families at home for away games, they make many sacrifices to follow their team. They have every right to exercise dissent freely, always staying within the limits of common sense. My clients are aware that they do the best job in the world, they are privileged but above all I have always conveyed to them the thought that in life you take the sweet, as in the victory of the scudetto for which they were praised but also the bitter of seasons like these, respecting, as in this case, the thoughts of those who love the blue shirt».

What did Di Lorenzo tell you after the confrontation with the curve?

«The image of Giovanni under that curve was strong from an emotional point of view. Di Lorenzo, like me, has enormous respect and feels responsible, as captain, because those fans lose money to follow their team, they dedicate their lives to Napoli without asking for anything in return from anyone because Napoli for them is a faith . There is also respect for the great education and correctness that they had in Empoli in the way they presented themselves: impeccable, demonstrating to Giovanni the love they have for this shirt and for the captain».

In one year everything has changed: from the triumph in Udine to the collapse in Empoli…

«Two opposite moments but Giovanni Di Lorenzo showed his attributes in both cases, putting his face to it. In Udine he is the one who brings the shield emblem to the Napoli fans’ section, receiving chants and applause. It is always him who as captain, in the fall of Empoli, went under the curve to take on the negative aspects of the moment. For better or for worse, he is always there without ever taking a step back, admitting even his negative performances, not running away from responsibilities. And this is why when I read criticisms that go beyond the legitimate right to express one’s opinion on technical aspects I think I must take the field to defend my client».

The footballers ended up in the dock in Empoli. What are the company’s responsibilities?

«I tell you that when you win, a group of people win: the players, the coach, the managers and the whole club. When you lose, passing the buck only on the players is no longer acceptable. To the same extent as the victory, in this case too there are the responsibilities of the other components. Under the curve in Empoli, together with the captain and his teammates, I would have liked to see some other people put their face to it. I say it out loud: up to a certain point I’m fine with the fact that my clients and the whole group are taking on such a strong objection. At the end of the championship I will tell my truth because I expect that, like captain Di Lorenzo, someone else will also make a serious and in-depth analysis to start again, ceasing to shift all the blame. There is a limit to everything and I am tired of living in situations like this».

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