Reginaldo, Brazilian striker, played for Siena coached by Antonio Conte. Calciomercato.it interviewed him to ask him something about the next Napoli manager.
“I was lucky enough to conquer the promotion to Serie A with Siena under Antonio Conte, we were not the favourites, but with his mentality, the desire to work and the desire to demonstrate, he led us to victory. Antonio Conte is an intelligent coach, complete in every sense: tactically and technically. He was stopped for a year, he will have also studied other modules. He felt too criticized for the 3-5-2 used in recent seasons and will have studied other formations to use during the match in order to change the matches. If he did this too, I consider him complete. Conte is really strong as a coach.”
Did you expect a career like this from Antonio Conte? “Yes, because you could see the passion and desire he put into his work. In Siena we played with the 4-2-4, then it came out with the 3-5-2. He has proven to win in several clubs. And where he didn’t win he didn’t do well, understanding that the situation wasn’t right for him. Or maybe the club didn’t give him the chance to buy players he wanted. He is particular from this point of view: wherever he goes, he chooses those 3-4 players and if the club has the chance to take them, he is calm. Otherwise he gets into trouble. But I believe that in this year spent without coaching he will have also worked on these limits.”
Will he be a new Antonio Conte? “No new, he will always be Antonio Conte in love with what he does, determined. He is sick for football. When he takes the field he transforms as if he were still playing. But I expect a regenerated Antonio Conte, with new ideas.”
How do you remember your training sessions? “They were intense, beautiful, they were training sessions that allowed us to get to the match without getting tired after 90 minutes. He trains in the right way and if he sees that you’re not training well, he sends you back. That’s how it’s done. I think that desire and passion that he had has not passed.”
What were the training camps like with Conte? “The summer training camp is very important for the coach. He even got angry when you missed training, because it’s very important to him.”
Did he get angry with her too? “We had a little argument. I had 24 hours of flying on me and I wasn’t in the condition to do the type of training he wanted me to do. When he takes to the field he doesn’t want to know anything. After that year with Conte I changed my mentality. I played until I was almost 41 and I think I’ll continue because I feel good. He gave me a mentality that still allows me to play today.”
Has Conte changed your life a little? “Life maybe not, but it allowed me to see football in a different way. When you train at 100%, you can perform at 100% at camp. If you train at 80%, you will give 70% on the pitch. He reasoned like that and from then on I always reasoned like that too.”
Naples without cups. Is it an advantage for Conte to start without European pressure? “I don’t think so, because Conte would like to play all the competitions and feels the adrenaline a lot. Of course it can be an advantage to dedicate yourself only to the championship, but given his character he would like to play in all the cups. Since that won’t be the case, then I think he will throw himself into the championship with great force.”
I expect a very tough year for the Napoli players from a physical point of view… “I don’t know who will be on the staff, but his work is intense, that’s for sure. Then he has Stellini as his second, really good. Whoever stays in Naples and finds Antonio Conte as coach will have to know how to train in the right way.”
