It was he who chose the path of hypocrisy (too much love) for the farewell. He no longer tolerated De Laurentiis. Now change version. A year has passed. Life goes on
Db Udine 05/04/2023 – Serie A football championship / Udinese-Napoli / photo Daniele Buffa/Image Sport in the photo: Luciano Spalletti
Mr Spalletti, you have to know how to win. A nice silence was never written
In the beginning it was too much love (“I leave because of too much love”). Now, a year later, the version has changed: «I didn’t leave Naples out of fear. In Naples we had everything to follow up on what we won. You should be aware of many things. I love everyone, I forgive everyone, but I don’t forget. I’m not saying why I left, but not out of fear. I had my reasons.”
Since he continues to talk about Napoli, we assume that Luciano Spalletti’s version will change again. We can understand man’s real motivations. Working with Aurelio De Laurentiis must be an unpleasant undertaking, to put it mildly. And this is the key not to forget. From his farewell onwards, every subsequent statement by Spalletti must always be read against the light to give the answer to the question: “what is the behavior that damages De Laurentiis the most?”.
A year later, the anger and resentment have not subsided. But not even a little. Not even after the celebration that took place with the film which exalts (and God forbid) the role of Mr. Luciano. Here too, however, the twenty-three minutes of the work dedicated to last season’s defeats against Milan should not be underestimated: the 0-4 at home and the elimination from the Champions League. Twenty-three minutes of presidential perfidy to which the coach responded with two sentences from the last few days: one to the Corriere della Sera (“Three coaches generally don’t change even in five years. How can you assimilate so many things in just a few months from men who they have different methods and characters. The players, sometimes, need to be comforted, convinced that they are strong. Young guys like Zirkzee, for example, need to be cultivated, defended and supported every day.” And the day before yesterday at the World Meeting on Human Fraternity in the CONI Hall of Honour. To the sentences reported at the beginning we must add the one about the fans: «We won not thanks to me, but thanks to a city that has a tremendous passion». Upon hearing the statement, the hypocrisiometer was blown. The device broke.
Spalletti could no longer stand De Laurentiis
Spalletti left because he couldn’t stand De Laurentiis anymore. We wrote it in every sauce. He went around with a notebook in which he had written down all the rude things the president had done to him. The list was and is very long. Everything was noted there: from the planes chosen for the away games, to the anger at the Salernitana draw which caused the presidential catering for the party to fail. To many other things. To various statements. Like – for example – those in which De Laurentiis tried the previous year to feed him to the fans.
Spalletti’s first season was over. The public was convinced that Certaldo’s coach was responsible for the failed championship. Dries Mertens put the burden on us with a statement on TV (to which Spalletti responded in real time: Spalletti was right). What did De Laurentiis do? Did he defend him? Not exactly. First he went to Mertens’ house to welcome little Ciro. Then he made some statements. Yes, he praised his work (the opposite would have been absurd: Napoli finished third, the year before they had remained out of the Champions League) but he subtly accused him of lacking Neapolitanism. Which in a context like the local one, is treacherous. It was a deeply unpleasant moment. Also because two days later, the fans displayed an ignominious banner outside the stadium to say the least: “Spalletti: we’ll give the Panda back to you, just keep going”. With reference to the car stolen in the fall. Poor Spalletti was forced to go on the so-called Neapolitan tour between San Gregorio Armeno and Quartieri Spagnoli.
This is to say that the coach had and has his understandable reasons. Then, however, he spontaneously wanted to take the highway of hypocrisy. Also because if he had publicly revealed his hatred towards De Laurentiis, the president would have kept him out for a year. The fact is that he chose the path of hypocrisy with the lie of too much love. Obviously no one ever believed him.
The War of the Roses
It is from the perspective of “damaging De Laurentiis” that Spalletti’s continuous declarations of love for the city must be read and interpreted. In addition to what we wrote about the Panda and the banner, we remember that upon his arrival in Naples there wasn’t even a single fan to welcome him. Not even one. The city then jumped on Spalletti’s bandwagon when he himself couldn’t do without it. In the summer he was also contested because – in the midst of the anti-De Laurentiis storm – as a professional he defended Mr Aurelio and the Napoli company from the accusations of the fans who protested for the transfer of Mertens, Koulibaly and Insigne and the arrival of the unknown Kim and Kvaratskhelia . The Napoli fans are always competent.
Theirs (that of Spalletti and Adl) is a sort of war of the Roses. The two cannot tolerate each other. In our opinion, Spalletti has many reasons. But the moment you decide to break up, you should step aside. His relationship with the Scudetto team should also be remembered. He has considerable merits. But let’s not forget his words on the eve of Lazio-Napoli, at the beginning of the season, after two consecutive draws, when he said: “Do you want me to draw you little drawings of who left and who we took?” As if to say that the new arrivals were not up to the level of those who had left. Then, as we know, it’s convenient to change the cards on the table.
Summing up. Spalletti has his considerable share of credit in winning the scudetto. And no one takes it away from him. It should also be underlined that De Laurentiis, with his grotesque self-harm and cascading errors, ended up exaggerating Spalletti’s role. As happened with Maradona and his championships, the worse Napoli gets, the more untouchable Luciano’s feat and his will become. Coincidentally, this year May 10th (the anniversary of the first championship) went almost unnoticed.
Spalletti, enough with the agenda of resentment
The facts proved him largely right, after all only De Laurentiis could think that anyone could coach Napoli. If perhaps De Laurentiis had hired Thiago Motta and perhaps he had sold some players who had to be sold in the face of monstrous figures (and above all if he had not entered that dimension of ridiculous omnipotence), perhaps Spalletti would be talked about decidedly less today. Because Spalletti has his merits for the scudetto, but De Laurentiis also has them. It hasn’t always (indeed never) been this year’s disaster. Otherwise the club would not have remained at the top for over ten years.
But frankly we could also put a stop to this story which is starting to become childish. Allowing yourself to be dictated by resentment (laced with hypocrisy) never bears good fruit. There is nothing worse than a person who doesn’t know how to win. There always comes a point where the paper becomes indignant. And suddenly you lose your untouchable status.
