Auriemma rejects defence of Conte over 37 muscle injuries

The Stile Tv journalist says this week's national-team injuries don't let Antonio Conte off the hook for Napoli's soft-tissue problems, and he has no time for Allegri's 4-3-3 either.

by Gennaro SanninoWednesday 7 October, 22:21 CET· 1 hour ago

Auriemma: «37 lesioni muscolari con Conte, gli infortuni di oggi non lo assolvono» — Grafica Arena Napoli

Raffaele Auriemma has hit back at pundits using this week's spate of national-team injuries to ease the pressure on Antonio Conte over the muscle problems Napoli suffered during his two years in charge. On Stile Tv, the journalist restated a precise figure: 37 muscle injuries across the Conte era.

"I wonder how some people have managed a career at this level," Auriemma said. "I read things like 'this is for those who said the injuries were Conte's fault — now you see?' Those are completely different numbers, from matches played with the national team [...] On Conte's responsibility for the way he worked, we only spoke out after consulting professionals in the field, who obviously don't talk about it publicly for ethical reasons."

If you take Conte's responsibility for 37 muscle injuries away, I'm missing something. You're defending the indefensible — fine — but if it isn't on Conte, then who is it on? If you ignore years of wear and tear and blame bad luck instead, you're making yourselves ridiculous.

The subject didn't come from nowhere. Only on Tuesday 6 October, Conte had told The Athletic that his time at Napoli was "wonderful" but had drained "all his energy", while separate reports described an exhausted dressing room that had asked for him to leave. Sosa made a similar point on Radio Marte, linking today's muscle issues to the switch from Conte's intense methods to Allegri's lighter approach.

A different system, not just different injuries

Auriemma then turned to Napoli's tactical present, with the side on 7 points from 5 games and short of goals: "The current system is pointless, we'll keep scoring around a goal a game. We need a change to do more, not sit back and then break forward. I'm for the 4-2-3-1, even out of necessity — it's built for that. Anything but a 4-4-1-1, that makes me shiver."

He closed by flagging the injury list: "The number of injured players is growing too — even with returns, nine are still out." Ahead of the Frosinone game, the names are familiar: Vergara out with a soleus injury, Olivera and Favasuli each dealing with their own injuries, Buongiorno not expected back until early 2027, Anguissa a doubt after an adductor problem recurred, and Beukema and Badiashile both coming off seasons already hit by injury.

The 4-2-3-1 Auriemma wants isn't invented. It's the same shape Allegri tried out at Castel Volturno (Napoli's training ground) to fit De Bruyne, Vergara and Højlund together, before being forced to rethink it once Vergara went down. Saturday 10 October, 20:45 CET (19:45 UK, 14:45 ET) at the Maradona, will show whether the head coach reaches the same diagnosis.