Sosa admits he dreams of coaching Napoli every day

The former Napoli forward, now a coach, tells Radio Marte he wants a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 from the azzurri and opens up on his admiration for Spalletti and his friendship with Roberto De Zerbi.

by Rosaria CimminoThursday 10 September, 23:03 CET· 1 hour ago

Sosa: «Sogno il Napoli ogni giorno, lo schiererei con un 4-3-3 offensivo» — Grafica Arena Napoli

Roberto Sosa, the former Napoli forward known as "Pampa" and now building a coaching career of his own, has stopped hiding a wish he has carried for a while: coaching Napoli.

"Have I ever thought about coaching Napoli? I dream about it every day," he told Radio Marte. "Nobody can stop me from dreaming: this dream will always be there, I'll always carry this wish with me, then it will happen or it won't. I like to dream, to imagine..."

Sosa did not stop at affection for the shirt. He set out a clear tactical idea too. "I like a 4-3-3, but also a 4-2-3-1," he said, before naming his inspiration: "When Benitez was here, I loved watching his training sessions - he played a very attacking 4-2-3-1, even though he conceded a lot of goals. I also like Spalletti's football a lot."

That detail - conceding a lot of goals, said almost with admiration - is not a small one. Napoli under Allegri are conceding plenty too: five goals in their last three league games, and on Wednesday night at the Maradona Arsenal added another, Odegaard's 75th-minute strike settling a game the Gunners closed out 8 shots on target to 3. Hearing a former Napoli striker pine for adventurous football, just as the team questions its own defensive fragility, says something about the debate running through the city.

The most personal part of the interview concerned Roberto De Zerbi. Sosa described a relationship that goes beyond football small talk: "I speak to De Zerbi often, I go and watch his Tottenham a lot. When he lost to Newcastle, I spent an hour with him in his office talking. We played together, we have a good relationship." He added a principle that seems to guide his own coaching philosophy too: "Being able to get something across to players is essential: I pay close attention to communication."

Nessuno può impedirmi di sognare: questo sogno ci sarà sempre, porterò sempre con me questo desiderio, poi arriverà o meno.

For now it remains only a dream declared in a radio interview. Allegri has signed until 30 June 2029 and the Napoli bench is not in question. But the words of a former player ready to line Napoli up in a 4-3-3 land in the same week the team, 12th on 3 points after three rounds, prepares for another delicate test: Bologna visit the Maradona on Sunday 13 September at 18:00 CET (17:00 UK, 12:00 ET), and the defence Sosa was describing without naming it will again be the first exam to pass.