Mimmo Malfitano, a historical figure at Gazzetta dello Sport, discussed the Scudetto race on Radio Marte during “Forza Napoli Sempre.” His remarks, as reported by Tuttonapoli, suggest a surprising outcome: “I know I`m going against the grain, but I am convinced that Napoli will win the Scudetto, not because they have been stronger than the others, but because the others have faltered, as I believe Inter will do in the last 7 games. Napoli is a team that needs psychoanalysis; it`s difficult to understand why they never venture out of their own half for 45 minutes at a time. On the bench, Napoli has Raspadori, Billing, the same players who everyone criticizes today but praised yesterday. The late substitutions are a limitation of the coach. Ngonge came on 3 minutes from the end, but what was he supposed to do, have patience! Conte is responsible for what happens in the match.”
“If Napoli is worn out and concedes every second half to their opponents, it means something is wrong, it`s obvious! I don`t know what, but the evidence tells me that something is amiss. I believe Conte should give an explanation in this regard: has he found a reason for the fact that Napoli disappears in the second half? We have the right to know why this team disappears in the second 45 minutes. If the team is worn out, the weekly work probably needs to be reviewed. The draw in Bologna would have been a great result if Napoli had played the game to the end, but they didn`t like that.”
“If the downturn is mental, it`s even more serious, because it means the team is not convinced of its own strength. I invite everyone to postpone Conte`s beatification process until the end of the season. I think he will win the Scudetto, but right now something is not working. De Laurentiis is consistent: he started the year in silence and is continuing to do so. He has given Conte all the space, and now it is right that Conte should emerge from this situation, providing answers with his work. Could Oriali do something? He cannot interfere in certain matters.”