The Italian newspaper, Tuttosport, in this morning's print edition spoke about the much-awaited Serie A clash between Milan and Napoli at the San Siro.
"Antonio Conte Arrives"
When the Serie A schedule was drawn over the summer, fans of both Inter and Milan paid particular attention not only to the derby dates but also to the day when the Salento-born coach would come to San Siro with Napoli. For Inter, it's the first face-off against the manager who won them their previous Scudetto; for Milan, it’s a confrontation with a long-standing, unspoken dream of the vast majority of Rossoneri fans.
Since late December, Antonio Conte had been the top choice on Milan supporters' wish list to succeed Pioli. Rumors of potential contacts and meetings circulated for months. We may never know if they actually happened, but it’s certain that the two sides ultimately didn’t connect.
Still, Conte had Milan on his mind. Although Napoli began courting him in the autumn as a replacement for Rudi Garcia, after his experience at Tottenham, Conte wanted to wait for the right project. It became clear that he hoped for a call from Milan on May 13, about twenty days before signing with Napoli on June 5. That day, his long-time assistant Christian Stellini, now his second-in-command at Napoli, commented on TeleLombardia: "Any major team, like Milan, could become a suitable project for Conte. There are no obstacles from anyone. How can you not associate great teams with great managers? Milan is strong, second in the standings. Certainly, there’s a gap with Inter to bridge, but Pioli has done great things, and Conte has a history of bridging such gaps. Leão? I think he’s admired by all; top players always are."
But it was not to be. Conte remained the fans' dream, especially for the Curva Sud, who made it clear in May—through banners and statements opposing Lopetegui—that their preference was the former Juventus icon.
In fact, in the “Double Curve” investigation, it was revealed that Luca Lucci, the Curva Sud leader now in prison, had strongly conveyed to Curva’s historical figure, "The Baron," that the ultras were pushing for Conte… "I’ve been working with Milan on this for four days, and you go and say De Zerbi in an interview?”
Tonight, Conte will likely hear boos from the 72,000 fans at San Siro. But who knows? What’s certain is that neither he nor Ibrahimović—who was at Milanello yesterday—minced words about each other.
On June 13, when Milan announced Fonseca, Ibrahimović said: "Milan needs a coach, not a manager. We didn’t discuss Conte because, based on our criteria, he wasn’t what we were looking for.”
Conte, who may have been too imposing a figure for Milan, responded candidly on June 26, during his Napoli unveiling: "I respect everyone, though I don’t remember what Ibra said exactly. I consider myself a manager; technically, in managing, in training, I want a say. Maybe that approach bothers some.”
