spalletti « Alberto Cei

The quality that Napoli expressed to win the Scudetto has been widely analyzed in match commentaries. However, it is my impression that the success was also determined by two other factors that Spalletti wanted to introduce that valued personal aspects that are important to every human being and that relate to the need for happiness and a sense of belonging.

In fact, he said, “We have to make someone happy in order to be happy people. From a personal point of view it’s the family, from a professional point of view it’s our fans, we don’t give a damn about individual numbers and who scores goals, we have to bring a team and group achievement to our city that makes the fans feel proud of us. We have to do something for the public’s affection for our jersey.”

On the other hand, how can you not espouse this approach to soccer in a city that named its stadium after Maradona, a player who fully represented soccer as the joy and bond of belonging to this team and Naples. So, of course you play to win but you win because you want to be happy and make happy. This is no small step, because you have to be aware of how to play to achieve this twofold goal, which combines the result with the enthusiasm born of playing your game. Achieving this goal was not easy, because we know that soccer is a very emotional sport. Because of the goal, which is a rare event, it is no coincidence that the three most usual scores in Serie A in order of frequency are 1-1, 2-1 and 1-0. It only takes one episode to change the fate of a game. This is not the case in other team sports such as volleyball and basketball where about every minute a point is awarded.

On this basis, to prevent the high level of emotionality from becoming a negative load of impulsiveness and foul play for teams, it was necessary for it to find its outlet in the joy that the game can convey. When we use words like, “we are going to the field to have fun,” it does not mean that we are going on a jaunt; it is not a sign of superficiality. Instead, it implies a desire to fully experience the pleasure of the challenge, namely the joy of doing as well as possible in difficult moments what one has prepared for.

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A team needs leaders on the field, but if the only leader is the coach, it cannot become a winning team. It is therefore possible that Juan Jesus‘ post-match declarations, which make him more and more of a leader, are an expression of this process of change, not only his own but also that of Napoli.

The team is fighting to win the Scudetto and Spalletti‘s words confirm the need to have leaders on the pitch: “We have to look our opponents in the eye, the players have understood and perceived this, they are all there determined to play the next game… something has changed in terms of attitude, we have realized that we have to do what we are good at. In the moment of difficulty you suffer, you adapt, then you pick up what is your conviction, what is your quality.” Juan Jesus responded to this request.

The change has been stimulated and favored by the stakes but finds its foundation in the passion that fuels the desire to win. Assuming responsibility requires courage to face problems; it doesn’t mean never making mistakes, but knowing how to get right back up. This is a crucial step found in every culture. If a North-American says that it doesn’t matter how many times you fall but how quickly you get back up, a Chinese says it in other words: “Fall 7 times, get up 8″. That’s the meaning of the footballer’s words when he said, “Good at fighting back, now we have to play our game!”. It doesn’t matter if you are an immovable starter or if you enter the game in progress, this is the indispensable mentality that holds together the team that struggles to achieve important results.

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