The end of chewing gum

❗This is the English version of the post La fine del chewing gum, originally published in Italian in the ITALY community.

Thirty. It is the number that, in the shoes of a Neapolitan citizen fond of the smorfia, I would play without hesitation on the wheel of my city, at least for the next three lottery draws. Thirty is in fact the result of the combination of three and zero, the score with which Napoli left Turin’s Allianz Stadium last Sunday.

But thirty also corresponds to the league position held by the Azzurri at the end of the Champions League group phase, a circumstance that resulted in the sensational elimination of the reigning Italian champions from the most prestigious tournament in Europe.

Thirtieth out of thirty-six, behind teams such as Bodø Glimt, Pafos, and Union Saint-Gilloise: beyond any attempt to shift the focus onto misinterpreted statements by this or that coach or alleged soft penalties not awarded, a result that calling depressing would be an understatement.

_{The Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples. Gaetano Capaldo, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons}

To barely snatch qualification for the playoffs, Napoli would have had to beat Chelsea in the final round of the mega group stage—an achievement managed for one half, but definitively extinguished in the second, when the English side were able to exploit greater athletic freshness as well as a decidedly superior technical level.

It is the second time that an Italian team, reigning champions (mind you, never call them “former”), has exited the competition even before the knockout stage. The previous instance dates back to 2014, when Juventus had to shoulder this rather unpleasant record.

But the real point for reflection seems to be another: who was the coach of the Bianconeri that year? Precisely Antonio Conte, who—between a bout of bitterness, a controversy, and a quick fix of his unruly forelock—just cannot manage to make his career take off in Europe.

_{Juventus, 2013–14 version. LauraHale, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons}

Fifteen years of failures and embarrassing performances, during which only the Europa League final reached with Inter (and then lost) in 2021 partially stands out, in a season disrupted by the health emergency and during which even the rules of international competitions underwent drastic changes.

A coach skilled at revitalizing squads considered “finished”, but who evidently places such mental and physical stress on the rosters at his disposal (as also evidenced by the avalanche of muscular injuries suffered this year by Napoli) that they are unable to keep up on two fronts.

In all likelihood, and barring sensational comebacks in the league, Conte is also preparing to say goodbye to Naples at the end of the season, with one more title—the Scudetto won last season—but paradoxically with far less “market appeal”.

A coach who risks, also due to the high financial demands that have always accompanied him, slipping into a long period of forced inactivity. They say this is the fate of “mercenaries”, the same fate as chewing gum: chewed thoroughly while the flavor is sweet, then tossed into the first trash bin as soon as the taste fades.

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