Di Lorenzo: ‘Napoli bring beautiful football to Italy and Europe’

giovanni di lorenzo Napoli discussed Italy’s dominating start to the season and Italy’s plans during the World Cup break.

The 29-year-old Italian full-back has been at the heart of Luciano Spalletti’s side in the Campania capital this season, playing almost every available minute in the 15 Serie A games. Di Lorenzo scored a goal and provided three assists in 21 games, being an important leader on and off the pitch for Napoli.

Speaking at a press conference in Coverciano, Di Lorenzo first touched on Napoli’s electric start for the 2022-23 season.

“We bring beautiful football to Italy and to Europe, we have to continue like this. For Italian football, having a club like ours, but also like the others who participate in international competitions, is a beautiful thing.

“We hope this bodes well for the whole Italian movement.”

He commented on whether this Napoli team had the same magic that Italy had during Euro 2020.

“This atmosphere was not lost after the European Championship. In Naples we are doing something incredible, unexpected.

“Nobody expected us to get off to such a good start, but thanks to hard work and a united team, we are getting great satisfaction. But we have to continue like this, the season is still long.

The 29-year-old has explained what it would be like to captain Napoli as he lifts his third Scudetto.

“It would be a dream to win the Scudetto in Napoli and to win it as a captain like Maradona. But, as I said before, the season is still long.

“We have come a long way, but there are still so many games to play. We have a big lead, but with so many games to come, it’s still a long way off.

He explained why Spalletti chose him as captain.

“It was Spalletti’s choice with the team, for me it’s really a pride to wear such an important captain’s armband. Every day I give everything to prove that I am worthy of this role.

Di Lorenzo discussed the impact of the World Cup break on Napoli and Italy’s next steps following their failure to qualify for the tournament.

“It was certainly an intense period, with a lot of matches. It can be good to take a break and then start again in January with even more desire.

“Clearly in this break we all hoped to be at the World Cup, but that’s how it happened. We started again with great desire before the European Championship and now we have to do the same Reset everything, create a new team and a new environment.

He explained why Italy failed to qualify.

“It was small moments that determined the non-qualification. If I think back to the double challenge with Switzerland, the Palermo match with Macedonia…. We all know how it happened. It was a path where the details made the difference.

Finally, Di Lorenzo commented on whether Italy’s win at Euro 2020 contributed to their failure to qualify.

“When you win and reach an important goal like the European Championship, you tend to lower your level of attention subconsciously, that may also have been a factor that led to us not qualifying.”