Napoli: from title to European crisis, Condò's warning on ageing squad

Paolo Condò, appearing in Sky's Maradona studio&nbsp of Sky after the Napoli‑Arsenal match, described Napoli's difficulties in Europe as clear and worrying. The domestic defeat against Arsenal in the season debut in the Champions League reignited the spotlight on the structural limits of the Neapolitan squad.

The comment was published in the Press A− A+ section of Ultimissime Calcio, where the headline read “Condò: Napoli's difficulties in Europe in recent years: the reason is clear”. In the post‑partita, Condò reiterated that the continuity of an aging squad without adequate renewals is the main cause of the difficulties in Europe.

The roots of the European crisis

Four years ago Napoli won the league title under Spalletti, with Politano, Rrahmani, Di Lorenzo, Spinazzola, Lobotka, Meret and Olivera already in the squad. Those same players took the field in tonight's match against Arsenal, showing that the backbone remains unchanged. Spalletti had triumphed thanks to the fireworks of Kvaratskhelia and Osimhen, while Conte had won the title by relying on a Lukaku ideal for Serie A.

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The club has had at its disposal top‑level performers who, over time, have been sold without being replaced by talents of equal stature. This phenomenon weighs especially in the European arena, where the lack of new faces of comparable quality translates into disappointing results. With four years of experience and wear, those same players still form the backbone, but they show signs of fatigue. Season after season Napoli has lost ground outside the national borders, highlighting a downward curve at the international level.

The name Cond also appears in column headlines, attesting to the importance of his point of view. Condò highlighted a gradually continuing downward curve at the international level, confirming the need for a quality renewal.