Speaking to Televomero, Maradona Junior — the son of the Argentine legend who is a prominent figure in Neapolitan football culture — argued that Napoli's second-place finish represents a significant achievement given the squad's limitations and called those describing the campaign as a failure wide of the mark.
"This squad, with these numbers, if they finish second it is a sporting miracle. These are not Conte's numbers. Napoli have the seventh-best defensive record in the league, and we are talking about a side that last year built a title around defensive solidity above all else."
He was direct about the structural shortcomings that undermined the title defence.
"Absences are a fault up to a point, because a functioning system should work even without the best players in it."
On the question of continuity with Conte.
"I believe in his work. If he were to leave, I would consider Sarri the first choice. But you also need to understand how the squad will be built, because Sarri needs a team made for his style of play. And you will need to understand who wants to continue in blue. It will be a big job for sporting director Giovanni Manna."
Conte has been publicly linked with a summer exit despite publicly declaring his commitment to the project. Reports from Italy have suggested disputes over the direction of the summer transfer window, with Conte believed to want significant investment in central defenders and a wide forward.
Napoli finished second behind Inter Milan, seven points short of the Scudetto. They will play in the Champions League next season regardless of whether Conte remains.