Luciano Spalletti says he has no regrets about Napoli’s 1-0 Champions League quarter-final loss to Milan and insists that Victor Osimhen will be ready for the return leg in Naples. The two sides squared off just days after meeting each other in the league, with the Rossoneri shading the first half and taking a 1-0 lead through Ismael Bennacer before Napoli attempted a comeback in the second 45′. Speaking in his post-match press (as quoted by TuttoNapoli) conference, Spalletti explained why he does not have any regrets about their approach to the match and why he thinks the tie is still very much 50-50 as to who will qualify:
Is the regret is not having Osimhen?
“I have no regrets, we’ll see what happened and we’ll work on it, we don’t carry with us the episodes that only muddy the way we see the work to be done. I’m just saying that we had the right attitude, I congratulated my professionals because they are outstanding. The game was played correctly, but we must not get bad blood on the details that went against us because it only gives you nervousness and makes you talk less about the return leg.”
Will Osimhen recover for the return leg? If not, will you confirm the same 11? Opportunities were not taken advantage of.
“If we had had a forward we would have had more chances, although Elmas contributed to not getting the action started properly, he fouled every Milan player in the buildup and they had to often put the ball in the air, that ball that becomes a phase of no one in the air because there is a second ball and whoever cleans it up has more fun. The pressure was always constant and balanced, then all it took was one time when they went through and that chance came. I expected a test like that and that is the most important one, beyond one down or one up. Osimhen at 100 percent will be available, the planning goes in that direction, not risking him will allow us to complete that work, then anything can happen.”
Will the crowd help the team in the return leg?
“In a climate like tonight you can be hesitant, but they created two goal chances right away. The team had the correct reaction, going in with the attitude of the strong team, wanting to lead, then in there are champions and sometimes you have to defend but in our heads there was that will and it is fundamental. On the climate, I don’t know, but I was sorry to see our stadium, the Diego Armando Maradona, a stadium of a team that is winning the championship after 33 years, in a fundamental match where you need the tranquility for the Champions League…..to see everyone against everyone, it’s stuff that I’ll never understand and I’ll carry it with me forever, it’s inexplicable how you can get to something like that. On the return leg, for what we play for, I’m leaving the bench and going away. The boys deserve it too, who are outstanding but sensitive, we played in an atmosphere that did not help us and it is inexplicable to take the team hostage!”
Napoli showed some superiority, a decisive result?
“It’s never decisive in the first leg, there are contests overturned even by much clearer results. It will be an open competition. Episodes determine them, if I had taken off Anguissa earlier we would have avoided him being sent off, but everyone tells me he got the ball but I think about what I can do.”
Is it still 50% and 50%?
“Yes, it’s the same, but I don’t know if 50% and 50%, they won the first one and they have more advantage because they will be able to play the game they want, but it doesn’t change anything for us, we will go in like tonight, I saw a lot of good things. See you in a week.”
