Rudi Garcia says that Napoli didn’t do that badly in the first half of their 2-2 draw against Milan last weekend. The Partenopei conceding two early goals to Olivier Giroud in the opening ’45 before fighting back to bring things level, earning a vital point in the process. Speaking in his pre-match presser ahead of their visit to Salerno, Garcia offered an update on victor Osimhen and explained why using a 4-2-3-1 formation can be a solution for the team:
Tomorrow will we see the Napoli of the second half with Milan and not the first?
“Don’t throw away everything from the first half, we conceded two goals on Milan’s two first actions, we didn’t do badly, we had to do better on the two goals, but we also had the 1-1 ball but that’s gone now and let’s focus on tomorrow. Obviously when a team comes back from 0-2 down to almost 3-2 at the last, the second half was better in terms of results. It’s always better to end on a positive note.
Why is there such a clear gap between one half and the next? Is the 4-2-3-1 a solution from the start?
“We showed not only with Milan that this formation can be useful, we know how to field it, it could also be tomorrow. We have to concede fewer goals, especially because apart from one match we have always scored goals. Let’s concentrate a bit more on the defensive phase, which can also be about re-attacking, defending forward, but the boys know we have to commit 11 and that way we will be more solid.
Does the team need to understand better the moments when to go all up or defend?
“In my opinion it’s not that, if you look at the first half, we gave away a lot of balls to the opponents. Even players who don’t usually do that. When you lose too many balls you can no longer attack and you expose yourself more. The key is to play better with the ball without giving anything away to the opponents.
Osimhen’s programme?
“He has agreed with the club, I have heard from him by message, the doctors assure me that he is following the programme, everything is going well and he will be with us next week. It’s not that I don’t care, but whether it’s Osimhen or Russo (youth player, ed), injured together, they can’t play so I focus on who can play.”
Does 7 points from Inter mean you have already given up?
“I expected a mean question from your side (laughs, ed). Your question is always offensive (meaning negative and explained in French, ed). I misunderstood maybe. We are a quarter of the way through the championship, three quarters left to get back to who is in front’.
Is Lindstrom growing? Will he get more space?
“Space, he has had a little, when a player is a winger he has to be decisive with goals and assists and for now to take the place of Kvicha and Matteo, its a bit complicated for the others, but they can’t play every game 90 minutes and when he enters in their place even with little time he has to show that he can determine. That goes for all players. There is the offensive side, in which to be decisive, but also the defensive side to help the team and Lindstrom is improving a lot on that.
Can it influence things that away from home, you go into a training camp and at home you don’t?
“It has nothing to do with it, with Covid there were no more training camps and there were still those who won the Scudetto and those who came second, I went to the semi-finals of the Champions League without making training camps. I have responsible and professional players.
Did you have a particular dialogue with Elmas, Rrahmani and Rui substituted in the 45th minute?
“It’s not a sanction to be substituted in the 45th minute, it’s to improve the team and they know that, there are those who have already gone out many times at half-time and then started the next one. I could have made other choices, but when you lose 0-2 and change two defenders it seems peculiar… but the match showed that they were the right choices with the change of form.”
The pitfalls of the derby?
“Thanks for the questions, we’re playing Salernitana, we talked about Milan but we can’t replay it. Tomorrow I’ll meet De Sanctis again, whom I appreciate very much, he was one of the pillars of my dressing room at Roma. I’ve always known him to be a great manager, during the 90 minutes we’ll be opponents but it will be a great pleasure to see him again. I’ll meet some players we know from France, Bradaric, Dia, Coulibaly, some we know from there. I didn’t know that 50km away I would find a respect, a different climate. Given the moment we live in the world, rivalry can be OK, but it’s not war, we have enough of wars. I hope there is support for the teams, but no hatred, that leads nowhere. Just this’.
How were you greeted at Diego’s mural? Do you feel more Neapolitan?
“I already said that when there was a bit of a storm and we talked about it here, in the city I find a lot of people who encourage me, very supportive of their team, I just try to have a normal life even if it’s not normal for us in any city, it’s complicated but it was the anniversary of the great Diego and since I had never been there I went and it was very nice. As you call them, the ‘scugnizzi’ who play in the streets, the beauty of football is this, the children who will be in our place in the future’.
Salernitana will be very obstructive.
“It won’t be an easy match, it’s a derby first and foremost, they need points, but we only have one positive result to get, victory there, and we have to field the best version of Napoli, we know what to do. Some of Salernitana’s parameters, we have to manage and we’re working on that’.
How satisfied are you with the progress so far? What aspect of the game worries you?
“We can improve in everything, but we are strong, let’s not forget that and on any pitch we must have ambition, confidence, personality, even courage at times because there is a fight, you don’t win games if you don’t fight and only play with the ball and not without the ball. One thing to improve is to start games better, a good start can give you the advantage’.
Is there also a rotation in goal or is Meret the starter?
“Meret is the No. 1, Gollini is the No. 2, then he was injured, he missed a few weeks of training, but since I arrived I am happy that our managers have managed to have him among us, we have three strong goalkeepers with Contini training well, little Idasiak is still young. Pierluigi deserves to play matches, let’s see if there is the opportunity, but Alex is back at a high level and now we haven’t played after three days”.
