Following I Partenopei’s 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, Napoli boss Spalletti provided his thoughts on his side’s display in the press.
Napoli did well to hold onto to levelled score-line for quite a long period of the match. However, they were unable to hold-up defensively as they fall apart within the dying minutes of the game, conceding two goals from Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez.
Despite the undesired result, Napoli have still finished top of the group and have secured their spot within the knockout phase of the Champions League, winning their group for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign.
While speaking to the media, via Tutto Napoli, the gaffer expressed his thoughts on Napoli’s performance against the Premier League giants:
I think we put in a great performance, because for most of the game we kept the ball well, created hypothetical chances and kept the match in total balance without ever struggling. That was fundamental.
Then as time wore on I saw the side feeling a bit sated with the draw, so I made changes to introduce more pace and sparkle, but it wasn’t enough.
In terms of mentality, it was precisely when we felt comfortable that we should’ve pushed, because we had nothing to lose. Having said that, Liverpool clearly are more accustomed to keeping that intensity and pace for 90 minutes and more.
This is a strong squad, because to come here and play the way we did for long periods means there is belief in ourselves. We need to put it into practice against the big clubs so we have proof of our strength and we nearly did it tonight.”
