Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis criticised Coach Maurizio Sarri and all his players other than Lorenzo Insigne after defeat to Real Madrid.
Insigne had given the Partenopei the early lead at the Bernabeu, but the champions of Europe and the world fought back to win 3-1.
“I think the lads lacked the Neapolitan grit tonight. The only one who showed it was the Neapolitan, Insigne, who scored a very sneaky goal,” De Laurentiis told Mediaset Premium.
Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis criticised Coach Maurizio Sarri and all his players other than Lorenzo Insigne after defeat to Real Madrid.
Insigne had given the Partenopei the early lead at the Bernabeu, but the champions of Europe and the world fought back to win 3-1.
“I think the lads lacked the Neapolitan grit tonight. The only one who showed it was the Neapolitan, Insigne, who scored a very sneaky goal,” De Laurentiis told Mediaset Premium.
“The others simply did not exist. They seemed to be stunned into submission by the glorious figures of Real Madrid, who didn’t even play that well.
“Our inadequacy on the evening meant it actually went well for us, because we could’ve lost by five or six. In Naples it’ll be a cauldron, but if Real Madrid score there, I can imagine the same players will crumble again.
“When you are young, you need to be humble and not arrogant, but Napoli tonight just weren’t there. I don’t want to punish them, though.”
De Laurentiis also seemed to imply using Dries Mertens as a False 9 was a bad idea in Europe, but above all blasted Sarri for the lack of squad rotation throughout the campaign.
“Insigne should be praised for his Neapolitan attitude. I think we expect too much of people who were chosen to take different roles and if we hadn’t had the Milik injury, we might’ve seen a different game tonight.
“I don’t want to get into the decisions, as those are down to the Coach, so I would never dare complain about any choices. I might disagree with the choices, but I wouldn’t dare tell them to anyone, even those who I should’ve perhaps told.
“Nobody said Milik should start this evening in the circumstances. I want to see more experimentation, as that can be healthy.
“Instead people try desperately to defend their own positions, whereas they should defend the club and the fans. The fans aren’t stupid. They realise if we lose a game occasionally, it’s worth it if we figure out who we can and cannot count on.
“Instead we’re reaching the end of a season in which the new signings have barely played at all and we cannot understand why. If we’d known this earlier, we could’ve invested that money elsewhere.
“I think we lacked that grit, that determination. I also say if we think that defending with a high line we can beat everyone, then in some games we probably need to adopt a different tactical approach.
“These defeats are healthy, as they make us learn and reflect. I would not put this difference down to just the quality of the Real Madrid players, because we have players who everyone envies and I often reject offers for them.”