Rafa Benitez has reiterated that Napoli’s performance against Juventus was ‘almost perfect’, but picks two other showings this season as better.
Rafa Benitez has reiterated that Napoli’s performance against Juventus was ‘almost perfect’, but picks two other showings this season as better.
The Vesuviani were particularly impressive during the opening half of their eventual 2-0 win over the League leaders on Sunday evening, to leave their Spanish Coach impressed post-match.
However, in considering all aspects to the performance, the 53-year-old saw room for improvement.
“I cannot say when Napoli have been their most beautiful this year. I doubt I can say [against Juventus] because, perhaps, sometimes the boys have been even better,” Benitez has considered to the Corriere dello Sport this week.
“Juventus have always enjoyed control through the season and we have been able to reduce that, to a certain extent – their possession was at a minimum. And this is the Napoli that I like, whilst we were almost perfect.
“With Roma in the Coppa Italia there was significant attention during the entire match and control in defence.
“And against Inter, on the other hand, there was a lot of ruthlessness and even the ability to score many goals. But in the second half with Juventus we made concessions.
“The one with Roma in the Coppa Italia is I believe the match in which during the two halves we have expressed ourselves in the best way and the dangers have been minimised.
“Together with the match against Inter, I suspect that in those two challenges there has been a little more movement, in certain moments principally in defence.
“[Against Juventus] it is true that the first 45 minutes represented what Napoli wants to be, there is no doubt about this – if we have to do a ranking, and we have to play for the 90 minutes, then there are those other two matches.”