Francesco Calzona feels Napoli ‘found themselves again’ with the draw against Inter and reveals he’ll use drones to follow training while returning to Slovakia.
Both teams went out of the Champions League midweek on Spanish soil, as the Nerazzurri lost on penalties to Atletico Madrid, while the Partenopei capitulated to Barcelona.
Matteo Darmian had put the Nerazzurri in front after a couple of great Alex Meret saves, but Juan Jesus was ready to nod in the flicked-on corner at the back post to equalise.
“We showed heard and pride, only really allowing Inter 10 minutes of domination, and that is a great thing,” Calzona told DAZN.
“We are still a long way off Inter, but this is a side that had won 10 games in a row in Serie A, so it was an excellent performance.”
Victor Osimhen was injured and never came off the bench, weakening their attacking potential.
“We tried until the end to win, it was tough because Inter put you on the ropes with their combinations. Perhaps we lacked a little sharpness, but I am still pleased. The team has found itself again.”
The result keeps Napoli in seventh place, but they are only six points off Roma in fifth, which with the expanded tournament next season could be worth a spot in the Champions League.
“Clearly, it has been a tough campaign with three coaches, so not easy for those who joined the squad this season, especially if they came from abroad and had to adapt to Serie A. I see them growing on a daily basis.”
Going out of the Champions League will at least give Calzona the opportunity to get to know his players a little better.
“We only had seven training sessions as a whole squad and played seven games in a short space of time. We need to train more to whittle down the gap that still exists with other teams, but there isn’t time. It’s a matter of time.”
However, Calzona won’t be able to train Napoli over the next 10 days, as he must go off to his other job as the coach of Slovakia during the break for international duty.
“Members of staff will remain in Naples and I have full faith in them. There won’t be many players left behind either, but I get the images from the drone to follow their training sessions.”