Roberto De Zerbi reveals the team talk he gave to Sassuolo ahead of their shock victory away to Napoli. ‘If we’re going to lose, let us choose how to lose.’
This 2-0 result has put the Neroverdi in second place, just two points shy of leaders Milan, and still unbeaten this season.
Roberto De Zerbi reveals the team talk he gave to Sassuolo ahead of their shock victory away to Napoli. ‘If we’re going to lose, let us choose how to lose.’
This 2-0 result has put the Neroverdi in second place, just two points shy of leaders Milan, and still unbeaten this season.
It was a particularly remarkable victory considering they made the trip without injured Domenico Berardi, Francesco Caputo, Filip Djuricic and Lukas Haraslin, so essentially most of their goal-scorers.
Manuel Locatelli stepped up to convert a penalty and Maxime Lopez got the late solo effort on the counter while Victor Osimhen was protesting about a Marlon shirt tug.
“I was giving the team talk today and said I saw a strong starting XI that could win in Naples. They looked at me and didn’t seem to believe I meant it. I had to stop and explain to them that I wasn’t trying to blow smoke, I was telling them the truth and I genuinely believed it,” De Zerbi told Sky Sport Italia.
“I think they believed it eventually, because quality is important, but you won’t get anywhere without belief in your capabilities.
“The real test of our maturity will be against teams who are not so willing to come out and play, because they are more difficult to deal with.”
Maxime Lopez was a surprise pick today and he went on to score his first Serie A goal.
“He’s talented, he knows how to play, he can handle pressure because he’s had 100 games for Marseille. I think he works well with Locatelli. It requires everyone else to sacrifice themselves a little more in defence, because they are more quality midfielders than tacklers, but it’s worth the sacrifice.”
De Zerbi made some other tactical changes, as he moved to three at the back at the Stadio San Paolo.
“I’ve told the players many times, if we’re going to lose, let us choose how to lose. We can be defensive and showcase their quality, or we can try to showcase our qualities.
“It’s also frankly disrespectful for me to leave 50-60 metres behind Chiriches and Ferrari for Osimhen to run into. It’s just not a wise thing to do, so the three-man defence made more sense.”