Giovanni Di Lorenzo credits Luciano Spalletti with helping improve every aspect of Napoli after securing 50 points from a possible 57 in Serie A. ‘We know every match is on a knife edge.’
The Partenopei got the better of Salernitana 2-0 at the Stadio Arechi this evening, with Di Lorenzo opening the scoring on an Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa pull-back from the by-line, then Victor Osimhen netted on the rebound from Eljif Elmas hitting the woodwork.
“We knew it was a very difficult match, they were clammed up in defence, so we needed to be calm, move the ball around and avoid errors. It was very important to break the deadlock before half-time,” Di Lorenzo told DAZN.
“We improved a great deal in our mentality and the way we control the game over 90 minutes. We know every match is on a knife edge and we played like a great team today.”
Osimhen and the forwards like Kvicha Kvaratskhelia dominate the praise from fans and media, but Di Lorenzo has proved himself every bit as essential to their success this season.
“It’s only right that the strikers get all the attention, as they score the goals and win the games. We full-backs and defenders know we need to move the ball around quickly and find those gaps to release the forwards on goal.
“The coach played an important role in my growth process, giving me the responsibility of the captain’s armband and getting the best out of me. I am happy to be the captain of this team and these great players.”
Napoli reach the halfway stage of the season with 50 points out of an available 57, losing only one game against Inter.
“It is a wonderful first half of the season, we lost so many important players this summer, but created a new group and started strong. We need to continue like this.”
Respect for Napoli almost a miracle what they are doing great to see this can still happen in football today
He’s an unsung hero. Consistent, solid in defence and useful going forward. More importantly, he’s shown to be a stronger leader than Insigne. The former skipper had a tendency to allow his head to drop on many occasions, especially games at the business end of the season, whereas Di Lorenzo brings a sense of calm and maturity.