Rudi Garcia confirms he ‘spoke to’ Victor Osimhen after their angry touchline row and continues to insist Napoli are on track despite falling seven points behind leaders Inter. ‘There were positives.’
There were the opportunities to win at the Stadio Dall’Ara today, as Osimhen struck the inside of the post and missed a penalty, but the 0-0 draw coming after the stalemate at Genoa and defeat to Lazio see them slide down the standings.
“The negative element is the result, but the performance was good, especially in the first half. There were other positives, such as keeping a clean sheet, Natan playing with confidence when it was the right time to introduce him,” the coach told DAZN.
“If the ball hits the upright or if we do not convert a penalty, then it becomes difficult to win, even when we deserved it. This is football, the important thing is that the team overall made an interesting performance, we had some tactics that worked, but are not entirely happy because there is no victory.”
The tension is also visibly growing within the Napoli camp, as the fans jeered Garcia’s decision to substitute Kvicha Kvaratskhelia and Osimhen, the Nigerian openly protesting the call and shouting angrily at his coach that he wanted two strikers on the field rather than making way for Giovanni Simeone.
“Even the greatest players in the history of football miss penalties. As for when he went off, we talked about that, what I say to my players remains in the locker room.”
This is not the first time that his decisions have been the subject of dissent, as Kvaratskhelia was angry last week.
“We have a lot of quality in the squad and on the bench, so Simeone, Politano and Elmas came on, I still have Jesper available too. When we have this much quality, we can’t always have 90 minutes with the same men, especially as we have four games in nine days.
“There is a team that starts, one that is in the second half and another at the final whistle. We will not go far unless I can count on all the lads. It is a positive that players are not happy when they come off, just as it can happen that I am not happy with their performances. It is a large squad, I want to use them all.”
It has been a dismal start to the season for the Partenopei, who as reigning champions of Italy under Luciano Spalletti now find themselves seven points adrift of leaders Inter after just five rounds.
The last time this club had eight points or fewer by the end of Week 5 was six points in the 2015-16 term.
They had also struggled to earn a late 2-1 Champions League win away to SC Braga midweek, which was only secured thanks to an own goal.
Garcia seemed irritable when asked what target President Aurelio De Laurentiis had asked of him when he replaced Spalletti.
“I already answered this question. A team like Napoli must play in the Champions League every year. Seeing the Scudetto won and the team, Napoli’s place is in the top four, we are not there right now and therefore cannot be happen. At the same time, we must not throw everything out the window, we must push for good fortune to turn our way.
“We have to win on Wednesday, then try to put together a run of victories, because that will allow us to climb up the table. So that starts from Wednesday.”
The delusion is strong with this one, isn’t it?