Kalidou Koulibaly thanks Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso for ‘telling the truth to my face’ about his form and has no regrets on the transfer market.
The Partenopei needed this 1-0 victory away to Real Sociedad, as they had lost the Europa League opener 1-0 to AZ Alkmaar.
Kalidou Koulibaly thanks Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso for ‘telling the truth to my face’ about his form and has no regrets on the transfer market.
The Partenopei needed this 1-0 victory away to Real Sociedad, as they had lost the Europa League opener 1-0 to AZ Alkmaar.
“I don’t know if it’s the most important win of the season so far, but Real Sociedad are an excellent side and to beat them here with their current form was very difficult,” the defender told Sky Sport Italia.
“I think we have more self-belief now, we want to win every game, even if we have to suffer to achieve that. We all had to work hard today and sacrifice ourselves for the team in order to earn this win.
“I had a tough season because of injuries and knew I could give more. The coach just told me the truth to my face, which was that I needed to get back to my usual levels. I appreciate that and my mistake is when I try to do more even though I’m not fully fit, you can see the results.
“Carlo Ancelotti tried to help me, but I was visibly stilted and not at my best. I felt much better after the lockdown, as that gave me the chance to work on my fitness and I played much better.”
Koulibaly had been on the verge of an exit this summer, with Manchester City and PSG in a bidding war.
“I love Napoli, Napoli loves me, and that is important. I still have three years on my contract, I know clubs are looking for me, but I am happy here and want to give the fans joy. We’ll see what happens, but I am 100 per cent committed to Napoli.”