Stanislav Lobotka is a key figure behind Napoli’s success this season and he thanked Luciano Spalletti for believing in him.
The 28-year-old Slovakian midfielder has been with the Partenopei since January 2020, joining from Celta Vigo for around €21m. He featured semi-regularly in his first six months at the club but struggled for consistent minutes in his first full season, looking something of a spare part in the Campania capital.
Everything changed for Lobotka following the arrival of Spalletti in the summer of 2021, with the Italian coach placing greater trust in the midfielder, allowing him to grow into an important player for Napoli.
Speaking to Sport24, Lobotka first revealed an amusing anecdote about star teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
“I knew nothing about Kvaratskhelia. They probably only knew him in Georgia, but he came to Napoli and showed what a great talent he is.”
The 28-year-old Slovakian midfielder then sniped at former Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso and thanked Spalletti for his trust.
“Unlike Gattuso, Spalletti believes in me, he has confidence, before it wasn’t like that, and now I’m trying to grow thanks to this.
“Actually, I didn’t expect such a season from Napoli, probably no-one did. We are happy that the season is developing like this and that we are doing very well, it’s fantastic.”
This season, Lobotka has made 36 appearances across all competitions for Napoli, for a total of 3024 minutes. In that time, he’s directly contributed to two goals and plays an important role dictating the pace of play.